Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake Page 11

  Anne snorted in disbelief. “The man must be something of a dunderhead then, Callie, because anyone with a brain can see through your fibs.”

  Callie resolutely ignored her. “Either way, I’m in for an adventure, don’t you think? Do you imagine there will be a ruddy-cheeked barkeep with a missing tooth or two? Or a tired, winsome barmaid, working to keep her children fed and clothed? Or a group of young workmen eager for a pint of ale to chase away their tiring day?”

  Anne spoke dryly. “The only thing I imagine there will be in that tavern is an overly romantic lady doomed to be disappointed by reality.”

  “Oh, Anne. Where is your sense of adventure?”

  “I think you have more than enough of that for both of us.” When Callie ignored her, she pressed on. “Promise me one thing?”

  “Yes?”

  “If you become uncomfortable in any way, you will leave immediately. Perhaps I should send Michael with you,” she said, referring to her son, one of the Allendale coachmen. “He would make certain that you were safe.”

  The idea set Callie on edge. She whirled around to face the maid, clutching the loosened gown to her breast, urgency on her face. “Anne, no one aside from you must ever know that I’ve done this. Not even Michael. I cannot risk discovery. Surely, you understand that.”

  Anne paused, considering her next move. With a firm nod, the maid spoke matter-of-factly, “A plain brown wool should do. And you’ll need a cloak to hide your face.”

  Callie smiled broadly. “I defer to your superior understanding of disguise.”

  “Well, I don’t know about disguise, but I should think I’d be rather an expert on dressing you as a commoner.” Anne pointed to the dressing screen nearby before continuing. “I shall go to fetch you a frock and cloak. You remove that gown while I am gone.”

  “And I’ll need a cap.”

  Anne sighed. “I thought we were rid of lace caps.”

  “We are. But tonight, I need as much disguise as possible.”

  With a huff, Anne left, muttering to herself, likely about the challenges that long-suffering maids must endure.

  Once Anne was gone, Callie removed the dress she had worn for the ball earlier that evening. As she slipped out of the blue satin gown, she swayed gently to the faint music that drifted up from the floor below, where revelers continued to dance and celebrate Mariana and Rivington.

  There was little question that this was the greatest ball of her life. It wasn’t just the waltz with Ralston—although that certainly was a factor—or the decadent, rather scandalous interaction with the marquess in the midst of the festivities, where anyone could have found them. It was that, for the first time in her life, she had been filled with an undeniable strength—as though she could do anything.

  As though the adventure she craved was hers for the taking.

  The powerful feeling had been almost too much to bear, and Callie had escaped above stairs soon after Ralston had left the ball. Her secret encounter, paired with the thrill that came with the tavern recommendation Ralston had provided, had rendered her unable to continue her sedate interactions with the ton. How could she discuss the season when there was scotch to be tried? A tavern to visit? A new Callie to encourage?

  She couldn’t, of course.

  It was not the first ball she had left early; she doubted that anyone would notice or care that she had disappeared—a truth that made for an easy escape to adventure. At long last, some good comes of being a wallflower.

  She smiled at the thought as a sharp rap announced Anne’s return. The maid bustled back into the room, arms laden with brown wool.

  Consumed with excitement, Callie couldn’t stop herself from clapping her hands, eliciting a scowl from her companion.

  “I should think you’re one of the first people to ever applaud brown wool.”

  “Perhaps I am the first person to recognize brown wool for what it really is.”

  “Which is?”

  “Freedom.”

  The Dog and Dove was, evidently, a popular haunt.

  Callie peered out the window of the hansom cab she had hired to take her to the tavern, curiosity bringing her to the edge of her seat, nose nearly pressed against the glass window. She had ridden down Jermyn Street countless times by day, never realizing that it was an entirely different place at night. The transformation was really quite fascinating.

  There were dozens of people on the street in front of the tavern, bathed in the yellow light that poured from its windows. She was surprised to see aristocrats in their starched cravats mingling with gentlemen and members of the merchant class, the “cits” who were so publicly criticized in ballrooms across London for working.

  Interspersed among the men was a handful of women, some clearly the companions of the men upon whom they hung, others who seemed to be without an escort. The last filled Callie with apprehension; there had been a small part of her that had hoped to arrive at the tavern and, finding no unchaperoned women, to be required to ask the hack to return her home immediately.

  Frankly, she wasn’t sure if she was miserable or thrilled that she had been provided with no viable excuse to turn back.

  Callie sighed, the exhaled breath clouding the window, turning the light beyond into a hazy yellow fog. She could just go home and drink scotch in Benedick’s study. With Benedick. After all, he’d offered before. At Allendale House, where she would not risk her reputation.

  At Allendale House, there would be no adventure. Callie winced at the thought, clutching the square sheet in her gloved hand, feeling the rich, thick paper crinkle in her palm as doubt assailed her.

  She should have let Anne come with her. Solitary adventure was fast becoming overrated.

