Say You Love Me (3 page)

It had certainly been nothing like the brief talk Kelsey had had with her mother more than a year before, when she’d turned seventeen, about love and marriage. Her mother had discussed lovemaking and babies in her forthright way, then went right on to an unrelated subject, as if they both weren’t embarrassed to their toes by the previous one.

May had left her with the parting advice, “Just remember, it’s likely a married man that will buy you, and the reason he wants a mistress in the first place is he gets no satisfaction from his wife. Hell, some of them ain’t never seen their wives naked, believe it or not. Anyone will tell you—well, anyone of
my
acquaintance will tell you—that a man likes looking at a naked woman. Just give him what he don’t get at home and he’ll adore you.”

And now it was time. Kelsey was nearly trembling with dread. Lonny had given her an approving look—a very approving look, actually—when he’d opened the door and seen her in the ruby-red gown with its deeply scooped neckline. That he felt she looked more appropriate for the occasion did nothing to bolster her courage.

Her future, for better or worse, was going to be decided that night by the man who would be willing to pay the most for her. He didn’t have to be to her liking, she understood that. May had made it clear that she might even despise him right from the beginning, if he were old or cruel. She could only hope that that wouldn’t be the case.

Lonny led her downstairs. He had to do a bit of tugging to get her to move when she heard just how crowded it was below simply from the level of noise, and worse, he didn’t take her to the parlor, where she could have met the gentlemen and conversed with them.

Instead, he escorted her into the rather large gambling den, whispering when she halted completely, “Most of these gents aren’t here to bid on you. They’re here to gamble or for other pleasures. But I have found that the more present, the more active the bidding from those seriously interested. The others, well, it gives them a rousing good show, which is very good for business, don’t you know.”

And before she knew what he meant to do, he’d hefted her up onto one of the tables, and
warned in a hiss, “Stay there, and do your part to look enticing.”

Enticing, when she was paralyzed with fear and utter mortification? And because most of the men in the room weren’t there to bid on her, as he’d said, and so had no idea why she was standing up on that table, Lonny made a little announcement to enlighten them.

“A moment of your time, gentlemen, for a very unusual auction.”

The word
auction
had a way of gaining immediate attention, and this was no exception. Lonny had to wait only a few more seconds for the room to quiet down completely.

“For those of you pleased with your current ladyloves, please continue your gambling, this auction is not for you. But for those of you in the market for something new, I offer this vision of—blushing loveliness.” There were a number of snickers because Kelsey’s face had, in fact, turned nearly the color of her gown. “Not to sample, good sirs, but to call your own for however long you care to. And for such a privilege, bidding will begin at ten thousand pounds.”

The amount, quite naturally, caused an immediate uproar, raising the volume in the room much higher than it had been before Lonny’s startling announcement.

“Ain’t no female worth that much, even m’wife,” one man called out, generating laughter around him.

“Can you loan me ten thousand, Peters?”

“Made of gold, it is?” someone else sneered.

“Five hundred, and not a pound more” was called out in a drunken voice.

Those were just a few of the dozens of comments that Lonny wisely let run their course before he put an end to them by stressing again, “Because this little jewel will go to the highest bidder, the option will belong to her new protector of how long he wishes to keep her. A month, a year, indefinitely…the choice will be his, not hers. This will be stipulated in the bill of sale. So come now, gentlemen, who will be the lucky one to be the first…
ever
…to sample this luscious young morsel?”

Kelsey was too shocked to hear much of what was said after that. She had been told she would be “presented” to the gentlemen, misleading her into believing that she would meet them and have a chance to speak with each of them, and that then they would quietly make their offers, if they intended to bid, to Lonny.

Never had she imagined that the whole thing would be done so publicly. Good God, if she had known she was going to be auctioned,
auctioned
, to a room full of men, half of them foxed, would she have still agreed to this?

A voice broke through her horrified thoughts.

“I’ll meet the opening bid.”

Kelsey’s eyes moved to the sound of that tired voice to see an equally tired and ancient face. She had a feeling she was going to faint.

3

“
Still don’t know what we’re doing here,” Lord Percival
Alden mumbled. “Angela’s place is just as nice, was just as close from the White’s dinner, and her girls are used to
normal
debauchery.”

