The Price of Pleasure (5 page)

“Shall I return in a few days and remove the arm splints?” Defoe asked Fleur.

“I can manage, Doctor. Thank you for everything you’ve done. As before, this must be kept in the strictest confidence.”

“I understand, Madame. And you are right about my not returning. There are too many inquisitive people in the village willing to betray their neighbors for a few paltry coins.” He shook his head. “I do not know what our great country has come to.”

Fleur ushered the doctor out of the chamber. After Defoe left, she returned to the sickroom. She needed to tell Reed what she had been putting off. But first she went to the kitchen to fetch thick slices of bread and butter and a mug of milk for her patient. Eating often was the only way he was going to regain his strength.

Reed’s stomach was beginning to growl again when Fleur entered the chamber with a mug of milk and two thick slices of bread slathered with butter.

“How did you know?” Reed asked as he grabbed a slice of bread and took a huge bite.

“You should eat small amounts often,” Fleur advised. “With Lisette’s help, we’ll have you fattened up in no time.” She pulled a chair over to the bed. “Antoine is securing clothes for you. They won’t fit properly, but they will be better than nothing.”

Nodding, Reed continued eating.

“My lord, I have some bad news to impart,” Fleur began.

Reed didn’t like the sound of that. He swallowed hastily, giving Fleur his full attention. The black gown she wore hugged her curves and did nothing to detract from her beauty. The unrelieved darkness of mourning was supposed to make a woman look somber and drab. Instead, the black made her creamy skin glow and enhanced the reddish tint in her dark hair. For the first time in months, he felt a familiar tug in his loins.

With a concentrated effort, Reed raised his gaze from the subtle rise and fall of Fleur’s breasts to her face. “Bad news, you say? I knew there was something you were keeping from me.”

“I felt I should wait until you were ready to hear it. You have no idea how close to death you were when you arrived here.”

Reed nodded solemnly. “I do know; I even wished for death. But as you can see, I am now fully capable of handling whatever news, good or bad, you’re about to relate. Please continue. I hope you’re going to tell me why you singled me out for rescue.”

“Yes, and I regret I’m the one to inform you instead of a member of your family.”

“Except for my brother and grandmother, I have little family left. Not close family, anyway. Go ahead, Fleur. I can take it.”

Fleur hesitated, then said, “Your brother is dead, my lord. You are now the sixth Earl of Hunthurst. Lord Porter’s communiqué said you are desperately needed at home to take up the reins of the earldom.”

A crushing weight pressed down on Reed’s chest. Jason was only a year older than he. “Jason is dead?” he asked dully. “You must be mistaken. I . . . he was well when last I saw him.”

“It seems his illness was swift and deadly.”

“Jason’s health was never robust, but after he wed he seemed to perk up. We all hoped he would sire an heir. Grandmamma must be devastated.”

“Your grandmother was the one who instigated the investigation into your disappearance. I understand she hounded Lord Porter to find you, threatening dire consequences if he did not.”

A smile curved Reed’s lips. “That sounds like something Grandmamma would do.”

Reed couldn’t believe his brother was gone. He didn’t want the earldom, had never aspired to a higher station in life than the one he occupied. He had been happy to let Jason take up the reins after their father’s death so Reed could continue his carousing.

“How long has Jason been dead?” Reed choked out.

“I’m not sure. I wasn’t privy to that information. But it must have happened after you were captured. British agents have been investigating your disappearance for several months, although I was just recently recruited to find you. I’d already removed two men from the prison, and Lord Porter thought you might be there when you couldn’t be located elsewhere. They had begun to fear you were dead.”

Reed was still reeling from the news that Jason had died without siring an heir.

While Helen, Jason’s wife, had never impressed Reed, Jason had seemed happy enough with her. It was Helen’s sister Violet whom Reed had tried to steer clear of. Violet had openly pursued him; that was one of the reasons he had welcomed the invitation to join Lord Porter’s group of spies and accepted the assignment in France.

“Are you all right, my lord?” Fleur asked. “I truly hate to be the bearer of such bad news.”

“The death of a loved one is never easy to accept,” Reed said. “I’m sure you felt the same about your husband.”

Fleur gazed down at her clenched hands. When she looked up, there were tears in her eyes. “Pierre was too young to die such a violent death. His execution is the reason I am working for Lord Porter, though I have never met him personally.”

“Will you ever return to England?”

Fleur shrugged. “Perhaps one day, when my work here is done. My family is mostly gone. There is no one left but an aunt with whom I lived before marrying Pierre and settling in France.”

“So your marriage was a love match,” Reed dared.

Fleur looked away, her lips clamped tight.

“I’m sorry; I have no right to ask personal questions.”

“It’s painful for me to talk about Pierre. He was a sweet man who didn’t deserve to die.”

“Do you have children?”

Fleur shook her head and rose, effectively ending the conversation. “I’ll leave you alone with your grief.”

Reed nodded. He did need to be alone. His brother had been a good man. Though health problems had plagued Jason all his life, he shouldn’t have died so young. Poor Grandmamma, Reed lamented. She had so wanted to live to see the future heir of Hunthurst come into the world. If setting up a nursery now was dependent on him, Grandmamma was going to be disappointed. Reed had no intention of looking for a wife when he returned to England.

Being in prison had shown him just how precious life was, and he intended to make up for lost time. Settling down now was the last thing he wanted. There were too many willing women out there to be shackled to one. The Marriage Mart wasn’t for him. Jason had toed the line when it came to matrimony, but Reed wasn’t going to be caught in the parson’s mousetrap any time soon.

