“I’m sorry. It’s not really my place. Look at me, sitting here, directing the conversation when we’re on your time.”
“Nonsense. You know I don’t mind. I’ve offered you more money than I’m paying tonight.”
“Why did you offer to make me your mistress if you don’t love me?”
“I care for you a great deal. You’re very important to me, Jocelyn. There’s not another woman alive who I can speak to as I do you. And even if I could, they wouldn’t understand. I wanted to provide for you and keep you to myself. You’re an asset, one I wish I held exclusively.” George signaled to a servant to replenish their wine. “You know, I’ve often thought Lawrence is a fool. If he played you properly, he could be even more powerful than he already is.”
“Thank you. I thought that might be the case, but I wanted to be sure. I’d hate to think I had injured you by refusing your more than generous offer.”
“I didn’t expect you’d say yes. To be honest, I don’t know how I would have felt if you had. I suspect you might have lost some of your appeal. I presume that’s why you rejected my offer.”
“Partly.”
“So tell me what’s on your mind. It’s not like you to be this way. If you’re forgoing your usual game of seduction, I assume it’s more important than a little favor.”
Jocelyn summoned her courage. In the past, she had only asked for things that Lawrence wanted or that bore no real importance to her life. It was common for Lawrence to use her influence to sway a courtier’s mind this way or that. In those instances, the stakes had never been personal.
“I’d like you to ask the king to release the Earl of Dover from his betrothal.”
George’s eyebrows rose as his chin lowered. It was the most surprise she had ever seen him show. She knew better than to speak first. If she did, she’d spiral into desperation and lose.
“I must admit, that’s the last thing I thought you’d say. Tell me, why doesn’t the earl ask me this himself?”
“You know why.”
“What I don’t know is why you’re asking.”
“It’s a waste. His loyalty is absolute. He has no desires other than to serve the king. There are no ulterior motives in him. His ships are yours. He’ll point them wherever you need when the time comes, and until then, they’ll be making money that can be used to arm them. He supports whatever action you wish to take with Spain and will say so publicly. You and the king gain nothing by this. Lady Jane would be better spent elsewhere.”
“That’s nice information to have. You’re sure about this?”
“Have I ever been wrong about men’s loyalties before?”
“No, you haven’t. But you also haven’t answered my question. Why are you asking?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
Jocelyn tried not to let her voice reveal too much. “I have personal reasons for not wanting to see the earl married at this time.”
He smirked. “That’s what I thought. I suppose it was only a matter of time, though I admit I never thought I’d see the day. Will he take you from us?”
“I don’t know, George.”
“I’ll speak to James tomorrow. He has a soft spot for you. If you give me leave to tell him about our conversation, it’ll make it easier to persuade him.”
“Whatever you have to do.”
“We’d both be sad if you were to leave court.”
“It’s nice of you to say so, but no matter what happens, I doubt you have to worry about me leaving any time soon.”
“You are in your element here. Your talents would be wasted elsewhere. Even if you did decide to retire, you would still hold influence at court.” George finished his wine. “I have no doubt that I can convince the king. It helps that there’s been no public announcement. Those who did know weren’t thrilled with the idea of a member of the royal family marrying a relatively unknown lord.”
“I assure you he will do nothing to bring embarrassment to Lady Jane in the eyes of those who are aware of the situation.”
“I trust you to see to that.” George stood and came behind Jocelyn. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her shoulder. Her heart wasn’t in it, but she moved into the kiss with gratitude. He nipped at her neck, all the way up to her ear. “Now, I do have you for the night, and in light of recent revelations, it would behoove me to make it count.”
Jocelyn ran her hand through his curly brown hair, raking her nails over his scalp the way he liked. Maybe she would retire after all.
* * *
Chapter 21
Michael couldn’t help hoping Jocelyn had been successful. He hadn’t seen her since they’d spoken in his room three nights previous. She was still on her hunting trip with the Earl of Dorset. A page had greeted Michael as soon as he arrived at court, informing him that the king wished to see him. So he waited. Michael had watched three other men come and go from the king’s audience chamber. He wished he was as good a conversationalist as Jocelyn. Since his sudden advancement, an endless stream of lords wanted to speak to him. The only benefit to the attention was that it helped pass the time.
“Lord Dover, the king will see you now.”
Michael couldn’t even recall what he was talking about with the Earl of Salisbury and left him without so much as a “beg your pardon.” He barely waited for the page to announce him before entering the room.
“Your Majesty.” Michael bowed and tried not to look too desperate.
“Lord Dover. I haven’t had much chance to speak with you since your advancement. How are you faring?”
“I’m well, Sire.”
“And are you ready to be a married man?”
Michael wasn’t confident in his ability to lie. The ground seemed uneven beneath his feet. One wrong step, and he would not only jeopardize his and Jocelyn’s future, but his family’s as well. “I am always prepared to do my duty, Sire. I only hope that Lady Jane will find in me a worthy husband.”
“You haven’t met Lady Jane or seen any portraits of her. Is that correct?”
“Yes, Sire. However, I’ve heard her praises sung, and any lady who is Your Majesty’s kin is surely more desirable a woman than I have any right to.”
