The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies) - Michaels, Maddison (an ebook reader TXT) 📗

is as I claim, and the gazette critiques only true scoundrels, publishing the truth instead of lies, then you, my brothers, will attend three balls of my choosing and dance every dance with all of the poor wallflowers littered around the room, all but forgotten. You will ensure not one young lady goes without a dance from each of you. Oh, and you will extol the virtues of the gazette while you dance with the ladies.”

“What? No!”

“That will be torture.”

“Absolutely not.”

She couldn’t tell who said what, as all three of her brothers’ voices exclaimed over the top of one another. “Good gracious, what is so wrong with dancing with some ladies while praising a publication if it does expose scoundrels?”

“You know perfectly well, if we ask them to dance, their mothers will already be planning their weddings with us,” Griff grumbled.

“And we’ll forever be bombarded at every single ball thereafter,” Justin added. “We’ll never get a moment’s peace.”

“Why the hell do you seem to think this gazette is going to be so wonderful?” Alexander narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What do you know that we don’t?”

“Nothing, dear brother. It is as you said, I am an optimist.” She did have fun throwing his own words back at him. “Well, brothers? Are you prepared to put your money where your mouths are? Do we have a wager?”

Reluctantly all three nodded.

“Excellent!” she declared before reaching across and grabbing a triangle of toast with one hand, and her cane with the other as she stood. “Now if you will excuse me, I am off to visit with Lady Chilton today.” She was also going to pay a visit first to the new warehouse housing the gazette, the address she’d received via a note delivered yesterday afternoon. But such a visit her family had no need of knowing about.

“Alice’s sister?” Justin asked.

“Yes.” Finally, Alice’s sister had relented and agreed to see her again, after their somewhat terse visit a fortnight ago. “I suggest you boys get your dance cards ready for you shall be needing them shortly.” And with that she strolled from the room, cane in hand, while whispers of her brothers’ grumbles followed her down the corridor.

Today was promising to be a very good day indeed.

Chapter Fourteen

Livie strode up the steps to Lady Chilton’s town house and rang the bell. From the corner of her eye, she could still see the three men whom she’d first noticed yesterday out the front of her house trying to appear unobtrusive, dressed like gentlemen, their bearing suggesting they were anything but. They were too big and strong and their hands too rough.

And now here they were again, this time keeping watch on her down the adjacent alley. They’d followed her from her house to the new warehouse and had still been loitering down the street when she’d emerged half an hour later.

Sebastian had obviously sent them to keep an eye on her, as she recognized one from his office earlier in the week. The man could have sent a note, of course, and advised her of the fact. Rather inconsiderate of him not to, especially as he’d had ample opportunity in the note he’d sent with the warehouse’s location.

Men really didn’t think sometimes.

The door opened, and Lady Chilton’s butler appeared. “My lady,” he acknowledged. “The countess is expecting you.”

Livie returned her attention to the purpose of her visit. She’d sent a note to Alice’s sister yesterday, begging for another opportunity to discuss trying to discover the scoundrel who had ruined Alice, but she really hadn’t expected an answer back from the lady. Especially not after how their last visit had gone, a fortnight past, when Livie had first broached the topic of finding the man responsible for Alice’s demise.

The countess hadn’t been at all receptive to such a suggestion, and then when Livie had mentioned she thought Alice had been murdered by the fiend and she intended to unmask him, Lady Chilton hadn’t been impressed, to say the least. She’d cut short the visit, without assisting Livie in the slightest, declaring Livie should not further risk damaging her dead sister’s reputation, and she should let Alice rest in peace.

Which was the problem. Livie didn’t believe Alice would rest in peace until the villain was found and exposed. But to do so she needed the guest list of those who attended the house party Lady Chilton had hosted at her country estate three months earlier. The party where Alice had been seduced and started her liaison with whomever the man was.

She needed Lady Chilton’s cooperation, because not having that list was making the task of narrowing down the suspects extremely difficult. And it was important to Livie to expose him in the very first edition of the gazette.

Following the butler through the entrance hall and down the corridor to the sitting room, Livie could only hope that perhaps after thinking upon it, Lady Chilton had changed her mind, even if Livie couldn’t quite imagine a lady of such firm and rigid convictions doing so.

As they passed a mirror hanging on one of the walls, Livie got a quick glimpse of herself. She didn’t look any different after being kissed senseless only a day ago. She’d rather thought she might…

Goodness, that kiss. She’d been able to think of little else except his lips upon hers. It had been exquisite and thrilling. And she couldn’t help but want more.

Did that make her a wanton? Is this what Alice had felt when she’d first kissed her scoundrel? Had a kiss been the start of Alice’s demise?

The butler walked in ahead of her and announced her name before turning and ushering her inside. Elegantly seated on a red velvet settee in the middle of the ornate sitting room was Alice’s sister, Lady Chilton. The woman was around eight years older than the girls themselves, so they’d had little to do with each other over the years. Not to mention that Livie found Lady Chilton to be