A discreet knock interrupted the exchange as Oswald entered. “A message, sir.” He crossed the room holding out a silver tray with a missive. Lorelei could see right away the note was not from his lover. Curiosity choked her.
Thorne slipped the envelope into an inside pocket of his waistcoat without even glancing at it. “Thank you, Oswald.” His actions were as smooth as a St. Giles pickpocket.
“Enjoy your hat shopping, ladies. It appears I have other matters on which to attend.”
Before Lorelei could muster any defense, Thorne captured her hands and pulled her in for a kiss directly on her lips. She gaped at his audacity. Heat flamed her face and rushed every fiber of her being. “Lady Kimpton, we shall speak later.” The promise was whispered against her ear, sending her spine quivering in response. “You shan’t escape me forever, darling.”
Oh, but he was difficult to resist when he turned on that allure. Like a summer rain, his voice drenched her in a rush of warm water. Shaking her head, she stepped back and narrowed her eyes.
He didn’t bother waiting for an answer, just made his grand exit with a quick smile and short wave.
“Let us go,” she said sharply to Ginny, furious with her breathless tone.
Four
L
orelei sank back into the cushions of the carriage. She had never been so angry in all of her twenty-eight years. Not even when Brandon and Baron Welton’s precious heir, George, had the grandiose idea of sneaking eight toads into the freshly laundered linens of her bedchamber. They’d thought their prank fabulous until she took each by an ear, hauling them to the kitchens to assist the laundress for the remainder of the day. Brandon had paid his penance without complaint, but George had dodged his due and skated scot-free.
“I hope you were jesting about shopping for hats. I dare not step from this contraption feeling the way I do.”
“It was the only thing that came to mind on such short notice,” Ginny told her. “That was quite the bomb you dropped this morning. Lord Kimpton’s timing was admirable. One could almost believe him clairvoyant.” She flung out a hand. “Impossible, of course, as everyone knows men have absolutely no intuition. Shall I begin with the most obvious? What makes you think your husband fathered another woman’s child? There is not a woman in town who is not jealous of his devotion to you.”
Lorelei wished desperately to believe Ginny’s words, but too many coincidences disallowed it. The crack in her heart deepened in a sharp spear. “Not so difficult to believe, I suppose,” Lorelei said softly. “After all, I’ve yet to get with child.” Something dark hovered at the edge of her memory. Something so vile, her fingers trembled. She squeezed her hands into fists. “I’m unable to have a child besides.”
Ginny frowned. “What nonsense is this? Never mind. The fact of the matter is your husbandadoresyou.”
“He’s never admitted so.” The bitterness roiled through her.
Ginny clasped her hand. “He treats you kindly, does he not?” Her voice went soft, masking anger fueled by pain. “Would you have someone flatter you with flowery words and gifts in the presence of others, then grab the nearest female walking by? All while smiling and pretending you’ve not seen a thing?”
Lorelei’s heart ached for Ginny, and she squeezed her hands. But Ginny hadn’t heard everything. “How do you know that is not the case?” Lorelei tried drawing in a deep breath, but it was hampered by her corset. She let out a stream of air. In slow, meticulous detail, she confessed Bethie’s and her visit beneath Rowena Hollerfield’s window the previous evening, concluding with that horrific nightmare. “I’m frightened, Ginny. And so furious I can hardly see straight. And if there is a child—I suppose it’s not ‘if’—what chance has a babe to survive with a mother who is a courtesan?”
Sympathy crossed her friend’s expression. Lorelei shut her eyes against the helplessness Ginny conveyed. “Oh, Lorelei. What do you propose to do? Storm Miss Hollerfield’s love nest and challenge her to a duel?”
Lorelei started. Sat up, back straight against the seat. “Of course. That’s perfect,” she breathed.
“What the devil—”
“Don’t you see, Ginny? I shall talk to her myself. I’mhiswife. I have a right to… to…make his life hell.”
Ginny fell back against her own seat, hand splayed on her chest. “Oh my—you don’t mean tovisither?”
One thing Lorelei was not was helpless. “I do indeed.”
“But… she’s a… a whore. Youcannottake a chance of being seen anywhere near her home. It’s… it’s unconscionable.”
“I won’t go in the dead of night. That’s much too dramatic. Besides, can you imagine the look on Thorne’s face if I were going in as he was coming out?”
Ginny stared at her, her mouth shaped into a perfect O, before her burst of laughter erupted.
The vision of her husband’s horrified expression filled Lorelei, and her own laughter crashed against the walls. The carriage nearly rocked with their uncontrolled spasms.
Lorelei wiped the tears from her eyes. Thorne might have betrayed her, but she had a true friend in Virginia Ninnis.
Ginny pulled a kerchief from her pocket and dabbed her eyes. “We can’t possibly drive up to her house in your husband’s carriage. How do you propose we pull off this caper?”
“What do you mean ‘we’? You can’t possibly go with me. What if Maudsley got wind of our little escapade?”
