Free Master Of Paradise by Virginia Henley Page B

Charlestonions are mad about anything English. Lady Stafford has invited me to dine this evening and I urge you to join me."
    "Is there a Lord Stafford?" Nick's curiosity was piqued.
    "Unfortunately not. The dear lady is a widow."
    "It's most kind of you to help me enlarge my social circle, sir. I shall be honored to accompany you."
    Nicholas went in DuBose's carriage and when it pulled up before the house on Wentworth Street, he saw that it was like a mansion on a small scale. It stood three full stories with screened porches on the lower level, and an open balcony on the second.
    Inside, Lady Margot had managed to create an intimate, warm atmosphere that was welcoming. The sitting and dining rooms had a most comfortable, lived-in appearance, where a man could relax without a servant at his elbow every time he made a move, or without the extreme elegance so often displayed in Charleston homes that encouraged only cool, stilted behavior.
    Nicholas was introduced to other guests, but they receded into the background of his mind as Lady Margot advanced into the room. She was a willowy redhead with a generous mouth. Her tall figure seemed designed to show off her clothes to perfection. Nick was pleasantly surprised until she stretched out her hand and opened her mouth to speak. Then he was shocked. He knew instantly that she was no lady, and what's more, she knew that he knew. Her accent condemned her forever to the working classes of England, but Nicholas saw that the American ear made no distinction between the accents of the English.
    Lady Margot and Nicholas exchanged amused glances. Her eyes played with his, asking him to be silent and promising a reward for his co-operation.
    Afterwards, Nicholas only remembered that the food was good and the conversation lively, he could never recall who else he met that evening.
    When all had departed, save himself and Gabriel DuBose, Lady Margot turned to the banker and in a captivating voice said, "You don't mind if I persuade Mr. Peacock to stay on for a little while? I am so hungry for news of London, you understand?"
    The Frenchman, ever aware of the nuance, left them to be private.
    She poured Nicholas a bourbon and brought it to him with a little shrug. "I did everything I could think of to dissuade Gabriel from bringing you. I knew I was lost the moment I opened my mouth. Thank you for pretending to swallow 'Lady Margot'.
    Nick's eyes crinkled with delight at her frankness. "I think Maggie would be closer to the mark."
    She indicated an overstuffed sofa and they sat quite close, sharing their amusement.
    "Please don't think you need explain yourself to me. My own background wouldn't bear too close a scrutiny, yet I have no intention of revealing myself to anyone for any reason."
    "I feel a need for the truth for once," she said quietly.
    "When under stress, men suppress; women confess," he said lightly.
    "Well, there really was a Lord Stafford, but I discovered too late he had no intention of marrying me. God, I was naive. Almost threw myself in the cut when I found out I was pregnant and he'd have none of me. When I started to show, I got the sack from the milliner's shop and thrown out of my digs all in the same week. I was reduced to stealing the necessities of life, and before I knew it, I was clapped behind bars."
    "Newgate?" he asked with quiet compassion.
    She nodded. "I was transported. Christ that voyage damned near did me in, and I swore if I ever got my feet on dry land, I'd never be a victim again."
    "How long were you in servitude?"
    "Five years was to pay off my passage. I was bought by a wealthy plantation owner in Port Royal, close to the Georgia border. You can guess the rest."
    "He seduced you?"
    She smiled. "No love, I could tell you that, but it wouldn't be true. He was left a widower; I seduced him. It was a very simple matter once there was no wife to get in my way. I was so very lucky, really. When he died, he generously left me this house."
    "So, you