“Might I ask why—”
“No.”
“Ah. So, the two of you still aren’t speaking.”
“Oh, he speaks. I, however, do not feel the need to listen.” He leaned back in his chair. “Now that we have the polite conversation of the morning done, what can I do for you, Lady Honoria?”
“Fine. I am here at the behest of Lady Camilla.” Her sweet smile was that of a cat well and truly in the cream.
“Oh, God.” This did not bode well.
“Well, near enough.”
“Do go on. What can I do for Lady Camilla Bowles Attington Carrington Whitby?”
“To be truthful I am here on behalf of Lady Camilla’s entire literary society, and we would like to know why there is a page missing at the end ofAn Insatiable Lady’slatest book, and what you intend to do about it.”
“Is there a page missing?” Daniel’s heartbeat doubled. Most men might have been shocked to discover what Lady Camilla and her friends consideredliterary. Knowing the lady herself he was not surprised in the least.
“A very important page, you fiend, in every single copy, and you know it. Why?” Lady Honoria leaned forward and tapped her finger on his desk.
“Has any lady in particular inquired after the missing page?” Daedalus tried to appear nonchalant, even bored. Tried and failed. Lady Honoria narrowed her eyes and pounced like a frantic foxhound.
“Cut line, Daedalus. What are you up to with this missing page ruse?” She pursed her lips and regarded him with a governess’s steely stare. “You deliberately failed to print a page that contains the…crisis of the most delicious part of the book. You did so in every single copy unless I miss my mark. You are nothing if not meticulous. Tell me what you are about or I shall recommend Lady Camilla herself come and winkle the truth out of you.”
Daedalus’s blood ran cold. There wasn’t a man in London brave enough to take on the Maven of St. James Square.Think quickly, man!He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a stack of neatly printed pages. “A clerical error of sorts.” He placed the pages on the desk directly in front of her. “Please distribute these to the ladies of your literary society.” He gave her his most boyish smile, the one that had charmed maids, governesses, housekeepers, and his devoted nanny when he was only a little younger than he was now.
“Bollocks,” Lady Honoria said vehemently. “Your people don’t make clerical errors. What could you possibly gain by…” Her eyes lit up. She slapped her hand on his desk. “You don’t know who she is. You were hoping she’d show up to complain about the missing page herself. The lady wishes to remain anonymous. So long as she continues to have her books delivered to you, what more do you want from her?”
Delivered to you. Shite! Of course!Daedalus bit his lip to hide the sudden brilliant notion Lady Honoria had so unwittingly given him.
“That is between me and the lady. But in return for my giving you the missing page, I would like to ask a favor.”
She reached across his desk and captured the copies of the missing page in her kid-gloved hands. “I cannot wait to hear this. What might I do for you?”
Now the time had come, Daedalus had to work quite hard to come up with an explanation for his request of Honoria that did not reveal secrets that were never his to tell. No sense in beating about the bush. “Breadmore has brought my niece, Lady Alice, to London in the hope of finding her a husband.”
“Diana’s daughter?” Honoria’s voice, in truth her entire demeanor evinced surprise. “Surely she is not old enough—”
“I have had this very conversation with Chelmsford, who informed me that she is Breadmore’s child and therefore matters are completely out of my hands.”
“Does your favor involve me taking some part of thosemattersinto my hands?”
“Alice has been raised by Breadmore’s mother, a prudish harridan of the highest order. Which means Alice has no idea how to deal with men, and will most certainly not have any idea what a wedding night entails.”
“You want me to…” Honoria knew what he was asking, he could tell that much. She, however, was going to make him say the words.Damn her.
“I want you to tell her every evil trick and licentious move the gentlemen she is going to meet might try to steal her virtue without a backwards glance when the deed is done. And you will explain everything that goes on in the marriage bed, in detail, and emphasize to her that she has the right to expect and demand pleasure from her husband.” By the time he finished his little speech Honoria’s eyes looked as if they might pop out of her head. They sat across from each other in silence for several minutes. Silence, save for the rush of his own breath in his ears and the thudding of his heart against his chest.
“Daedalus?” She spoke one level above a whisper. Her expression had softened. He steeled himself against the temptation to slump under the weight of his family’s secrets, secrets he longed to share but could not. Not now, perhaps not ever.
“You remember Mama died when we were all so young. Governesses don’t talk to young ladies about such things. Papa certainly wasn’t capable. It was left to Breadmore’s mother to explain and…” He shook his head. Speaking of the dowager countess, a woman he despised, did no one any good. Least of all Daedalus.
“I take it Breadmore’s mother is of the lie-back-and-do-your-duty school.”
“Diana’s marriage was not a happy one. I want something more for Alice. I owe my sister that much.” He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying more.
She studied him carefully before she finally spoke. “Very well. I will do all I can to educate Lady Alice against the wiles of men.”