“Then I’m afraid my news might be a bit disappointing. I have decided it is not in the best interests of everyone involved for you to marry Lady Jane.”
Michael’s relief overwhelmed his joy, making it easier to keep a smile from his face. “I hope I have not offended you in any way, Sire.”
“Not at all. There is simply no need for the betrothal. Lady Jane is a member of the royal family. I need to use her to secure alliances that might otherwise be precarious or impossible to attain. It has become clear to me since your investiture that your loyalty is more sincere than the type that must be secured by marriage. Please do not take this as a slight, Lord Dover. Lady Jane is simply needed elsewhere. Not only that, your marriage must be more strategic. Lady Jane wouldn’t strengthen you.”
“Please, Sire, think nothing of it. While I was honored by Your Majesty’s offer of Lady Jane, I wish her only the best.”
“Good man. Many people here speak highly of you. I haven’t heard much about your position regarding the situation with Spain. It seems everyone has an opinion.”
“I am in favor of anything that strengthens Your Majesty’s reign. I don’t believe it is my place to have an opinion on the issue of a Spanish marriage. Such matters are for Your Majesty to decide.”
“It would please me greatly if you would make such sentiments public. There are those at court who feel it is their right to voice their opinions on the matter with no regard to royal prerogative. Meanwhile, the same fools call for war but are unwilling to finance it.”
“I understand, Sire. As you know, my ships are at your disposal. I have enough money to arm them in a manner that will make them some of the most formidable ships at sea. I only await your command, Sire.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Keep those ships s
ailing and bringing in wealth. You have managed them well.”
“Thank you, Sire.”
“You’re dismissed.”
Michael bowed and left the room. Once the king could no longer see him, he allowed a smile to spread across his face. His feet hardly touched the ground he felt so light. It seemed as if his chest was the only thing keeping his heart from floating away. He couldn’t wait to tell Jocelyn, though perhaps he should be grateful for their time apart. She still wasn’t ready to relinquish her clients. He would need to woo her. As much as he wanted to marry her, if he tried to push the issue too fast, he would only scare her away. She was like a strong wind, elusive and powerful. If he didn’t set his sail correctly, she would tear his ship—and heart—apart.
Michael planned to spend the rest of the day making his distaste for those crass enough to discuss the royal match apparent. He didn’t want the king second-guessing his decision. Michael aimed to bring the king as many supporters as he could. Being wealthy and advancing rather quickly, Michael felt sure there would be men who would want to side with him.
Across the hall, Michael caught sight of Lawrence. The old man made his skin crawl. His blue eyes were cold and untrustworthy. Michael didn’t know how Jocelyn could feel such warmth for the man. The betrothal had been his doing, and Lawrence wouldn’t take kindly to his efforts being thwarted. Michael couldn’t afford to move forward without a plan, especially when he felt sure Lawrence had one. He’d charted treacherous waters before, and he’d do so again. Jocelyn demanded it of him.
* * *
Chapter 22
The king signaled for a servant to pour Lawrence some wine. “I wanted to thank you for taking my request so seriously, Lawrence.”
The unexpected summons left Lawrence off balance. “Excuse me, Sire, I’m not quite sure I follow.” He glanced at Buckingham to see if he could read anything from his expression.
“Jocelyn. She was able to gather enough information about Barwick to assure me that the betrothal isn’t necessary. My cousin will be better spent elsewhere. I almost wasted her on a baron—well, an earl I suppose. I didn’t see fit to strip his rank from him. Besides, it’s ingratiated him to me. A rather nice outcome without as much outlay as I’d expected. Well done.” James smiled at Lawrence.
Buckingham spoke. “Jocelyn brought the information to my attention. She’s a good girl. Always does as she’s told.” His eyes held more knowledge than he divulged.
“Yes, she can always be relied upon. Her love for Your Majesty is unrivaled, and she is always looking for ways to serve. However, I fear she is prone to see more good in a person than there is. Despite outward appearances, she has led somewhat of a sheltered life. She has never known betrayal, not on any real level. Her own heart is loyal, so she cannot adequately fathom others’ treachery. I’m not sure her evaluation of the situation is entirely accurate.”
“Are you saying you think the Earl of Dover should remain betrothed?” There it was again, that flash of knowledge in Buckingham’s eyes. Jocelyn mustn’t have even tried to hide her feelings for Michael when making her appeal to George. She had said nothing to Lawrence about any of this. It was discouraging how swiftly one man could muddle Lawrence’s plans.
“My humble opinion is that the safest course of action is to secure his loyalty through marriage. Dover is too important to leave to chance, as are his ships. We are an island nation. It is crucial to both our defense and offense that we have ships at our disposal and ports firmly under our control.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Lawrence. However, the king’s cousin is not needed to secure those things. Jocelyn has never failed us. If there was any chance he would be disloyal, she would know. Do you doubt her abilities?”
