What You Desire (Anything for Love, Book 1) (13 page)

Sophie watched Dane stroll out of the door on his way to his assignation. It took all the self-control she possessed not to chase after him and kick him in the shin or slap his face. She wanted to believe he’d changed, wanted to believe she was the only woman he desired.

But this was not about her or Dane. This was about finding James, and by her calculations she had less than a week in which to do it.

“Now, Mr. Shandy,” Madame Labelle said as she threaded her arm through Sophie’s and led her around the room. “Is there a particular type of lady you prefer?”

“I am afraid, when it comes to ladies, I have rather limited tastes.”

Madame Labelle seemed delighted at her response. “It is exactly as I supposed,” she said. “I understand completely, you must say no more.”

Sophie was well and truly baffled.

“Perhaps we should discuss the matter in the privacy of my chamber, for I would not wish to make a scene.”

What does one do when being propositioned by the madam of a brothel?

Sophie did the only thing she could under the circumstances. She brought Madame Labelle’s fingers to her lips and asked respectfully, “Is there a place where I may see to my
toilette
?”

Madame Labelle gave her a knowing smile. “Of course, the blue room on the first floor is free. It is at the top of the stairs. You may see to your needs in there and I shall await you in my private room, which is just across the hall.”

Sophie raced up the stairs as she needed to speak to Dane and had no desire to see him the arms of another woman, even if he was paying for the pleasure.

She almost fainted when she barged into the room, only to be met with the bare behind of an elderly gentleman, whose grunts and groans roused an image of an animal in distress. It was only when she felt her face burn, that she knew she had entered the red room by mistake.

Moving along the landing to the next room, Sophie placed her ear to the door in the hope she was not too late. There were no sounds coming from the room, so she took a deep breath and opened the door.

Dane, who was still fully clothed and perusing a set of leather-bound books on a shelf, swung around to face her. “What the hell are you doing up here?” he whispered.

“I could ask you the same question.”

“You know why I’m here,” he said crossing the room to stand before her. “I need to see Antoinette.”

Good heavens. The man had no shame.

“Apparently there are a lot of things you need from Antoinette,” she replied articulating every word.

He chuckled. “Do not tell me you’re jealous?”

“Of course not,” she said, prodding him the chest, each jab forcing him to step back. “Just downright foolish for believing … for hoping you were not the libertine everyone professes you to be. To think I even considered giving myself to you.”

He raised a brow and his mouth curved into a salacious grin. “You did?”

All the old feelings came flooding back, all the miserable memories.

Why was she so surprised?

Despite all her flagrant breaches of etiquette, she was still the country girl at heart and she would never be enough for him.

Perhaps he believed her protestations against conformity meant she condoned such libidinous conduct. Yes, she wanted to be free from the constraints forced upon ladies of her station. Yes, she wanted a liaison with him; she wanted to feel desire and pleasure at his hands.

“Are you so licentious that you could not wait?” she asked, her voice revealing disappointment and a hint of sadness.

He grasped her upper arms and drew her closer. “Sophie, I pay Antoinette for information,” he sighed, “nothing more.”

It took a moment for her to absorb his words. All her mind could assemble was how sweet her name sounded when spoken so softly from his lips.

“Information?”

“It is all a ruse. I do not have time to talk now, but I will explain later.” His gaze fell to her lips. “Perhaps when you have heard what I have to say, you may still have an appetite for dessert.” His eyes locked with hers as his hands moved to cup her face. He bent his head and took her mouth in a gentle kiss that held a wealth of promise.

The sound of someone tutting in mild reproof captured her attention and she turned to see a woman standing at the door.

“You could not wait for Antoinette, no?”

Wearing nothing more than a thin chemise, long corset, and a scandalously short petticoat, Antoinette strolled into the room as though walking down the boulevard on a sunny Parisian day. She closed the door and turned to face them, her red curls spilling over her shoulders and bouncing on the rather voluminous display of pale-white bosom.

“Oh, it’s you, me lord,” Antoinette said, her dialect now characteristic of a wench from Whitechapel. “Well, I’d never have taken you for a Molly,” she continued, her eyes wide.

“Give us a moment, Antoinette.” Dane pulled Sophie to the corner of the room and took her hands in his. “You need to leave us,” he whispered. “She’ll tell me nothing while you’re here. You must trust me.”

“Do you think she knows what happened on the night James came here?”

He nodded over Sophie’s shoulder towards Antoinette. “At the very least, she will be able to tell us about the girl. Wait for me downstairs. I’ll be along shortly.”

“I can’t,” Sophie whispered. “Madame Labelle wishes a private audience. I think she has taken a liking to me.”

“I would expect nothing less, Mr. Shandy,” Dane mocked. “After all, you do have the face of an angel.”

No doubt tired of waiting, Antoinette walked over to the bed, sat down and smoothed her hands over her white stockings.

“That is the point,” Sophie continued. “I suspect she has seen through my disguise.”

“I do not want to cause any trouble for Antoinette. If you wish to be independent minded, then you must find a way to extricate yourself from this situation.” He leaned down and brushed his mouth against hers. “I trust you will be able to find an explanation to satisfy Madam Labelle.”

He obviously thought her capable, and knowing he trusted her gave her confidence in her abilities.

Besides, tonight she was Mr. Shandy.

And Mr. Shandy knew how to let a lady down gently.

Chapter 14

“Pay me no heed, Mr. Shandy,” Madame Labelle said, patting Sophie’s knee as they sat next to one another on the plush red sofa. “And forgive me if I was a little presumptuous. Visitors expect a certain coarseness of character and I often get carried away playing the role.”

