A Gentleman's Stipulation by Jean Wilde

Author:Jean Wilde [Wilde, Jean]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Regency Romance
Publisher: Jean Wilde
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

The next day, lurking around a corner on Marlborough Street like a common vagabond, Blake watched as Lady Victoria Gilbert alighted from a carriage and quickly entered a fashionable, nondescript house. It often amused him how well the Salon’s pristine exterior concealed the depravity within. Victoria wore a gauze lavender veil over her face while her maid kept her head lowered, a wide-brimmed bonnet concealing her features. His betrothed knew how to be discreet.

It was something of an art to maintain appearances without drawing attention. It almost seemed like she’d had some practice.

A few minutes after the women disappeared into The Scarlet Salon, Blake followed them inside. He still wasn’t quite sure what he was doing here. He’d received a brief note from Madam Sophie that morning inviting him to “observe”

Victoria’s lesson and, like the overeager puppy he was, he’d taken the bait. He’d had two urgent meetings to attend to today. The first had been with his head engineer who wished to discuss adding another dozen millstones to the Hall & Sons Mills in Surrey. The second had been with his solicitor who’d been butting heads with him over investing in real estate rents and mortgages in London. In the end, he’d canceled both appointments and replied to Madam saying he would be there.

He was granted entry into the Salon almost immediately and was swiftly led to the madam’s study at the back of the establishment. She rose from behind her desk to greet him, all willowy grace, encased in a blue muslin dress.

“Your timing is impeccable,” she crooned. “Lady Victoria has just been taken upstairs to the Maroon Room for her lesson with Jemima. Her maid is waiting for her downstairs in the servants’ quarters, so neither of them will see you.”

“I’m not sure how comfortable I feel about this arrangement,” he admitted.

“People come to this salon for its discretion, don’t they?”

Madam’s lips stretched into a sly smile. “For some, discretion is merely an illusion to hide behind in an effort to conceal one’s true desires. This particular bedchamber is one of the most popular rooms in this salon. It has been designed specifically for clients who enjoy watching while remaining unseen. There’s a hidden passageway with a cleverly designed peephole that allows an unobstructed view of the chamber and its occupants.”

Brows raised, he asked, “And what of privacy? How do your clients feel about being watched in the act?”

She smirked. “They find it tantalizing, of course. There is much pleasure to be had in performing for a captive audience.”

“Except Lady Victoria has no idea that I’ll be spying on her during the lesson.”

“Spying is such a dramatic term. It’s not as if the lady is concealing any war secrets. Consider it a study, if you will, an opportunity to gain an understanding of her perspective unhindered by the rigid rules of polite conversation.”

Blake suppressed a snort. None of his conversations with Victoria were confined to such tame topics as the weather or town gossip. Reluctantly, he nodded his assent and moved to the side to follow her lead.

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