A Regency era courtesan gives up her empire for love and discovers how binding her connections truly are to the noblemen she used to serve.
*****
In the sequel to Courte...
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"May I present, Mistress Rosalind Hayes."
Stanwick announced me as I stepped into a study as grand as the Minerva Press Library, with floor to ceiling bookshelves accessible by rolling ladders, and a dark wood bar stretching the length of one wall. The duke sat with the prince regent in a pair of velvet wingbacks, each with a drink in their hands. Their heads popped up at the announcement.
"Rose!" Philip waved me over with his glass. "George and I were just speaking of you not minutes ago."
"I apologize for the intrusion, your highness. Your grace. I had only stopped by to make an inquiry."
The prince regent stood, looking more like a nobleman than the son of a king in his riding breeches and vest. "Mistress Hayes, your timing could not be better if it were divinely guided. Come. Join us for a drink."
A drink? With the prince regent? I knew time was of the essence, but how could I refuse a royal invitation? I could not. "Thank you. I hate to be any trouble. As I said, I came on a whim to manage a small situation."
As I approached, his highness reached for my gloved hand and lifted it to his mouth. "Your wish is my command, if only to repay you for the ray of sunshine you have delivered upon your arrival."
The duke chuckled into his chest, which earned him a scowl from the prince.
"Philip doesn't appreciate the sensibilities of a woman and the benefits of well-executed prose."
While I agreed that the duke rarely used flowery sentiments, I did believe he understood the sensibilities of a woman. Although, he likely didn't convey that in the presence of his male counterparts.
"What is your pleasure?" The prince waved to the bar as he walked toward it. "We have anything a young lady might desire; brandy, port, absinthe?"
"A small glass of port would be perfect. Thank you, your highness." I glanced at the door as Stanwick shut it behind him, and I suddenly felt as if I had been left in the company of hungry wolves. While I knew the duke had a great deal of respect for me and my circumstance, the prince regent and I had not established such a rapport.
The prince seemed perfectly at ease behind the bar, and he kept a close watch on me as I took a seat beside the duke. After hearing Stanwick's revelation about Prince George's desire for a mistress, I was beginning to regret my choice to drop in on his highness. The complications were mounting by the minute.
In a maneuver I hoped would not be observed by the prince, I offered the duke a pleading look, lifting my brows and biting my lip.
"Here we are." The prince returned with my port, and I quickly took a sip. "May I say, you look radiant. I expect that's your hair giving off such a glow. The sea air must agree with you. What did you think of the Surety? She is a fine vessel, is she not?"
"Very fine. And a fine crew as well. Colonel Robert Smith managed my company. I learned a lot under him."
The two men exchanged sly glances, and I knew just where their minds had gone.
