Parlor Games (10 page)

“I took her away with me last night. Thanks to Sir Richard, her expensive clothing is now ruined.”

“I will add it to his bill.”

“You will allow him to return?”

Her eyes glinted with avarice. “What is it worth to you to have him banned?”

“I will write a short pamphlet that will mention, among other details, how he has been banned from a certain house for ungentlemanly behavior. By the time I have finished with him, his reputation will be in tatters and no respectable person, man or woman, will want to be seen with him.” He smiled grimly. Very soon Sir Richard would rue the day he laid hands on Sarah. “For the right incentive, I will make it subtly clear whose house it was, where it can be found, and what ser vices can be obtained there.”

She was too canny to smile, but the look of delight that flashed in her eyes betrayed her excitement at the prospect. “The publicity would be worth something,” she admitted grudgingly.

“You know perfectly well that it would more than make up for the loss of Sir Richard’s contribution. Not to mention, your girls would feel safer if he was banned. It would serve as a warning for other gentlemen not to take what is not freely offered—and paid for.”

She gave a decisive nod. “I will inform Sir Richard that his company is no longer agreeable to me. And Sarah? Where is she?”

“My wife,” he emphasized, “is in the front parlor drinking a cup of tea.”

“Your wife?” The look on her face was of amusement rather than surprise.

“My wife.”

“Please bring her in.”

Tom hesitated.

“I would like to see with my own eyes that she has suffered no lasting harm from Sir Richard. I am sorry for the girl—I do not countenance such behavior in my house.”

Tom felt Sarah’s arm tremble in his as he led her through the dark passageway to Mrs. Erskine’s sitting room.

Mrs. Erskine regarded her with a mild air. “So, Sarah, you are to be married to this scoundrel?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You could have done a good deal better for yourself. I was expecting you to snare a handsome young baron at the very least, or an elderly coal merchant with more than enough money to spend on fripperies for a young mistress.”

Tom frowned at her.

“But I daresay Mr. Wilde will treat you handsomely enough.” She coughed. “As for Sir Richard, he will be dealt with.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Now that the two of you are to be married,” she continued, “I have something I must give you.” With one hand she pushed her pince-nez glasses up her nose while with the other she opened one of her desk drawers and rummaged about in it for a minute. “Ah, here it is,” she said, bringing out a square of pasteboard and holding it out to Tom.

There was an address written on it in an elegant script—he recognized neither the address nor the handwriting. He turned it over, hoping for a clue to its purpose, but the other side was blank.

“That is my sister’s address.”

“Your sister?” Sarah ventured, looking over Tom’s shoulder at the card.

“She runs an establishment the pair of you might like to explore together,” Mrs. Erskine said, a rare smile creeping over her face. “An establishment for the entertainment of adventurous married couples.”

Tom shot a sidelong glance at Sarah. Her lips were pursed, but there was a definite gleam of interest in her eye. His cock sprang to attention at the thought that she would adventure there with him. When an opportune moment arrived, he would have to explore that subject a little further.

But not right now. He took Sarah’s arm and ushered her to the door. Mrs. Erskine was part of their past, not of their future. “Good-bye.”

Mrs. Erskine sat waiting as the couple walked out of her office. Had she misread the pair of them? She did not think so, but she
had
been wrong once before. Very, very wrong.

There were sounds of scuffling, and the whisper of a muted giggle reached her from the corridor.

Tom stuck his head back around the door. “We will give your sister your regards,” he promised, a merry glint in his eye, and disappeared into the corridor once more.

Mrs. Erskine picked up her pen again, a satisfied smile firmly planted on her face.

She had
not
been wrong. Her sister would be pleased.

Cover design by Susan H. Choi

Cover photograph by Wendi Schneider