To Deceive A Duke

Chapter 16

She knows that one of her parents will accost her in the evening and demand to know where she's been, but she just needs a few moments to herself before they start interrogating her. She puts her shawl away and pulls off her boots. Her knife tumbles out and she picks it up, the steel feels hungry and powerful in her palm. She places it back into her secret compartment and then crosses over to one of her bookshelves. She separates two leather-bound books and removes Lord Wellesley's letter. She sits down in her armchair and turns it over in her hands. His family seal has been pressed into a green wax and she runs her thumb over it, thinking. 

At long last, she breaks the seal and opens the letter. 

Dear Miss Lenoir, 

First I would like to offer my deepest sorrows for the death of your grandfather, he was an astute and brilliant man. He is one of my personal inspirations and I will surely miss his company at the club. I know that your grandfather has always had his concerns when it came to The East India Company and the excellent work that we are doing around the world, but I am hoping that a bright and modern woman such as yourself will be able to see what he didn't. We are amassing an empire across the waves and we are inviting you to be involved, buying shares in the company will ensure a profit unlike you have ever seen. We are not only offering you an exclusive contract and an advance, but also a controlling percentage of the shares. We could be great together Miss Lenoir. I have included the full proposal for you to examine. When you choose to accept, please write to me or I would be delighted to see you in person at my London office as I plan to stay in town for the season. 

Best regards, 

Lord Wellesley 

Clarissa drops the letter on to her lap and unfolds the proposal. She skims the outline and her eyes widen at the profit margin predicted. The sickening number is enough to make her head spin. She continues to look through the papers, the invitation looking more and more tempting, but the diagrams of the ships sober her up and she stuffs the papers back into the envelope with disgust. Her heart tells her to destroy the letter and think nothing more of it, but her head warns her that she needs a contingency plan and this is it. Her logic wins and she places the letter back in its hiding place. She has barely straightened out her books when her door bursts open and Maire storms in, seeing red. 

"Where have you been?" Her mother demands, hand on hips and scowling fearsomely. "Alice said you would be back after lunch, tis almost dinner now! Zut alors!" 

"But it is after lunch..." Clarissa can't stop her smart-ass response from slipping out. Marie bristles and turns a shade of bright pink. 

"How dare you speak to your ma mere like that! I am your mother! Tu n'as pas honte?" 

"Non, ma mere, but your daughter is in need of a dress," Clarissa says, trying to smooth over her afternoon of truancy. 

"A dress? Didn't we just buy you new ones?" Marie's anger seems to drain out of her at the talk of fashion. 

"I need a statement dress." Clarissa rephrases, "Something astonishing, something you would wear," 

Her mother, at first, looks excited but then her expression changes to suspicion. "What is this for? A boy?" She questions. Clarissa starts to deny it but then stops and tilts her head. 

"Sort of, I need to impress and intimate in equal measure." 

Marie claps her hands together, beaming "I have just the thing." 

Four hours later Clarissa sits in front of the mirror in her mother's bedroom. She hadn't planned on spending such a long time with her mother, but Marie's excitement and utter joy at dressing her daughter had won Clarissa over. Inbetween playing dress up, the two women had sat around laughing, drinking champagne and eating strawberries, and for once Clarissa enjoyed her mother's company. She humoured Marie's extravagance, trying on dress after dress. They played around with jewels and went through many pairs of shoes until at last, Clarissa's outfit has her mother's approval.