A Man Above Reproach (25 page)

Elias had wrestled over whether to take a pistol to the Sleeping Dove to confront Mother. He was not afraid of Digby; he was fairly certain that he could best him again. Frost and Thackeray would be with him
as well, so his physical well-being was more than safe, it was assured. The gun might help with intimidation, though.

In the end, he did not bring it. He did not need anything except his righteous anger at the hideous woman who called herself Mother Superior. Part of him hoped Digby would give him a reason, even a tenuous one, to beat him within an inch of his life.

It was exhilarating, taking action like this. He had never been very proactive, choosing to mostly stay out of others’ affairs. He had always been the exact opposite of Thackeray in that regard and compared to Frost, he was a prude. Now, standing outside the door of the Dove, he realized that the things he had done since meeting Analise far surpassed even their stupidest escapades.

And he loved it.

“We are just walking in?” Sebastian asked, peeking around the back of the building. “Why not something more heroic, like going through the courtyard to employ the element of surprise?”

“It is a place of business, Sebastian. We are walking in.”

“It does not seem dashing or dangerous, Elias, you must admit.”

“I know they love me here,” Nicholas shrugged. “I have spent a fortune on drinks and on Sally until she left. Furthermore, I am not Lennox. I am not the troublemaker.”

“You took away one of Mother’s girls,” Elias reminded him. He opened the front door and began making their way to the back. “I think it would be best if we just went in as if we were still patrons, mingle until we can secure a conversation with Mother.”

“And what if she will not talk to us? You did knock her lackey unconscious.”

“She will talk.”

“I still think it would be more dramatic to climb the courtyard fence.”

“Shut up, Frost.”

Elias opened the door to the Dove, but Digby’s arm was across the entrance. Behind him, they could see the sparkling piano, a monument to the money Lennox had already thrown the way of these odious villains. The room was empty of both customers and girls.

“Yer Grace. Been expectin’ you.”

“Good evening, Mr. Digby,” Frost said from Elias’s shoulder. “I am Sebastian Frost, heir to the Earl of Harrington. I have heard much about your establishment.”

“We’re closed,” he said gruffly. “Repairs.”

“I need to speak with your boss,” Elias said without much inflection.

“She don’t need to speak to you.”

“Digby, my good man,” Nicholas said in a loud, jolly voice, “I doubt Mother Superior would pass up the opportunity to have a conversation with three handsome, wealthy men.”

“I simply must meet her,” Frost added with a dramatic flair that bordered on silly.

Elias would have thought they planned it, it sounded so casual. He saw Mother’s lumpy form appear behind the bully, her neck craned to take in the three peers.

“Let them through,” she barked. “I assume you have a good reason for coming back here, Your Grace? Your bluestocking’s not here, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“I know where she is.” His eyes darted over to Digby. “And she is very well protected.”

Mother put her hands on her hips.

“Talk fast, Duke. My time is money and you have wasted quite enough of it.”

“It has come to our attention that girls have gone missing from your establishment. Considering that Digby just assaulted the bluestocking, I think you know why we are here.”

Digby hovered behind Mother Superior, lurking with menace.

“I’d be happy to go another round,” he snarled.

“Watch yourself,” Elias warned. Digby put a foot forward as if he was about to make a move. Nicholas and Sebastian stood up behind Elias, flanking him. Elias waited a beat before he continued. “Let’s keep this civil. I have a proposal for you both that will be beneficial for everyone.”

“Sounds familiar,” Sebastian muttered to Nicholas.

“Oh?” Mother could not hide the greed in her voice.

“You can’t be listening to him,” Digby said, nearly whining. It made Elias suddenly certain that this man was the madam’s son. “He knocked me cold against a stone wall!”

“It was less than you deserved,” Elias spat. “Must I repeat the performance?”

“Lennox,” Thackeray interjected. “You should let one of us have a go. It is not fair for you to have all the fun.”

“Do you want to take our money or not, Miss Superior?” Elias asked mildly.

“Money?” Mother’s eyes glinted.

“There she is,” Thackeray smiled. “There is the girl we know.”

“Hardly a girl,” Frost mumbled.

“Yes, money.” Elias slid a piece of parchment across the table, the amount the three had agreed to offer. It was more than generous. Mother’s eyes widened as she read it. Digby looked over her shoulder, then cast a suspicious glare at the trio.

“I considered going to the authorities,” Elias continued, “but I reasoned that you likely have connections in high places. Those bastards who pay you to hand over your girls are certainly not untitled men. Litigation would be a mess. So, I have enlisted my two friends here in order to give you an offer—take this generous amount, board a boat,
and do not ever set foot in this country again. Sign the deed of this cesspool over to us.”

“Why?” Digby spoke again, as the woman had fallen into a stunned silence.

“Lennox likes things tied up neatly,” Thackeray said, “and Frost and I like to gamble.”

“Also, he would not let me kill both of you and bury you at Ashworth,” Frost added in a disturbing deadpan.

“We will accept this offer,” Mother said, after feigning consideration.

“But—”

“No, Digby. I am tired. Let these boys ruin their reputations or burn the place to the ground, I do not care. I want to be comfortable.”

“Reasonable,” Nicholas said. “Everyone wants to be comfortable. It may be the one thing that unites us all.”

“Do not orate,” Elias reprimanded. “Your answer is yes, then?”

“I said so, dinnit I?”

It was strange that the first thing that came to Elias’s mind was the fact that the courtyard now officially belonged to him and Analise.

“Excellent,” he said, clapping his hands together. “My solicitors will contact you tomorrow with the details.”