  She couldn’t go home now, however. Not after she’d gone through the trouble of asking Ralston for the name of a tavern and securing an appropriate disguise. She fidgeted under the rough wool of the gown, which irritated her skin despite the linen chemise she wore. With the hood of her cloak up, no one would even look twice at the plain young woman who entered, ordered a tumbler of whiskey and sat quietly at a table at the back of the taproom. She’d begged Anne for information about the inside of taverns as well. She was fully prepared. All she had to do was exit the hack.

  Unfortunately, her legs did not seem to be willing to cooperate.

  To list? Or not to list?

  The door opened. And she no longer had a choice. The driver spoke, exasperation filling his tone. “Miss? Ye did say The Dog and Dove, did ye not?”

  Callie crushed the list in her hand. “I did.”

  “Well, here y’are.”

  She nodded. “Quite.” And, stepping down onto the block he had set on the ground for her to exit, she thanked him.

  She could do this. Shoring up her courage, Callie took the last step down to the street and planted her kidskin boot right into a puddle of murky water. With a little, involuntary cry of distress, she hopped to dry land and looked back at the now-amused driver. He offered her a cocky grin. “Ye should be watchin’ where ye step, miss.”

  Callie scowled. “Thank you for the advice, sir.”

  He tilted his head at her as he added, “Are ye certain ye want to be here?”

  She squared her shoulders. “Quite certain, sir.”

  “Right, then.” He tipped his cap, leapt up to the driver’s seat, and, with a click to his horses, was off to find his next fare.

  Adjusting her hood, she faced the tavern. To list, it seems. Carefully checking the cobblestones in front of her for additional pitfalls, she made her way through the crowd of uninterested people outside, toward the door.

  He saw her the moment she entered the tavern.

  There had been no question that she’d been lying earlier in the evening about her brother’s looking for a tavern in town. There was little chance that the Earl of Allendale needed his sister’s interference to find his way to a pub.

  Which begged the question, why on earth was Lady Calpurnia Hartwell look
ing for a tavern?

  And what on earth was she doing inside a tavern in the middle of the night? Had she no concern for her reputation? For that of her family? For that of his sister, for God’s sake? He’d placed Juliana’s reputation in her care, and here she was prancing into a public house, bold as brass. She was certain to get herself into trouble.

  Ralston leaned back in his chair, whiskey in hand, his attention focused entirely on Callie, who was frozen just inside the doorway of the tavern, looking equal parts fascinated and terrified. The room was packed with people, most in various stages of drunkenness. He’d selected one of the more reputable establishments in St. James. While he could have sent her to Haymarket or Cheapside to teach her a lesson, he had predicted—correctly—that this place would be enough to set her back on her heels.

  She pulled her cloak tight around her, eyes darting around the room, not sure where to direct her gaze to retain the calm demeanor that her upbringing required. A burst of masculine laughter startled her into turning toward a large group of men seated at a long table to her left. The men were eyeing a barmaid as she set tankards of ale on the scarred oak tabletop, revealing her ample bosom to the appreciative patrons. Callie’s eyes widened as one particularly forward man grabbed the buxom server and pulled her, squealing, onto his lap for a rude grope. Callie snapped her eyes away from the scene before she could see the next, certainly more scandalous, scene in the tableau.

  Unfortunately, she turned toward another, more mutually accommodating couple. To her immediate right, a young woman showing an indecent amount of skin was running a long, feminine finger along the jaw of a gentleman clearly in search of companionship. The two were whispering to each other, lips scant inches apart, eyes locked in a passionate gaze that could only result in one thing…something even the innocent Lady Calpurnia Hartwell could understand. The couple did not notice Callie’s quick intake of breath before she catapulted herself farther inside, heading for the back of the tavern, straight to an empty table in a dimly lit corner—and to him.

  If he weren’t so angry with the ridiculous woman, he would be amused.

  As she made her way through the crowded room, she tried desperately to avoid touching or even brushing accidentally against the other patrons—an impossible task in the crush of humanity that stood between her and the sanctuary of the empty table within her sights. She seated herself without looking at the people nearby, in an obviously desperate attempt to regain some semblance of calm. She sat with her back to him, but the hood of her plain woolen cloak had fallen back, and he watched as she collected herself and waited for a barmaid to approach. Her hair was up, tucked into a horrid lace cap, but a few auburn curls had escaped and were brushing against the nape of her neck, drawing his attention to the lovely, straight column, flushed with excitement.

  For a fleeting moment, he considered what it would be like to kiss the skin there. The scene at the Allendale ball earlier in the evening had confirmed his suspicions that Lady Calpurnia Hartwell was an eager and passionate woman. Her responses were irresistibly uninhibited—so different from those of the women he usually partnered—he couldn’t help but wonder how she would react to his touch in other, more scandalous places.

  What was she doing here?

  She could be discovered at any moment, by any number of people with connections to London society—she was in St. James, for God’s sake! If that weren’t enough, she had also entered the tavern alone, without protection; were she discovered by the wrong sort of man, she could find herself in a very serious and unpleasant situation. He noticed she held a square of paper firmly in both hands, as if it were a talisman. Could it be a love letter? Was it possible she was meeting a man here?

  Of all the irresponsible things she could have done, this might well be the most rash. She tucked the parchment into the pocket of her cloak as a barmaid approached.