The challenge rang clear in his voice. Lawrence was trapped, and they all knew it. Damn. Damn Michael, and damn Jocelyn. Lawrence had trained her too well. It was difficult to be mad at her for being so good at her work that she was able to single-handedly dissolve a royal betrothal. There was a certain cruel irony in his training making her capable of traveling a path that led her away from him. No matter. He would take care of her in due time.
“No, of course not.”
“Besides, he’s going to need my permission to marry. I won’t let him ally himself with any family who is a threat.” The king displayed too much confidence for a man who had just been played.
Lawrence took a moment to revel in pride at Jocelyn’s skill and then promptly began to devise his next move.
* * *
Lawrence knocked on Jocelyn’s door. She was due back today from her hunting trip, and Lawrence had paid Anne to send him a message as soon as Jocelyn returned. The maid answered the door and led him upstairs to Jocelyn’s bedroom.
Jocelyn had changed out of her traveling clothes and wore a dressing gown. As soon as she saw him, she dropped the brush she was running through her hair and embraced him.
“Lawrence. It’s so good to see you. Remind me again why I accept these ridiculous invitations to go hunting.”
“Because they compensate you well, my dear.”
“Ah, yes, that must be it.” Jocelyn’s entire face lit with her smile. “Anything interesting happen while I was away?”
Time for Lawrence to do what he came for. “Nothing very exciting. The Earl of Dover was released from his betrothal.”
“Oh?”
Lawrence didn’t need to read her energy to feel her excitement. She practically vibrated. “Yes. It wasn’t public knowledge, but he was to marry Lady Jane, the king’s second cousin.”
“How did you hear about it if it wasn’t public knowledge?”
“There are no secrets from me at court. I’m surprised I have to remind you of that. Anyway, I thought you’d like to know since he’s one of your clients.”
“Yes, thank you. Do you know why the betrothal was withdrawn?” A note of worry tinged her voice.
“It’s my understanding that the king wanted to use the girl for another match. She’ll be traded to some other man. Not everyone is as fortunate as you are to be able to have control over their own lives.” Or at least as much control as Lawrence gave her. He held her reins so loosely she didn’t even know he wielded them.
“I know. I couldn’t tolerate living like that.”
“As long as you never fall for the myth of love, you’ll never have to. I can’t tell you how proud I was when you didn’t accept Buckingham’s offer. You’ll receive more. You need to prepare yourself so you don’t succumb to weakness in the moment.”
“I won’t let anyone take away what I’ve worked so hard for.”
There was no doubt in Lawrence’s mind that Jocelyn wanted to believe her words. Maybe she had even convinced herself they were true, but there was no strength of conviction behind them. Lawrence didn’t want to have to transform her into a vampire yet, but he would if there was no other choice.
“Good. You remember what happened to Isabella? And Eleanor? And Gwen? They were all foolish enough to confuse clients with lovers. Each one felt sure she was different, that her suitor was different. And what happened in the end?” Lawrence drew out the silence. When Jocelyn nodded to him to finish, he kept his mouth shut.
“They were all abandoned.”
“Yes. And then what did they do?”
“They tried to come back to work for you.”
“Exactly. I never take a girl back. It’s not out of cruelty. I can’t trust a girl who so easily turns her loyalties.” Lawrence gripped her arm. “Look around you, Jocelyn. You have your own house, your own maid, more trinkets than you know what to do with. When you came to me, did you ever imagine that your life would be this grand?”
“No.”
“No, you didn’t, but you hoped for it. I saw it in your eyes. You didn’t want to simply survive. You wanted to be a woman of wealth and influence. Well, that’s what you are, and you did it all yourself. With a little help from me.”
“A little? Lawrence, I know I owe all of t
his to you. I would have never been able to succeed without your guidance.”
“It’s been my pleasure, my dear. I have always watched over you and taken care of you. Don’t let yourself think that there’s a better life waiting for you somewhere. This is everything you’ve worked for. Remember that in those moments when you’re tempted to leave. Don’t let a temporary feeling that will fade with time sway you into making decisions with permanent consequences.”
Jocelyn nodded. Lawrence had seen the doubt seep into her eyes and grow as he continued his lecture. “Thank you, Lawrence. Somehow, you always know what I need to hear. Please, never forsake me.”
“As long as you don’t forsake me.” It was a small victory. All he’d needed was to plant enough doubt in her mind that she would hesitate and not make a rash decision if Michael asked her to marry him. Lawrence would deal with him when the time was right. Once she moved past Michael, their lives—and his plans—could return to normal.
* * *
Chapter 23
Jocelyn decided it wouldn’t seem suspicious when she didn’t take a client for the night. Lawrence wouldn’t expect her to work so soon after returning from a hunting trip. It had been too late in the day for her to go to court to see if Michael was in attendance. Instead, she’d waited until it was likely he’d returned to his room. Sure enough, when she approached the King’s Head, she saw the candle in his window.
As soon as Michael opened the door, he swept her up into a kiss. Everything about him felt familiar, comfortable, and exciting all at once. It seemed strange that her stomach could flip so many times as he kissed her while the rest of her felt so peaceful.
“I’ve missed you so much.” Even Michael’s voice soothed her.
“I missed you too.”
“I don’t know how you did it, but the king changed his mind.”
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