To Desire a Wicked Duke (Courtship Wars)

At her adamant reply, he studied her for a long moment, as if trying to gauge her sincerity. Then his expression seemed to lose its intensity and his sardonic humor returned. “My numerous mistresses? How many do you think I have?”

“Rumor suggests that you have several.”

“Rumor would be wrong.”

“You cannot deny that you have kept mistresses in the past.”

“Never more than one at a time. And I have none now.”

Tess shrugged, although her show of indifference was pure bravado. She sincerely hoped her husband would not choose to flout their vows so savagely and sully their union—or if he did, that he would be discreet about it.

“I only meant,” she explained, “that I am not opposed to having a liberal marriage.”

“I never realized you were so broadminded.”

“I am, rather. It comes from having several married friends.…”

She hesitated, debating whether to mention her friendship with Fanny Irwin.

Just then Gaskell appeared to announce that dinner was served. She allowed Rotham to escort her to the smaller of Bellacourt’s two dining rooms. The table was still enormous and sparkled with crystal and china.

Instead of sitting at each end, however, parted by the vast length of the table, Tess found herself seated at Rotham’s right. When they had begun the soup course—the first of many dishes and removes—and the liveried footmen had left them alone, Tess returned her attention to Fanny, not only to provide a distraction from her own marital difficulties, but because she sincerely wished to help her friend.

“Do you happen to need a secretary, Rotham?” she began. “I know you are not much involved with politics in the House of Lords, but with your vast business enterprises, you must have numerous tasks that require clerical assistance.”

“I have two secretaries now. Why do you ask?”

“I know someone who would be ideal for

the position. His name is Basil Eddowes. For the past several years, Mr. Eddowes has worked as a law clerk for a London solicitor, but just recently Lord Claybourne secured him a post as a junior secretary for an elderly nobleman. His salary is not sufficient for his needs, however, and I hoped to improve his prospects.”

Rotham’s expression remained neutral. “Why such a marked interest in this Eddowes fellow? Is he a former beau, perhaps?”

“Not a beau of mine. His affections are set on someone else entirely.” Tess paused before launching ahead with the nascent plan that had been forming in her head ever since last night. “Are you by chance acquainted with Fanny Irwin?”

She could tell her question was unexpected. “The Cyprian, Fanny Irwin?”

“Yes. Fanny is a dear childhood friend of the Loring sisters, and has become a close friend of mine these past few years.”

Rotham’s eyebrow shot up. “I find it surprising that you claim a friendship with a leading citizen of the demimonde.”

“It is actually not so unusual.…” A blush rising to her cheeks, Tess told him about meeting Fanny four years previously when the Lorings moved from Hampshire to Chiswick to live with their cantankerous uncle … how Fanny’s craving for excitement had lead her to embark on a career as a lady of the evening, and how the sisters had refused to give up the connection with their bosom friend even after making brilliant society matches this past year, despite the courtesan’s notoriety.

Her tale was interrupted when the soup was removed and the fish served, but once the footmen were gone, Tess continued, explaining about Basil Eddowes’s odd courtship of Fanny.

“She no longer traffics with the gentlemen of the ton, but you can see why Mr. Eddowes would be hesitant to propose.”

“I believe I can,” Rotham murmured, his tone dry.

Tess ignored his remark and went on. “His pride is a large impediment, not only because of Fanny’s scandalous past but the issue of finances as well. She has abandoned her expensive lifestyle entirely—recently she sold her grand London residence and moved to her much smaller house in St. John’s Wood. But Basil wishes to support his wife in at least moderate fashion. If you were to hire him, he and Fanny could afford to marry.”

“Go on,” Rotham said evenly.

With that small encouragement, Tess warmed to her theme. “You could give him a job cataloging your library, for instance. I know Bellacourt has a well-stocked library. Or perhaps you could utilize him to good purpose in your business dealings. As a clerk, Basil’s main duties were writing out fair copies of legal documents, but his talents were utterly wasted. Although he has more responsibility in his current secretarial position, he is capable and clever enough for so much more. He is also accomplished at ciphering and accounting. I believe he could prove a valuable asset to you.”

When Rotham did not leap to agree, Tess hastened to add, “If you have no need of his services, I thought I might hire him to help manage the increasing contributions to my various organizations and the growing demands of arranging benefits and other charitable events … at a significantly increased salary, of course. But I don’t wish to offend his pride. The offer would be better received coming from you. If I were to ask him, Basil would likely consider it charity on my part and refuse. If you would allow it, we could say that with my new obligations as your duchess, I will be too busy to continue overseeing my former responsibilities in the necessary detail.”

His gray eyes surveyed her. “You seem to have put some thought into this.”