  “I shall have a whiskey please. A scotch whiskey.”

  Had he heard her correctly? Had she just calmly, from her position alone at a darkened table in a London tavern at an ungodly hour, ordered a scotch as though it were the most normal thing in the world?

  Had the woman taken leave of her senses?

  One thing was certain. He had entirely misjudged little Callie Hartwell. She was most definitely not the appropriate sponsor for Juliana. He’d been looking for a woman of impeccable character and, instead, he had found Callie, who calmly ordered whiskey in London taverns.

  Except—

  Except there was nothing calm about her. His eyes narrowed as he watched her carefully. She was as stiff as a board. Her breathing, which he measured by the rise and fall of her shoulders, was uneven and shallow. She was nervous. Uncomfortable. And, yet, here she was, in a place he could have told her would make her both of those things. Why? He was going to have to ask her. To confront her. And he knew she wasn’t going to enjoy it.

  The barmaid returned with the drink, and Callie paid for it; Ralston noticed she included a handsome addition for the woman’s service. When the server left, he leaned forward to watch as Callie lifted the glass and took a long whiff of the alcohol within. He couldn’t see her face, but he saw her physically recoil with a single harsh cough, shaking her head as if to clear it before repeating the action. This time, she restrained herself from an obvious response, but from the way she bent her head to address the glass, he could tell she was skeptical of the beverage. It was clear she’d never had a drop of scotch in her life. After several moments of her investigation, during which she appeared to be debating whether or not she should drink, Ralston could no longer contain his curiosity.

  “That is what you get for ordering whiskey.”

  Callie nearly dropped the glass. Ralston couldn’t help feeling a touch vindicated by that. It served the chit right.

  She had turned instantly toward him, scotch jostling violently in her glass, and he rose to move to join her at her table.

  He gave her credit for quickly recovering from her surprise enough to respond, “I suppose I should have guessed you would be here.”

  “You will admit, a lady of good breeding requesting a recommendation for a tavern is not exactly the most common of occurrences.”

  “I suppose not.” She looked back at her glass. “I do not suppose I could convince you to return to your table and pretend that you never saw me?”

  “I am afraid that would be quite impossible. I could not leave you alone here. You could easily find yourself in a compromising situation.”

  She gave a half laugh. “I find that difficult to believe, my lord.”

  He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Are you honestly unable to see the damage that your being found alone here would do to your reputation?”

  “I would imagine that the damage would be significantly less than that of being discovered here with you.” She gave a little wave, indicating the rest of the tavern. “There are plenty of unaccompanied ladies here.”

  Ralston’s eyes darkened. “I highly doubt that those particular ‘ladies’ expect to remain unaccompanied.”

  She did not immediately take his meaning, furrowing her brow in confusion. When, after a few seconds, understanding dawned, she looked to the unattached women around the pub and then back to him, wide-eyed. He nodded, as if to confirm her suspicions.

  She gasped, “But—I am not…”

  “I know.”

  “I would never—”

  He tipped his head in acknowledgment of her words. “It begs the question…Why are you here?”

  She was silent long enough for him to think she might not answer the question. Then she said, “If you must know, I am here to drink scotch.”

  One dark eyebrow rose. “Forgive me if I do not believe you.”

  “It’s true!”

  “It does not take a master investigator to see that you are not a scotch drinker, Lady Calpurnia.”

  “It’s true,” she repeated.

  He gave an irritated sigh, leaning back in his chair. “Real
ly,” he said, as though it was nothing of the sort.

  “Yes!” She grew indignant. “Why is that so difficult to believe?”

  “Well, first, I can assure you that the scotch at Allendale House is likely legions better than whatever swill they’ve given you here. So why not simply have a drink there?”

  “I want to drink here. I find the atmosphere…engaging.”

  “You didn’t even know here existed until two hours ago,” he pointed out.

  She was silent. Realizing she was not going to respond, he continued. “Secondly, you seem to be thoroughly averse to actually drinking the scotch in front of you.”

  The gleam in her eyes became defiant. “Do I?” And with that, she lifted the glass, saluting him with it before taking an enormous swallow of the amber liquid.

  She immediately began coughing and sputtering, clutching a hand to her chest and blindly setting the glass on the table. It took her several moments to regain control of her faculties; when she did, it was to find that he had not moved except to assume a look of smug superiority.

  His voice was dry as sand when he said, “It is an acquired taste.”

  “Evidently,” she replied, peevishly. Then adding, “I believe my throat is on fire.”

  “That particular sensation will abate.” He paused, then added, “It would probably be best if your next taste is more of a sip than a gulp.”

  “Thank you, my lord, I hadn’t considered that,” she said dryly.

  “What are you doing here?” The words were quiet and cajoling, matched with a warm curiosity in his blue eyes.

  “I already told you.” She took a little sip of the liquid in her glass, grimacing.

  He sighed again, gaze locked on her. “If that is true, you are more careless than I thought. You are taking a serious risk with your reputation tonight.”

  “I wore a disguise.”

  “Not a very good one.”

  She lifted a hand to her lace cap, nervously. “No one recognized me.”