Regency Vows. Kasey Michaels
The maid cast her an uneasy glance in the looking glass. She had no way of knowing how severely Katherine’s words contradicted her thoughts.
The morning’s disastrous round of visits had made one thing clear: she would need to strengthen her acquaintance with as many lords as she could, in any manner she could.
“I can think of any number of ways to ensure the duke does not misunderstand me,” she added anyhow.
Phil set aside the papers. “Sometimes you positively frighten me. You need to win over the natives, not alienate them.”
“At least indulge me some measure of aggravation. Men are such fools.” Except one man, but she would not think of that now. Worse, Phil was right. “I’ve got half a mind to go to Westminster, bare my breasts and see this whole business finished.”
Phil laughed. “The situation may be a bit more complicated than that, dearest. Though I daresay if you can gain the attention of a man’s cock, you’ve won three-fourths of the battle. All that’s left is to influence him in the proper direction. Tonight’s party will be an excellent start. Tomorrow night we shall go to Vauxhall, and to the theater the next, until they cannot possibly ignore you.”
No, they would not ignore her. She would make sure of that. “I hate that they amuse themselves so well with their impertinences.”
“Which you must laugh off as though you haven’t a care in the world. All of London is fascinated with you—”
“As they would be with a two-headed ape.”
“—and that can’t help but work to your advantage, especially with Captain Warre’s endorsement. I saw Lady Mullen after I passed you going into Lady Derby’s this afternoon, and she had so many questions about how we managed aboard the Possession I swear she has a notion of going to sea herself. And she wasn’t the only one. And of course, they are all over the moon about Captain Warre.” Phil’s blue eyes sparkled wickedly at Katherine in the looking glass. “But of course, that wouldn’t interest you.”
Katherine smiled at her. “No. It wouldn’t.” But the smile faded almost immediately. “Captain Warre believes there will be a second reading.” It was a struggle to keep the fear from her voice. “After that, will it not be put to a committee? What do you know of committees?”
“Only that they are full of men, which leads back to our original premise. You must bewitch them, Katherine. Once you have them all in hand—and I do not mean that literally, as that would be counterproductive—they will be falling over themselves to please you.”
“With the singular goal of foraging beneath my skirts.”
“Of course. That’s what men do. And it is astonishing what they will sometimes agree to in pursuit of that goal.”
“Indeed.” More than one crew member over the years had followed her not out of respect but sheer fascination. Lust akin to slavery. She never kept those crew members long, but she knew very well how to use such motivation to her advantage.
She would bring the men around as if she were maneuvering at sea, using every tactic to keep another ship precisely where she wanted it—and then grappling on with her hooks to take it. She would use their own weaknesses against them.
Fools.
“Your ladyship?” came a voice from behind, and Katherine shifted her gaze in the looking glass. “Pardon me.” Miss Bunsby—Miss Bunsby!—poked her head into the room. “Lady Anne keeps asking about a gentleman named William, and I don’t know what to tell her. I cannot persuade her off the subject.”
Katherine stood abruptly.
“Your ladyship!” The motion pulled the ribbon from the maid’s hands.
“You haven’t seen William?” Phil asked.
“What are you still doing here?” Katherine demanded.
“At the moment,” Miss Bunsby said defiantly, “looking after Lady Anne.”
“You have been dismissed.”
“And I fully intend to leave—” a lie, clearly “—but I cannot go in good conscience if there is nobody to look after young Lady Anne.”
“Anne! Where is she? Why is Millicent not with her?” And how could Katherine not have known? Already she was rushing toward the door.
“Miss Germain has been in her room all day feeling poorly. I’ve been looking after Lady Anne in her stead.”
Good God. How could she not have been aware? How could she have sat there having her hair dressed while Anne was unattended? She pushed past Miss Bunsby with half her hair hanging over one shoulder and the maid’s outraged protest following her into the hallway.
“Anne!” she called out before even reaching the pink room. “Anne!”
“Mama?”
Katherine rushed through the door and found Anne on the center of an oval rug done in pink and white flowers, playing with the doll she’d received for her birthday. The room smelled strongly of a perfume she recognized from years ago.
“Mama,” Anne said anxiously, “when will we hear from William? Why has he not visited?”
Katherine pulled Anne into her arms and kissed her forehead while Mr. Bogles observed them from the windowsill and the wretched Miss Bunsby watched from the doorway. Anne was all right. Thank God. “There is much business to attend to in London, dearest, and William knows a great many people.” It sounded reasonable, but there was little chance it was true. It had been a day and a half, when he’d sent word he would call yesterday. It wasn’t like him. She smoothed Anne’s soft hair. “I shall tell you the moment I hear from him. I promise.”
“But I want to hear from him now, Mama.”
“I’m sure he’ll visit soon.”
Anne dropped her head on Katherine’s shoulder. “I don’t like London, Mama. It smells awful. Miss Bunsby sprayed perfume and had them bring roses, but it only helps a little.”
Only now did Katherine notice a pitcher overflowing with pink, white-and-red roses on the floor nearby. She looked at Miss Bunsby.
“There are any number of good smells in the park,” Miss Bunsby suggested. “Flowers, fresh grass, loamy soil.”
“I don’t want to go to the park,” Anne complained. “Mama, when will we go back to the ship?”
Anne already knew they weren’t going back to the ship. As for the park, or anywhere else in public...that was out of the question. She thought of Dunscore and wished they could leave London now. Today.
“When will Captain Warre visit us?” Anne asked now.
“He is very busy, dearest.”
“But I want to see him. I miss him.”
“I know. But just think—Lord Deal has offered to take us into the country in his phaeton. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
Anne wanted to know what a phaeton was, and what Lord Deal was like, and whether he was as nice as Captain Warre.
“Much, much nicer, dearest. You will adore Lord Deal, I promise. He will be like having a wonderful old grandpapa.” She would not think of Mr. Allen’s suggestion.
“I’ve never had a grandpapa,” Anne said doubtfully.
“I know, sweetling.” A stab of grief for Anne’s true grandfather made it hard to breathe.
“Maybe Captain Warre could be my grandpapa, too. Could he, Mama? Would you ask him? I’m sure he will say yes, because he is the nicest man in the whole world!”
* * *
JAMES HALF LISTENED to Katherine relate the tale of his rescue to a quartet of baboons especially chosen by his dear sister