Reed spent the next hours grieving Jason and recalling their times together. Theirs had been a happy childhood despite Jason’s frequent illnesses. If Fleur hadn’t shown up when she did, Reed would have joined his brother in perpetual sleep, leaving the earldom without an heir, except for a distant cousin from the French side of the family. In fact, he didn’t know if his cousin was still alive. To his knowledge, Gallard Duvall had never visited England. If Grandmamma kept in touch with the Duvall family, Reed had no knowledge of it.

Feeling bereft and alone, Reed fell asleep, his dreams troubled. When he awakened, the sun was sinking below the horizon. He heard the click of the door latch and glanced up as Antoine entered on tiptoe.

“It’s all right, Antoine, I’m awake.”

“I found some clothes for you,
monsieur,
” Antoine said. “I can help you dress, if you’d like. The countess said you can join us in the dining room for dinner, if you’re feeling well enough.”

“I’d like that very much,” Reed said. “And I would appreciate your help. My arm isn’t much good yet, and I am still a bit weak. But first, I’d like to ask you some questions about Andre, your contact.”

Antoine gave Reed a wary look. “The countess said you would ask about Andre. Unfortunately, I know very little about the man. I meet him at the local tavern and carry messages between him and the countess. We rarely speak.”

“What does he look like?”

He shrugged. “Like anyone else. He tries to blend in.”

Reed frowned. “Is that all you can tell me about him?”

“I’m sorry. Our exchanges are usually fast and furtive.”

Reed sighed. He would have liked to know the identity of the operative working on his behalf. “Very well, you may help me dress.”

Antoine helped Reed into a pair of homespun breeches. Then Reed slid his arm through a brown shirt that Antoine buttoned over his splinted arm. After, Antoine placed a jacket of the same rough material as the breeches over Reed’s shoulders and stood back to inspect him.

“You will do,
monsieur.
The clothing will fit better once you gain some flesh.”

Reed leaned heavily on Antoine as they negotiated the narrow hallway that led to the rooms beyond the bedchambers. In England the cottage would be called rustic. Though undeniably comfortable, it was neither large nor pretentious, nothing to draw undue attention to its occupants.

Reed breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the large, country-style kitchen. He affected an awkward bow in Fleur’s direction and sank into the chair Antoine indicated.

“Are you all right?” Fleur asked. “Perhaps you should have remained in bed a bit longer.”

“I have been better,” Reed said, “but at least I’m alive. Not too many days ago I prayed for death.”

Fleur’s smile lit up her face. “Thank God your prayers went unanswered, my lord.”

“Thanks to you, Fleur. Please, call me Reed.”

Conversation waned as Lisette and Gaston carried in the food and placed it family style in the center of the table. Then they all sat down together.

Speaking in French, Fleur said, “We don’t stand on formality here, as you can see. We take our meals together as friends.”

Reed glanced around at Fleur’s friends, grateful to be alive and sharing a meal with them. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he replied in flawless French.

“Let me help you,” Fleur said as she reached for a tureen of something that smelled delicious. She ladled a generous portion into Reed’s bowl. “I hope you like bouillabaisse. Fish is cheap and easy to obtain in these parts. It may be a bit spicy for your taste.”

Plying his spoon with his uninjured arm and hand, Reed sipped the soup and rolled his eyes. “Delicious. I’ve never tasted better,” he said as he dipped a piece of crusty bread into the broth. “My compliments, Lisette.”

Lisette nodded, a pleased smile curving the corners of her mouth.

“You’ve just made Lisette’s day,” Fleur said. “She’s determined to fatten you up.”

“I promise to eat everything Lisette sees fit to serve me.”

Dessert proved just as delicious as the main course. Reed devoured every bite of the flaky pastry filled with fruit. After the meal, he was more than ready to return to bed. The act of eating had exhausted him, even though he had thoroughly enjoyed every morsel, as well as the convivial company. But he could feel weakness creeping up on him.

“Antoine will help you to bed,” Fleur said after glancing at Reed’s sagging body.

Reed nodded, even though he wasn’t yet ready to part with Fleur. The woman intrigued him. Despite the danger to herself and her friends, she stalwartly forged ahead, helping England to the best of her ability. But he was worried about her. When he returned to London, he intended to speak to Porter about the dangerous assignment Fleur had been given. The thought of her ending up in Devil’s Chateau was untenable.

“Will you come to my room later?” Reed asked in English, so only Fleur would understand. “Perhaps we can talk. I get lonely.”

“Of course I’ll come, if you aren’t too tired.”

“I won’t be too tired for you. Please come.”

Reed managed the hallway with Antoine’s help. “What the countess does is dangerous,” Reed said. “She should return to England.”

Antoine gave a Gallic shrug. “We all know that,
monsieur,
but she will not listen to reason. We can do nothing but look after her as best we can.”

They had reached Reed’s room. Antoine helped him out of his clothing and eased him into bed. “I intend to speak to her superior when I return to England,” Reed said. “Fleur cannot continue to put her life in danger. If I can arrange for her removal to England, will you, Gaston and Lisette accompany her?”

“I cannot speak for Lisette, but Gaston and I would probably return to our village. Though we owe our loyalty to the countess as long as she remains in France, we are Frenchmen. If the countess leaves, we will return to our families.”

“Thank you, Antoine. Without your and Gaston’s help, I wouldn’t be alive today.”

Antoine took himself off, leaving Reed alone with his thoughts. He didn’t look forward to taking up the reins of the earldom after an exciting life as a government operative. Lord Porter believed that Napoleon was on the verge of invading England, and Reed’s assignment had been either to prove or disprove that theory.

But once he returned home, he would probably be expected to choose a wife from the current crop of debutantes and set up a nursery. He shuddered at the thought.

Reed enjoyed his freedom, and liked to bed whomever he wished whenever he pleased without gossips watching his every move. How could he live his life in the public eye?

A rustling noise brought Reed’s attention to the other side of the room, where Fleur stood poised in the doorway.