Antonia's Bargain (4 page)

perhaps her appearance was a sign that his father was right and it was time to move on.

In the meantime, he contemplated his visit to Madame Desiree’s that night. Would

Anthony decide to trust him? The prospect of sparring with his newfound companion

made Gideon’s anticipation rise along with his cock. Surely there was no harm in

enjoying the moment. He glanced at his pocket watch as the cab drew to a halt. In little

over twelve hours he would have his answer. To his astonishment, he could hardly

wait.

Antonia’s fingers shook so badly that she fumbled the arrangement of her cravat for

the fifth time. She gazed at the crumpled linen in despair. No one would ever believe

she was a gentleman of the
ton
if her cravat looked like a dishrag. There was no time to

retrieve another from her cousin’s room. He might get suspicious if she took more.

Charles was the penny-pinching kind of man who noticed such things.

With all her concentration, she managed to knot the linen and quickly stabbed a

gold pin through the arrangement before it fell apart again. She ruffled her short hair

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Antonia’s Bargain

and put on her waistcoat and coat. That would have to do. On her last day at Jane’s,

Lord Harcourt had sent her an unsigned note containing the date and time for their

meeting which she was to present to the footman at the door of Madame Desiree’s. She

hoped she wouldn’t be late.

Holding her boots in her hand, Antonia crept down the servants’ stairs and headed

for the kitchen door. It had been far easier to escape without raising the house when she

stayed at Jane’s. Now she was back with her cousin Charles, his mother and three

sisters. All of whom swore they were light sleepers.

Orange light spilled from the wood oven and fireplace as she tiptoed past but no

one seemed to be up. With a sigh of relief, she unlocked the back door and bent to put

on her boots. She stifled a scream when a familiar pair of feet stuffed into worn purple

slippers appeared alongside hers.

“And where do you think you are going dressed like that, miss?”

Antonia gulped in air. “Gwen, I need to do something.” She squeezed her maid’s

plump arm. “Please don’t tell anyone you saw me, I promise I will be safe.”

Gwen frowned. “It’s dangerous out there, bach. It is not like the countryside. You

should go back to bed.”

“I can’t.” Antonia gazed into her maid’s suspicious eyes. “I’ll be fine. If I don’t

return in the morning, ask Lady Jane where I am.”

She kissed Gwen’s cheek. “Have I ever lied to you? I promise I will be safe.”

Gwen pushed her away. “Go then, and if I lose my job for this night’s work, I’ll be

expecting you to provide for me for ever more.”

Antonia chuckled. “You know I would do that anyway. Good night.”

She escaped up the basement stairs into the thick fog. Thank goodness it was her

old nurse and current maid who had discovered her. She was the only servant loyal to

her in the whole house. She was used to Antonia’s wild schemes and usually tolerant of

her need to escape.

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Kate Pearce

Antonia made her way to the busy thoroughfare beyond the elegant square of

townhouses. A shrill whistle brought a hackney cab to her side and she quickly gave the

driver the directions.

The butler at Madame Desiree’s kept her waiting in an elegant anteroom just off the

main hallway. Antonia paced the carpet, her hands behind her back. The imposing

room was decked out in white marble and reminded her of a tomb. There was no fire in

the grate. What if Gideon Harcourt had been jesting? What if he regretted his odd offer

and didn’t intend to turn up?

When the clock chimed midnight after an anxious twenty-five-minute wait,

Antonia was ready to flee. She picked up her cloak and marched back into the hall.

“Leaving so soon, Mr. Smith?”

She halted at the front door and turned to find Lord Harcourt halfway down the

wide staircase. He wore a black coat, cream breeches and a dark embroidered waistcoat.

His golden hair shone in the soft candlelight as he smiled at her.

Antonia bowed. “I thought I had mistaken the date, my lord.”

“Ah, no, the fault is mine. I was unavoidably detained.” He held out his hand.

“Perhaps you would forgive me and join me upstairs?”

Antonia studied his outstretched hand. Should she leave? Had he deliberately kept

her waiting to test her mettle? She wouldn’t put it past him. Something reckless buried

deep inside her rose to meet the challenge in his gaze.

“I would be honored, my lord.”

To her surprise they climbed two flights of stairs and he led her up to a smaller

version of the first floor. Doors still lined the corridors but instead of names they bore

only numbers. Gideon stopped outside the tenth door.

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Antonia’s Bargain

“Madame Desiree keeps these rooms for her special clients who wish to avoid the

public nature of the downstairs salon where one might be recognized. I thought you

might appreciate some privacy. This will be our room whenever we require it.”

Antonia walked in and found to her surprise that the chamber seemed fairly

innocuous. True, there was a large bed on one side of it but the other side was set out

like a lady’s sitting room with comfortable chairs and an inviting fireplace.

Gideon chuckled, making her jump. She hadn’t realized how close he’d come up

behind her.

“Did you think I might take you to my dungeon where I torture innocent maidens

until they scream for mercy?”

Antonia moved away until one of the chairs was between them. “It’s not quite what

I expected to find here. It reminds me of my mother’s private suite at home.”

Gideon sat in one of the chairs. “I didn’t want you to feel threatened.”

She sat opposite him, hands clasped in her lap. “But why would anyone who seeks

out the sexual extremes of a place like Madame Desiree’s want to be reminded of their

own home?”

“You’d be surprised what people desire. Perhaps it is simply that this room

represents sanctuary and security to those who have lost it.”

Antonia stared into his serene blue eyes. After her mother’s death, her father had

refused to touch anything in her rooms. Antonia had lived with the knowledge of her

mother’s possessions decaying behind a locked door for most of her life. She shivered.

Gideon frowned. “Is this not to your liking? We can move to another room.”