The two crooks were still agape, Digby disbelieving the ease of the transaction and Mother dumbfounded by her luck. Elias looked to his friends, sure that his face also betrayed him. There was not a word to describe how brimming with hope for the future he felt.

“Gentleman, shall we?”

“What a disappointing confrontation,” Sebastian commented on the way out. “I expected fisticuffs. We do not even get to climb the fence upon exit? Not very theatrical at all.”

“It is your fence now, Frost,” Nicholas shrugged. “Climb it any time.”

Analise paced the front room of the Paper Garden. She had put the burgundy gown on, because Elias had chosen it, but as the hours stretched she felt more and more ridiculous. It was difficult to complete any task of worth in the tight confection. She felt useless in the confining bodice, even though there was really nothing to do… an army of ducal servants had made the store sparkle. Georgina told her, before leaving for the evening to visit with Sally, that she had seen more customers that day than the whole total of her time at the Garden.

Dryden made an appearance to deposit two covered dinners at the front table. He had set up a center of operations for the duke, from a tiny nook near the history section. The valet was mostly silent, except for a brief greeting and a comment that she looked lovely.

She felt awful. She still did not know if she would stay or go.

Two short knocks sounded at the door before Elias opened it. His eyes scanned the room for her and in that instant she saw that he had dressed for dinner, too. As if she was someone important. Her heart twisted. This was a man from the world she had left behind and now she would have to leave it again. The exquisite cut of his jacket, the feathery hair that framed his face, the crispness of his collar: He was easily the most gorgeous creature she had ever seen. He was so flawless that her only thought was how much she would like to disassemble him.

She stepped out into the light.

“My god, Ana,” he said when his eyes found her. His mouth was ever so slightly open and that particular glaze had come over his tawny eyes. “How will I make it through dinner without ravishing you?”

In her inspection of him, she had forgotten that she was wearing the gown he had chosen. They moved closer to each other like they were spellbound.

“I was thinking something similar,” she returned. He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into him, which was not something she resisted. “Thank you for the gown.”

“Entirely my pleasure,” he smiled, his curved lips a thing of the devil. “It has comforted me to think of its existence all day, imagining it on you, imagining it slung across a chair upstairs after I’ve liberated you from it.”

She actually blushed.

“Behave,” she said without meaning it.

“Whyever would I? Things are finished between Miss Francis and I. My mother is less furious than she would have been because Lord Francis has asked her to the opera. I no longer have any reason to pretend I am not pursuing you.” He kissed the side of her mouth, lingering. “Avidly pursuing you.”

“The food is getting cold,” she said, though it was a pathetic attempt at a protest. His nose was on her neck again, a moment before she felt his tongue on her ear. She began another sentence, something about how the food had already been sitting for a while, but its meaning was lost. Her body relaxed into him without consent of her brain.

Some minutes later—she could not quantify how many—they found themselves tangled together against a desk. Elias pulled out of a kiss, proud with dishevelment, and let out a long breath.

“Well, love,” he said, “I must admit that you were right to remind me of dinner, because I am going to get carried away rather quickly. If we do not eat now, I fear it will go to waste.”

“Oh,” she said, having forgotten about any dinner. Once he started kissing her, her vocabulary was whittled down to words like
oh
and
god
and
yes
.

“Besides,” he continued, taking her hand and leading her back to the table. He pulled out her chair for her. “I have had a very eventful
day that I need to tell you about. When I take you bed, I do not intend to do much talking.”

There was that shiver again, that instant reaction to him for which she could find no logical explanation.

“My day was packed with activity,” she commented, straining for an informal tone. She lifted the silver lid of her dinner, releasing the steam trapped inside. “I own new dresses for the first time in years, courtesy of a handsome duke. Then I came home with a careful guard of devoted servants, also courtesy the handsome duke. It makes me feel ludicrous, Eli.”

He poured wine into her glass, pursing his lips in reprimand.

“Dearest.”

“Please do not be patronizing.”

“I am not. You are being intractable. Once we are settled, you can choose however many attendants you wish to have, or none at all. But right now, we had to think of the very real danger you were in. Were, in the past tense. You are safe now.”

She sighed, picking at her food.

“Years of careful work, obliterated in under a month. All of the girls who counted on me… I let them down.”

“Not so,” he protested. “You have saved them. It is done. We are now the proud owners of the Sleeping Dove, along with my esteemed friends Thackeray and Frost. Do you have any ideas to rename the place?”

“What?”

“I was thinking something more masculine, since we intend to make it into a gambling hall. Or something French.”

“You bought… the Dove.”

She could not believe she was saying that sentence. It echoed in her head. His contented smile stabbed at her—he truly thought he was going to be able to fix everything and provide a happy ending.

“If you want to be technical,” he shrugged, “I bribed the villains.”

He began eating, watching her with a satisfied gaze, considering the case closed. He took a sip of wine and turned to her, putting a hand on her leg impishly.

“Not hungry, love?” His long eyebrow shot up, lightning across his forehead. “If you are not, I would rather be in bed.”

“I just do not know what to say. I have already accepted so much of your charity, but this is beyond my imagination. It is objectionable.”

“It is not charity. I should be offended by that,” he frowned. “I love you. It is selfish. I love you and I want to see you happy, so I am using my resources toward that goal.”

To hear the words so frank from his mouth made her emotions lurch forward and obliterate the doubts in one whoosh. He loved her. The conviction in his voice was unwavering. She could not possibly leave him. She must have been mad to even consider it. Things were already starting to work themselves out. Elias loved her—he said it aloud, brazen and unashamed. He said it like a simple fact. She let out a breath she had not realized she was holding.