"I had nothing to do with her trousers falling down." The words came blurting out without his volition. He really had no need to explain himself to his staff. Still, the words came out, and when Plunkett looked doubtful-as anyone would after seeing the red, swollen, obviously just-kissed state of
Prudence's lips-Stephen felt compelled to explain further, "Well, I did kiss her, but… it is not as if we have not been introduced. We have met at various balls."
That wasn't strictly true. Stephen had attended several of the same balls as the Prescotts and always noted their daughter's presence. Prudence was a lovely woman. Her beauty was the sort that shone through like a collection of snow white daisies in a mixed arrangement, not screaming for first attention like a red rose with its hidden thorns, but subtly drawing the eye with its soft loveliness. Of course, with his precarious situation in the ton, he hadn't ever approached the woman until just recently. It was only when the rumors and gossip had begun to circulate about the state of the Prescott finances, when the rest of the ton had begun to draw away, that he had dared ask for a dance or two. He had not wanted to sully her with his reputation.
But with the ton acting as they were, it had given him the perfect opportunity. He had approached under the guise of saving her from being a wallflower, something he had done in the past with other shy young ladies. That had been the ruse under which he had made his polite request, and he had found himself drawn to the girl with her soft voice and quick wit. The only reason he hadn't recognized her right away that first night outside his club was because of the darkness, the unexpectedness of her presence there, that silly hat she had been wearing, and the way she had been bundled against the cold.
Aware that Plunkett was still glaring at him like a father who had caught him mauling his daughter, Stephen shifted impatiently. "You say the fighting has ended?"
Plunkett spent another moment looking down his stub of a nose at Stephen, then nodded slowly. "Had to clear out the club to do it, though. The place is empty and the doors locked. Should I open 'em up again?"
Moving behind his desk, Stephen made a face and shook his head. He dropped wearily into his chair. "No. That was enough excitement for one night. Is there much damage?"
"A couple tables broke and a couple of the serving girls got roughed up. Sally took a nasty poke to the eye. It's swollen shut and blackening bad, and I think Belle's got a cracked rib or two."
Stephen scowled. For all that he had been in this business for years, it still startled him to see how a little drink and a game of cards could bring out the worst in these supposed "men of nobility." Some nights he was ashamed to be counted a member of them, and those nights were coming more and more frequently. Stephen had always loathed the weakness that shone through as he watched desperate men gamble away what little they had left in the hopes of making a fortune. But more and more often of late, he was also bearing witness to a cruelty hidden beneath some of those men's suave exteriors. It wearied his soul and made him think that perhaps it was time to get out of this business. He had even looked into several alternative ventures, but had not struck on anything as lucrative yet. Once he did…
Shrugging his thoughts away, he turned his attention to the matter at hand. "Take Sally and Belle to be tended; then see them home. Here." Unlocking the drawer of his desk, he retrieved a sack and tossed it to his doorman. "Split this between them and tell them not to come back until they are recovered."
Nodding, the large man turned and left him alone to his thoughts, which promptly returned to the woman he had been kissing only moments before. Damn, she had looked fine in breeches. Even sagging, baggy breeches. But, he thought with a small smile, she had looked even better with them pooled around her ankles.
Chapter Three
"Oh, dear."
"'Oh, dear' is right!" Prudence quit her pacing and dropped glumly onto the settee beside Eleanore. The Kindersleys' town house was where Prudence had taken her father's clothes to change into them before attempting her infiltration of Ballard's. After fleeing the scene of her humiliation, she had been forced to return to change back into her gown. She would have preferred to have Jamison take her straight home, where she could weep over her humiliating failure in private, but, dressed as she had been, going home had been impossible. Meg Prescott was not aware of what her daughter was up to. It was her Christmas wish, after all. Besides, she probably wouldn't have approved.
Now that she was here and had revealed the humiliating results of her venture, Prudence found that she did actually feel a touch better. Eleanore's sympathy was a soothing balm.
"What was it like?"
Pru turned a confused gaze to her friend. "What? Realizing that I was standing there with Father's breeches down around my ankles like some-"
"Nay."
The other woman started to smile, but bit it back quickly, Prudence noticed.
"Nay," she repeated. "I meant the kiss. What was his kiss like?" '
Prudence glanced away, her mouth twitching and twisting before she could control it. She wasn't at all surprised to find her friend curious about that. They had often talked about the members of the ton, discussing the men they found attractive and such. Stephen had been one of them.
He was terribly handsome and debonair. And she and Eleanore were not the only ones who thought so. The older set among the ton might have resented having to admit him to society, but the younger ladies were more than happy to have him around, and they often vied for his attention. Eleanore and Prudence had never been among those who vied, but they had certainly noticed the man and would not have said nay had he asked for a dance, or the opportunity to fetch them a refreshment.
It wasn't just that he was attractive, but he had shown his kindness on several occasions. It was well known that he had a tendency to befriend those the ton saw as just barely acceptable, and there was never a wallflower so long as he was in attendance. He made a point of being introduced, and of making everyone feel included. Pru and Ellie had both appreciated that. Especially Prudence, who just lately had found herself in need of being rescued from being a wallflower. She rarely attended social functions, but had on one or two occasions under pressure from Eleanore. Unable to afford a new gown, she had been forced to wear last season's fashions. The fact had been recognized at once by all, and the fact that it meant that the family's wealth was now failing had been understood. There was nothing the ton fled from faster than those whose wealth was dwindling. Prudence had found herself in the uncomfortable position of being avoided by most people as if she had the plague. And absolutely no one had asked her to dance-except for Stephen, once, at each of the events. No, he might not have recalled her upon their meeting, but she had had no problems remembering him.
If she were honest with herself, Prudence would admit that after each affair she had wasted several minutes lying abed at night fantasizing that they had shared more than a dance. She imagined that she had seen a certain something in his eyes as they had moved about the dance floor, and that he would someday sweep into her life and save her from the embarrassing situation her father was dragging them all into. But that had been before she learned that he actually owned the establishment her father favored for his destructive behavior. Oh, she had known that he owned some sort of hall, but she hadn't realized it was one where gambling took place-or that it was the exact one her father spent most of his time at. Prudence had stopped fantasizing about the man the moment she had learned that. Well, all right. So she hadn't stopped fantasizing about him, but she had taken to berating herself most firmly afterward for doing so.