Derek Malory chuckled and winked at his cousin Jeremy as they followed their friend into the foyer. “Is there such a thing as normal debauchery? Sounds like a contradiction in terms there, don’t it?”

Percy could say the most unusual things at times, but like Nicholas Eden, he’d been one of Derek’s closer friends since their school days, and so he could be forgiven his occasional lapses into denseness. Nick, now, rarely chummed about with them anymore, and certainly not to places like this, not since he’d got himself leg-shackled to Derek’s cousin Regina. Not that Derek wasn’t delighted to have Nick in the family, as it were, but he was of the firm opinion that marriage could wait till after thirty, and that was still five long years away for him.

His two youngest uncles, Tony and James, were the perfect examples of the wiseness of that opinion. They’d been two of London’s most notorious rakes in their day, had sowed their oats long and well, and hadn’t settled down to raise families until their mid-thirties. Having Jeremy, James’s illegitimate eighteen-year-old son, wasn’t considered raising a family early, since he was conceived without the sanctity of marriage—just like Derek was. Besides, in Jeremy’s case, Uncle James hadn’t even known of his existence until a few years before.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Jeremy remarked on the subject in all seriousness. “I can debauch as well as anyone, and I do it normally.”

“You know what I mean,” Percy replied, gazing warily about the foyer and up the stairs, as if he expected the devil himself to appear. “Some mighty queer chaps known to frequent this establishment.”

Derek raised a golden brow at that, scoffing, “I’ve been here a few times now, Percy, to gamble and to avail m’self of one of the rooms upstairs—and its occupant. Didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. And recognized most of the chaps here.”

“Didn’t say
everyone
who comes here is weird, old man. Gad, no. We’re here, aren’t we?”

Jeremy couldn’t resist. “You mean we’re not weird? Hells bells, I could’ve sworn—”

“Be quiet, scamp,” Derek cut in, succeeding, just barely, to hold back his laughter. “Our
friend here appears to be quite serious.”

Percy nodded emphatically. “Indeed I am. They say any fetish or fantasy can be found here, no matter how bizarre one’s particular tastes run. And I believe it now, having seen Lord Ashford’s driver outside. Would be afraid a girl here would hand me some chains the minute I walk in her room,” and he shuddered.

The name Ashford brought an abrupt end to Derek’s humor, as well as Jeremy’s. They’d all three had a run-in with the fellow a few months before in one of the taverns down by the river, having been drawn by a woman’s terrified screams to one of the upstairs bedrooms.

“Isn’t that the fellow I beat senseless not so long ago?” Jeremy asked.

“Beg to differ, dear boy,” Percy replied. “It was Derek here who beat the lout senseless. Didn’t give either of us much of a chance at it, furious as he was. You did get a kick or two in after he was out for the count, though, as I recall. Come to think of it, so did I.”

“Glad to hear it.” Jeremy nodded. “Must have been foxed not to have remembered that.”

“You were. We all were. And a good thing, too, or we might have killed the bloody sod.”

“No more than he would have deserved,” Derek mumbled. “The man’s thoroughly demented. No other excuse for that kind of cruelty.”

“Oh, I agree, indeed I do,” Percy said, and
then in a whisper, “I’ve even heard that without the blood, he can’t—well, you know…”

Trust Percy to lighten the mood. Derek actually burst out laughing. “Good God, man, we’re in the most notorious brothel in town. No need to quibble words here.”

Percy actually blushed before he grumbled, “Well, I still want to know what
we’re
doing here. The things they cater to in this house are simply not my cup of tea.”

“Mine either,” Derek agreed. “But as I said before, that isn’t all that goes on here. They may cater to the depraved, but the girls here can still appreciate a nice,
normal
tumble when that’s all that’s required of them. Besides, we’re here because Jeremy found out his little blonde Florence from Angela’s establishment has moved here, and I promised him an hour or so with her before we show up at that ball we’re due to make an appearance at later. Could have sworn I already mentioned that, Percy.”

“Don’t recall,” Percy said. “Not to say you didn’t, just don’t recall.”

