Finally, a tall thin woman answered the door. She looked down her sharp beak-like nose and peered at Agatha with small, dark eyes. Instantly, Agatha was reminded of a rodent. She shuddered.
“Thinking you’re lost,” she said with a voice scratched and deep. Her heavy cockney accent made deciphering the woman’s words a challenge.
“I need to see Lady Leblanc,” Agatha said.
Those dark eyes narrowed to slits.
Agatha held up the bag of coin. “I’ll pay for her time, of course.” She withdrew two coins and held them out to the woman. “And your assistance.”
Bony fingers grabbed at the money, then she moved out of the way and granted Agatha entrance.
The dimly lit, smoke-filled room was nearly empty. It was nice to know that Lady Leblanc’s customers waited until a more appropriate hour for their debauchery. Agatha continued for follow the thin woman as she wove through the large parlor and then into a corridor. The faint sounds of pleasure came from behind the various doors. Women moaning and men grunting. Agatha felt her cheeks heat. Finally they stopped in front of a closed door.
The woman nodded towards the door. “In there.”
“I should just go inside?” Agatha pointed to the door.
Those small black eyes rolled upwards so slightly. “You said you wanted to speak to Lady Leblanc. That’s her office.”
Agatha nodded. “Very well.” She opened the door and found a stunningly beautiful woman sitting behind a large, heavily carved desk. “Lady Leblanc?”
Lady Leblanc’s perfectly curved brows arched. “What can I do for you, pet?” Her words showed remnants of her rumored French heritage. She beckoned Agatha with a wave of her hand. The door slammed behind her and Agatha jumped with a squeak, but moved towards the desk.
As Agatha approached, the notorious madam came better into view. She still had a youthful look about her, with clear eyes and skin. Her golden hair was pulled up in an artful coiffure and the red gown highlighted the pale green of her eyes. “You’re beautiful.”
Lady Leblanc chuckled with a husky purr. “Thank you, darling. Now what can I do for you?”
Agatha exhaled slowly. “I need lessons in seduction and I thought you would probably be the very best person to ask. I can pay you.”
“Who are you?” Lady Leblanc asked with a narrowed gaze.
Agatha lifted the veil covering her eyes and pushed it back. “My name is Agatha Pennybrook and I am the widow of Lord Tolley.”
The older woman clapped her hands together, then leaned forward, bracing her chin on the tips of her fingers. She was obviously a woman of great intellect as her eyes shone with shrewdness. “A widow? Why then do you need seduction lessons?”
The pounding in her heart echoed in her ears. Agatha opened her mouth, then closed it. She cleared her throat. “I am still young. Still of a marriageable age, but I do not wish to allow my parents further control over my person. I should like to be in charge of my choices from now on. But I feel as though I need the protection of a man.”
Lady Leblanc’s smile widened. “You intend to become a mistress?”
Agatha nodded. “I believe it is the best and simplest way for me to retain control over my fortune and my future.”
“And your husband did not teach you properly how to please a man?” the madam asked.
“He…he died before…” Agatha’s voice came out in a whisper.
Lady Leblanc eyed her a moment, then sat back in her chair with a nod. “He died before you consummated your marriage?”
“Yes.” She bumped her chin up to project an air of confidence she did not feel. “I am still a virgin.”
A deep male voice swore from behind her. Agatha whirled around to see a settee in the darkened corner of the room. A giant of a man stood and walked towards her.
“I didn’t realize you were entertaining. Your servant—the woman who gave me entrance—said for me to just come in,” Agatha said, glancing back and forth between the madam and the approaching giant.
Lady Leblanc chuckled. “Not entertaining, pet, that’s my eldest son, Sebastian.”
It was that moment he breached the darkness and she could clearly see his features. His hair was golden, like his mother’s, and if Agatha wasn’t mistaken his eyes were the same mossy green. He was young, and so handsome, Agatha could not turn away from him. Her hands began to shake and she felt awareness all over her body. It was unlike any sensation she’d ever felt. Inexplicable, because he had only spoken one word, an oath, and he was simply standing there staring at her.
She was very much aware of his height and broad size. Agatha had never been a small woman. While she wasn’t particularly tall for a woman, she wasn’t short either and she’d always had what her grandmum had called a sturdy frame. Hermother had, instead, referred to her as portly. Agatha swallowed hard as the man came to stand right in front of her.