“It is fine, my lord.” Antonia smiled at him until he relaxed back into his chair.

“Did you manage to escape unseen?”

She made a face. “It’s not as easy to run wild in London as it is in the countryside. I

had to get past my maid first. I fear she knows me too well.”

“Will she keep her counsel?”

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Kate Pearce

“Of course.” She returned his frank gaze. “But if I should not return, she will raise

the alarm with my cousin Lady Jane.”

He raised an eyebrow. “How very wise of you, my dear. I’ll have to rethink my

plans for your abduction and sale into slavery.”

For some reason, his outrageous words calmed her fears instead of banking them.

“I left a letter with my cousin Jane as to my whereabouts but not exactly whom I was

with.”

He nodded. “That was clever. I shall not fear for my life at the hands of your family

then if you should go missing.”

Silence fell between them, broken only by the snap of the fire. Antonia took a deep

breath.

“What exactly are you offering to do for me, my lord?”

“What exactly do you want?”

“I want to learn about London society from a man’s point of view. It’s unfair that I

should be expected to marry before I have any idea about the world. I want to judge my

prospective suitors in their natural habitat.”

“Like an elephant in the jungles of India?”

She shrugged. “If you wish to use that analogy, then yes. I believe men behave very

differently when there are no women around.”

“So you wish me to take you with me and guide you through the pitfalls of modern

life.” Gideon got to his feet and headed for a tray of drinks beside the fireplace. He

poured two brandies and brought them back. “And what will I get in return for this

charitable action?”

Antonia stared at him as he passed her a brandy. “What do you want?”

His gaze traveled down the length of her legs and back up. “I want the opportunity

to seduce you.”

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Antonia’s Bargain

“And if I do not wish to be seduced? What if I wish to remain a virgin for my

husband?” She prayed she looked sincere. She had no intention of telling him that she

hoped to remain untouched even after marriage.

“There are many paths to pleasure, Anthony. If I promise not to take your

maidenhead, will you give me permission to teach you other ways to please both

yourself and your potential mate?”

Her heartbeat increased as he fixed his gaze on her, a question in his eyes. She

imagined his hands on her, his mouth pressed to hers. A strange warmth flooded her

belly and heat blossomed on her cheeks. She couldn’t deny that his sensual invitation

intrigued her. Was it possible that despite her fears she could learn to gain pleasure

from her body and from a man’s without fully consummating the relationship?

She struggled to conceal her interest. A whole new world of sensual opportunity

had been offered to her by a man she had only just met. A man who fascinated her in

more ways than she could count.

“Why would you agree to this?”

He sipped his brandy and regarded her over the rim of his glass. “Because I am

bored and because the idea of deceiving half of London excites me. You excite me.”

Despite her secluded upbringing, she knew she should be wary of his intentions.

Her staid female relatives would be screaming at her to run from the heat and

calculated lust in Gideon Harcourt’s eyes. But she wanted to live dangerously. She

wanted to know and understand what she feared.

She put down her untouched brandy and held out her hand. “I agree to your

conditions.”

Gideon folded her fingers back into her palm. “Don’t be so hasty. There are several

other matters we need to agree upon before we proceed.”

She frowned. “Like what?”

“I don’t even know your name.”

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Kate Pearce

She laughed to disguise her relief. “It’s Antonia. But you may call me whichever

name you please. What else?”

As she laughed, Gideon studied her mouth. Her lower lip was plump and sensual,

her small teeth white and even. Her calm demeanor aroused him. He sensed that she

met everything with open and honest bravado. How frustrating for her to be trapped in

female form in a time when women were supposed to be frail and dainty and need

protecting from any harsh breeze. He could picture her fighting alongside Queen

Boudica, her spear dripping blood, her magnificent gray eyes blazing with

righteousness.

“In private, I prefer Antonia,” Gideon said. “I also suggest we meet here and use

this establishment to convey messages to each other, do you agree?”

Relief lightened her countenance. He repressed a smile. The secret of her true

identity was obviously something she intended to guard from him. She had no idea that

he had already set one of his most trusted servants to the task of following her home

tonight. To all intents and purposes, her secrecy simply added to his enjoyment and

that was his primary reason for embarking on this masquerade, wasn’t it? And the

thought of bedding her…

He sat forward and held her gaze. “Before you agree to go any further there is

something you must understand. The very fact that you sit before me makes me suspect

you are both stubborn and headstrong. If you enter my world, you must agree to abide

by my decisions. I will not tolerate disobedience.”

She raised her chin, dissent plain in her gaze. “I am not allowed to question you?”

“Naturally, you may do so, but in the end, my decision is final. If you cannot agree

to that, there is no point in pursuing our association.”

She sighed heavily. “Am I to exchange the tyranny of petticoats for the tyranny of a

man?”

He smiled. “Ah, but I do not seek to crush you. I simply wish to keep you safe.”

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Antonia’s Bargain

She studied him, her wide eyes as bottomless as a becalmed sea.

“I will try.”

“Is that the best you can offer me?”

“It is an honest answer, at least.”

He raised his glass to her and got to his feet. “Then it will suffice. Come now and

allow me to undress you.”

Her hands clenched on the arms of the chair. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’ve been staring at that rag wrapped around your throat for long enough. It is

time to teach you about the finer points of male attire.”

Antonia laughed again, a low musical sound which brought an answering smile to

his lips. She followed him over to the full-length mirror beside the bed. In preparation

for this moment, Gideon had ensured that a supply of men’s clothing occupied the

cupboards and drawers.

He extracted a clean white shirt and a cravat and laid them on the bed next to the

new coat he had ordered for her.

Without looking directly at her, Gideon asked, “Will you take off your coat and