“Your honesty is refreshing, madame,” Sophie replied.

Having spent the last twenty minutes conversing about the weather, poetry, and Madame Labelle’s love of Greek-inspired furniture, Sophie had finally plucked up the courage to respond to her more pertinent questions.

“However,” Sophie continued, “I believe I acted impulsively in coming here tonight.” Sophie stood and began pacing the room, her hands clasped behind her back in a gentlemanly fashion. “You see, I decided to accompany Dane purely as a matter of inquiry, you understand.” Sophie thought it best to remain as vague as possible whilst trying to add a modicum of honesty. All in the hope it would sound sincere.

“Please, say no more.” Madame Labelle held her hand up in a gesture of reassurance. “I only sought to offer guidance regarding your … well, what I believed was your preference for a certain type of lady. I did not mean I would be the one providing such enlightenment.”

A little embarrassed, Sophie nodded. “No, of course.”

“May I tell you something, Mr. Shandy?” She did not wait for a reply. “I have met with many people over the years, too many,” she continued gazing at an imagined scene in the distance, her sorrowful expression made all the more solemn by the dim candlelight. “I’m sure it would not surprise you to hear they have not always been pleasant. Indeed, many were insolent, often debasing, and on occasion utterly vicious.” She rubbed her wrist as though alleviating an imagined pain, as though she still bore the scar. “Yet tonight is the first time, in such a long time, I have been made to feel like a lady.”

Sophie dismissed the vivid images conjured by such a declaration and when she spoke, she did so with a warmth of feeling that reflected her compassion. “You flatter me, madame.”

Madame Labelle stood and walked gracefully over to Sophie, taking her by the hand in a gesture one expects from a friend or companion. “I did not choose this life, it chose me. Such is the fate of some women,” she shrugged in resignation. “If you should ever find yourself in such a desperate position. If you should ever need assistance, Mr. Shandy, then please know you may call upon me here and I will welcome you.” She leaned forward, placed a kiss on Sophie’s cheek and whispered, “You are the first lady who has been kind enough to treat me as an equal.”

Sophie gasped. “I … well, I …”

“You think after all these years, I cannot tell the difference.” Madame Labelle raised her hand. “Let us say no more. I thank you for your company, but now I believe it is time to bid you good night, Mr. Shandy.”

Sophie stepped away and bowed. “Thank you for such stimulating conversation. Good night, madame,” she said, before leaving the room.

It had been rather an enlightening evening.

A simple issue of birth was the only thing separating her fate from Madame Labelle’s. Whether one was forced to marry for wealth and station or whether one had no choice but to be a madam of a brothel, it all amounted to the same thing — compliance within the constraints of a society where men held all the power.

Sophie considered herself lucky. There were no family members forcing her to take a husband in order to enrich the family’s bloodline. She had no interest in money, no desire to wear the latest fashions. Indeed, she would happily spend every day in the same dress, tending her cottage garden — if she could make her own choices.

As Sophie stepped out into the hall, she was surprised to find Dane propped up against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.

“The butler informed me you were still with Madame Labelle,” he said, his expression grave as he straightened and walked towards her. ‘‘We need to leave,” he said taking her by the elbow and practically dragging her to the door.

“At least give me a moment to put on my hat,” she said sharply, for her emotions were running high this evening.

They’d retrieved their hats and were walking down the street at a brisk rate before Dane spoke. “After what Antoinette has told me, it is not safe for you there.”

Sophie was almost running to keep up with his long strides. She stopped directly under a street lamp. “I cannot keep up with you when you walk at such a pace,” she complained, slightly breathless.

He hastened to her side, placed his hand on her elbow and directed her to a place further down the street, to where the light was more subdued. “Catch your breath here for a moment,” he said, looking back over her shoulder. “Haines will be waiting just around the corner.” He hardly gave her a moment before he cupped her elbow and began moving again. “Do not turn around,” he whispered. “I believe we are being followed.”

Sophie gasped. “Are you certain?”

It took every ounce of self-control she had not to turn around and gape.

“The two men who are walking some way behind us were outside my house when we left this evening. I believe their aim is to merely gather information, else they would have had another man waiting here on the corner.”

“How did they know we would be coming to Labelles?”

“They must have followed my carriage. After visiting your brother’s residence, they know you’re looking for him. They obviously know he came here, so it is only logical we would do the same.” He glanced down at her, his face in partial shadow as they passed between the street lamps. His eyes were dark, unyielding, his jaw clenched in steely determination. He looked sinfully handsome and downright dangerous. “When we turn the corner, I want you to run to the carriage and don’t stop, no matter what you see or hear.”

“What about you?” she asked, feeling a sudden pain in her chest.

“Do not worry about me. I’ll be right behind you.”

They turned the corner and out of view. He released her elbow, propelling her forward so she had no choice but to run towards the carriage.

Aware of the danger, Haines did not get down from his box seat to open the door but prepared himself for a hasty departure. Sophie opened the carriage door and without dropping down the steps, vaulted into the carriage. She flung herself back against the squab, the sound of her heartbeat thumping in her ears.

What if something happened to Dane? What if she never saw him alive again?

The next minute passed so slowly it felt like a lifetime. Fear choked her, and she could hear her breathing coming short and fast as the carriage started rolling forward.

Were they leaving without him?

Her thoughts became wild and chaotic as her mind conjured all sorts of morbid images: a handsome, blood-soaked body, warm brown eyes now cloudy, opaque.

The dull thud of footsteps pounding the pavement caught her attention and she gripped the cushioned seat as the door swung on its hinges and Dane jumped in.