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Aphrodite’s thoughts had moved on from such mundane considerations as broth and tea. “You will think me very hard-hearted, and you must believe I do care about what has been done to Lord Roseby, but I am wondering at the moment whether this will be good for my business. How do you think it looks when the customers of Aphrodite’s Club are knocked down upon leaving? As pleasant as these surroundings are, they may well think twice about calling if they are risking their lives.”
Marietta did not believe Aphrodite was hard-hearted at all—as a businesswoman her concern was valid. “Perhaps no one will know.”
“I think it is already too late. The servants know, and the doctor, and the errand boy who found him. They will all talk to their friends. And what if the monster who did this to Lord Roseby does it again, to another gentleman? No, no, this is not at all a good thing.”
Marietta hadn’t thought of that. “Do you think it will happen again?”
“I do not know, mon petit puce . But we must ask ourselves this: Was it a random attack or was it aimed at Lord Roseby in particular? He is involved in a scandal of the blackest kind. His father has disowned him, his life is ruined. Perhaps there is someone out there who is not satisfied with him being merely ruined; perhaps they want him dead.”
Marietta opened her mouth and closed it again. Max, dead? She felt dizzy with dread at the picture forming in her mind. It was odd, because she was not even certain that she liked him. He had sunkhimself in gloom at his own misfortune, and yet he had related with her sense of adventure. When she had questioned his abilities as a lover, he had proved he was quite capable of making her heart thump and her flesh quiver. He had held her hand in his and sucked her fingertips, and gazed meaningfully into her eyes, and just before Aphrodite had interrupted them, he had been going to kiss her. And she would have let him; she had been looking forward to it.
Aphrodite was observing her, and Marietta had the uncomfortable feeling that her mother had read every thought that flitted across her face. The courtesan must be adept at understanding gestures and expressions—unlocking her clients’ secrets was one of the tools of her profession.
This seemed like the moment to talk of her own hopes and ambitions.
“May I speak to you, Aphrodite?”
“Of course!”
Marietta doubted Max could hear them, but she still felt awkward expressing her most private thoughts in front of him. She opened the door and stepped outside into the gallery. With a puzzled smile, her mother followed.
“Do you remember when you came to Greentree Manor, and we were reunited?” Marietta began cautiously.
“Of course I remember! To be with my two youngest daughters again after so long…I will never forget.”
“And do you know what I thought when I saw you, Aphrodite?”
Aphrodite shook her head, clearly puzzled. “No, Marietta, what was it you thought?”
“You were so different, so exciting. Greentree Manor had not seen anything as exotic as you since a circus leopard escaped onto the moors and it took twenty men to recapture it.” Marietta took a breath, realizing she was becoming a little melodramatic and Aphrodite was hiding a smile. “I always intended to fall wildly in love, like Vivianna. I suppose that was why I was so foolish as to run away with Gerard Jones, despite all the good advice I had to the contrary. I was a silly little romantic, in love with the idea of love. I know better now. I know that my destiny lies in becoming a courtesan, like you, and I want you to help me attain my goal.”
Aphrodite’s smile faded and she went still, seeming to withdraw into herself. Marietta waited, not knowing what to expect, but hoping that her mother would understand what she was asking. That she might even be proud that one of her daughters wanted to follow in her silk-slippered footsteps.
But as impatient as she was, the waiting grew too
Marietta did not believe Aphrodite was hard-hearted at all—as a businesswoman her concern was valid. “Perhaps no one will know.”
“I think it is already too late. The servants know, and the doctor, and the errand boy who found him. They will all talk to their friends. And what if the monster who did this to Lord Roseby does it again, to another gentleman? No, no, this is not at all a good thing.”
Marietta hadn’t thought of that. “Do you think it will happen again?”
“I do not know, mon petit puce . But we must ask ourselves this: Was it a random attack or was it aimed at Lord Roseby in particular? He is involved in a scandal of the blackest kind. His father has disowned him, his life is ruined. Perhaps there is someone out there who is not satisfied with him being merely ruined; perhaps they want him dead.”
Marietta opened her mouth and closed it again. Max, dead? She felt dizzy with dread at the picture forming in her mind. It was odd, because she was not even certain that she liked him. He had sunkhimself in gloom at his own misfortune, and yet he had related with her sense of adventure. When she had questioned his abilities as a lover, he had proved he was quite capable of making her heart thump and her flesh quiver. He had held her hand in his and sucked her fingertips, and gazed meaningfully into her eyes, and just before Aphrodite had interrupted them, he had been going to kiss her. And she would have let him; she had been looking forward to it.
Aphrodite was observing her, and Marietta had the uncomfortable feeling that her mother had read every thought that flitted across her face. The courtesan must be adept at understanding gestures and expressions—unlocking her clients’ secrets was one of the tools of her profession.
This seemed like the moment to talk of her own hopes and ambitions.
“May I speak to you, Aphrodite?”
“Of course!”
Marietta doubted Max could hear them, but she still felt awkward expressing her most private thoughts in front of him. She opened the door and stepped outside into the gallery. With a puzzled smile, her mother followed.
“Do you remember when you came to Greentree Manor, and we were reunited?” Marietta began cautiously.
“Of course I remember! To be with my two youngest daughters again after so long…I will never forget.”
“And do you know what I thought when I saw you, Aphrodite?”
Aphrodite shook her head, clearly puzzled. “No, Marietta, what was it you thought?”
“You were so different, so exciting. Greentree Manor had not seen anything as exotic as you since a circus leopard escaped onto the moors and it took twenty men to recapture it.” Marietta took a breath, realizing she was becoming a little melodramatic and Aphrodite was hiding a smile. “I always intended to fall wildly in love, like Vivianna. I suppose that was why I was so foolish as to run away with Gerard Jones, despite all the good advice I had to the contrary. I was a silly little romantic, in love with the idea of love. I know better now. I know that my destiny lies in becoming a courtesan, like you, and I want you to help me attain my goal.”
Aphrodite’s smile faded and she went still, seeming to withdraw into herself. Marietta waited, not knowing what to expect, but hoping that her mother would understand what she was asking. That she might even be proud that one of her daughters wanted to follow in her silk-slippered footsteps.
But as impatient as she was, the waiting grew too
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