But Jeremy was frowning now. “If this place is as bad as you say, don’t think I want my Florence working here.”

“So cart her back to Angela’s,” Derek suggested reasonably. “The chit will likely thank you for it. Couldn’t have known what she was getting into, even if she was promised more earnings here.”

Percy nodded once in agreement. “And do be quick about it, dear boy. Can’t say as I care
to even play a few hands here while you find the gel. Not if Ashford is in the same bloody room.” Yet he walked over to glance into the gambling den while he said it. Then with a bit of excitement, “Oh, I say, now there’s a little bird I wouldn’t mind spending an hour or so with, even here. But looks like she ain’t available, more’s the pity—or maybe she is. No, she ain’t. Much too costly for my tastes.”

“Percy, what
are
you going on about?”

Percy glanced over his shoulder to say, “An auction taking place, by the sound of it. Don’t need no mistress at my age, when a few coins spread here and there does me just fine.”

Derek sighed. They obviously weren’t going to get an answer out of Percy that made any sense, but that was nothing new. Half the time Percy’s remarks were a major mystery. But Derek didn’t feel like trying to unravel them just now, when a few steps would let him see for himself what had set Percy off this time.

So he moved to stand beside his friend in the open doorway, as did Jeremy. And they both saw her right off, couldn’t help but see her, standing up on that table like she was. A pretty young thing—at least, she appeared to be. Hard to tell, all splotchy with blushes as she presently was. Nice figure, though. Very nice.

And now Percy’s remarks made sense. They heard the proprietor say, “Once again, gentlemen, this little jewel will make a splendid mistress. And so very easily trained to suit your
own tastes, untouched as she is. Do I hear twenty-two thousand?”

Derek quietly snorted. Untouched? Coming from a place like this? Not bloody likely. But then, fools deep in their cups could be made to believe anything. The bidding, however, had obviously got out of hand, the current price absurd.

“Doesn’t appear we’ll find a friendly game of whist here, Percy, with that nonsense going on,” Derek said. “Take a look, no one’s paying any attention to the gambling.”

“Don’t blame ’em a’tall.” Percy grinned. “Rather watch the gel m’self.”

Derek sighed. “Jeremy, if you wouldn’t mind hurrying up with your business here, I’d as soon get to that ball early after all. Fetch the chit and we’ll drop her back at Angela’s on our way.”

“I want that one.”

Since Jeremy still had his eyes on the girl up on the table, Derek didn’t need to ask who. He said merely, “You can’t afford that one.”

“I could if you lent me the money.”

Percy started chuckling at that. Derek wasn’t a bit amused, was actually frowning. And his “No” was said in a tone that shouldn’t have been brooked. But Jeremy, that scamp, wasn’t easily daunted.

“Come on, Derek,” he cajoled. “You can cover a loan that big easily. I’ve heard about the large settlement Uncle Jason gave you when you finished your schooling. It included several income-producing estates. And what
with Uncle Edward investing the bulk of it for you, hell’s bells, it’s likely three times as much by now—”

“More like six times as much, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to throw it away on lustful impulses, particularly when they aren’t even
my
lustful impulses. I’m not about to lend you that much blunt. Besides, a woman like that, lovely as she is, would have to be kept in high style. You, cousin, can’t afford that either.”

Jeremy grinned, unabashed. “Ah, but I’d keep her
happy
.”

“A mistress cares more about what’s in your pockets than what’s between them,” Percy put in helpfully, then immediately blushed again for having said it.

“They ain’t
that
mercenary,” Jeremy protested.

“Beg to differ—”

“How would you know? You’ve never had one.”

Derek rolled his eyes, cutting in, “There’s no need to argue here. The answer is and is going to remain no, so give over, Jeremy. Your father would have my head if I put you that deep in debt.”

“My father, better than yours, would understand.”

Jeremy had a point there. To hear the stories, James Malory had done things just as outlandish in his youth, whereas Derek’s father, being the Marquis of Haverston and the oldest
of the four Malory brothers, had had to assume a responsible role at an early age. But that didn’t mean the roof wouldn’t still fall on their collective heads if Derek gave in to his cousin’s request.