To Seduce a Bride

“We are not that desperate,” Fanny responded.

“I cannot fathom why you won’t at least consider it,” Chantel added plaintively.

“Because the sale would only cover part of your debt. More importantly, even if I wished to expose my former patrons in that distasteful way-which I do not-my memoirs would take time to write, and Mick has given us only one month, a concession he made very reluctantly after much pleading on my part, I might add.”

“But have you considered,” Fleur interjected, “how lucrative it could prove if you chose not to expose your lovers? There must be quite a few gentlemen who would pay handsomely to be left out of your recollections.”

Fanny’s gaze narrowed on the older courtesan. “You mean blackmail, do you, Fleur? That is totally out of the question. Not merely because it is unprincipled, but because I don’t want to make enemies of London’s elite set. Were I to do so, I could find it difficult to remain employed.”

Fleur offered a graceful shrug of her shoulders. “Well, I do not see how we are to come about if you insist on being so virtuous. Beggars cannot afford to be choosers, Fanny.”

“I am not reduced to begging yet,” she said tartly.

“It is a pity our boarders cannot help us,” Chantel lamented with a heavy sigh.

Fleur’s scoffing sound was very much like a snort. “Indeed. But they earn a pittance compared to what we once did.”

“Because they haven’t our former skills or our former beauty,” said Chantel.

“Or our refinement,” Fleur added sagely.

Chantel gave a sad nod.

Lily comprehended what they meant by a lack of refinement. There were over a dozen female boarders lodging in the mansion, all from the lower classes, some who were just beginning to become established as members of the muslin company, or demimondaines, the polite term Chantel insisted on using instead of prostitute or harlot. Of the girls who roomed here, the majority were opera dancers and actresses who supplemented their meager incomes by becoming part-time mistresses. But several sold their wares in various clubs and pleasure houses in the nearby theater district.

Fleur and Chantel, on the other hand-and Fanny also-could claim superior birth and breeding, which had allowed them to excel at their profession and command a much higher class of clientele.

Looking despondent, the elder courtesans fell silent, until Fleur finally mused aloud. “What we need are some very rich men to come to our rescue.”

“That goes without saying,” Chantel agreed. “But how do we acquire such men? You and I have lost the ability to attract wealthy patrons.”

“Alas, that is true. But several of our lodgers are beautiful enough to take our places. With the right guidance from us, they could be groomed to act in our stead.”

“But what would be the point?” Chantel asked dismissively.

“Don’t be such a slow top, love,” Fleur chided. “If some of our boarders could land rich protectors, they could help us pay off our debt to O’Rourke.”

“But how would they even meet any rich protectors?” Chantel huffed. “Such prizes are not scattered about waiting to be scooped up, you know.”

“Of course not, but some could be found if we search hard enough. Just consider, Chantel. We could hold a soiree just like the old days. And we could invite everyone Fanny knows. She has valuable connections among the ton, and we still have a few ourselves.”

For more than two decades Fleur and Chantel had reportedly held elegant soirees and entertained the cream of artistic and intellectual London society, even though they now no longer entertained at all.

“Well…I suppose we could hold a soiree,” Chantel answered. “But the effort would be futile, since our boarders will never become more refined.”

Fanny suddenly sat up as if her interest had been piqued. “Perhaps it would not be impossible with the right tutor.” She cast a glance at Lily. “Do you think you could instruct some of our boarders in the social graces, Lily? Just as you do at your Academy for Young Ladies?”

Lily’s brow furrowed. “Why do you ask?”

Fleur’s expression also brightened as she regard Lily. “Because, darling,” Fleur explained, “our boarders need cultivation if our plan is to succeed. Demireps from the lower orders cannot easily attract wealthy noblemen or gentlemen. Members of the Quality want refinement, not bawdy manners and coarse speech. The girls here would have been drummed out of our former soirees the instant they opened their mouths.”

“Yes,” Chantel chimed in. “Wit and charm are important, but proper diction and accent are crucial. Those and deportment are the biggest handicaps preventing them from acquiring wealthier protectors.” Breaking off, Chantel suddenly stared at Lily as well. “Could you teach our girls, dear?”

Lily found herself frowning as she considered the question. The idea of helping young women sell themselves to rich men unsettled her more than a little, yet she didn’t want to refuse outright. “Perhaps. It should not be much different from the academy my sisters and I started three years ago. We teach girls from the merchant classes how to become more refined and ladylike, so they can hold their own in genteel society.”

“It might solve all our problems,” Fleur admitted with enthusiasm.

“Is there some other way for them to help you repay the debt?” Lily hedged.

“Not such an enormous sum.”

Lily couldn’t dispute her. Respectable jobs as servants earned perhaps ten pounds per annum. Even the most elite positions open to women-housekeepers of large estates, governess to wealthy families-rarely paid more than fifty pounds.

“There is always my settlement,” Lily suggested. When all three women looked blankly at her, she expounded. “The funds Lord Danvers settled upon me at my emancipation from his guardianship. It amounts to twenty thousand pounds, Fanny. You are welcome to have it.”

Giving a little gasp, Chantel clapped her hands together in delight. “I knew you were a right ’un, Lily darling.”

But Fanny frowned. “I could never take your money, Lily.”

“Why not?”

“Because you have plans for those funds. In any case, your fortune isn’t enough to satisfy the entire debt. We would still owe Mick an enormous sum, and you would be destitute again.”

“I suspect Roslyn would gladly share her portion.”

“Perhaps, but I have no intention of asking her. You both were virtually penniless three years ago, but now you are finally able to afford an independent life of your own. I won’t spoil that under any circumstances.”

It was Lily’s turn to frown. “Fanny, if you think I will let you enslave yourself to a man you don’t even like simply so I can spend a fortune I never expected on jaunting all over the globe, you have gone completely daft. What kind of friend would I be?”

“You know you have always wanted to travel.”

“So I have, but the circumstances have changed. You need the funds far more than I do.”

Fanny smiled faintly. “Thank you, dearest. I will consider accepting if the situation becomes truly dire, but not until then. Seriously, Lily, I believe Fleur’s idea of helping our boarders to acquire wealthy patrons would serve far better. Raising their station holds such tremendous advantages for those girls, I’m certain they will agree to help us pay off the debt in exchange for the exceptional training we can provide. So what do you say? Could you teach them to speak and behave with more gentility?”

Lily pursed her lips in thought. Manners and deportment were certainly not her forte. She was far more at home coaching the Academy’s pupils in sporting activities such as riding and archery, and physical skills such as dancing. But she could manage if the girls were willing to learn.

“Will your boarders be willing to apply themselves?” she asked.

“I have no doubt they will.”

Her reticence must have continued to show, however, for Fanny murmured, “It is asking a great deal of you, I know. You needn’t help if you are uncomfortable, Lily.”

“No, of course I want to help,” she said quickly, trying to control her squeamishness at participating so directly in the courtesan trade. “It is just that I wonder whether your boarders will be amenable to your plan to find them new patrons.”