Lord of Deceit (Heiress Games Book 2) by Sara Ramsey Read Free Book Online

and didn't mind the whispers about her. Someone who would have spent their entire marriage reminding her that she didn’t deserve him.
    She hadn't taken the shame they wanted to give her, though. She'd taken her anger instead, using it to stiffen her backbone so she wouldn't bend under the gossip. And the people who would have forgiven her if she'd been meek seemed to hate her more because she was strong.
    She was strong. But there were no paths forward that would bring her joy.
    She would let Lord Rafael down gently, before anything disastrous happened. She couldn’t afford to lose Somerville’s protection.
    But her heart — her daring, reckless Briarley heart — wanted more.

Chapter Three
    H ours later , Octavia sat in her bedchamber in Somerville House as her lady’s maid unpinned and brushed her hair. Octavia had a lovely house several blocks away, which Somerville paid for, and she slept there most nights. But when Somerville needed her to host his parties, she stayed at Somerville House after. It was easier than going home and more appropriate for the illusion they maintained.
    When he tapped on her door a few minutes later, she smiled. “Shall I excuse myself, miss?” her lady’s maid asked.
    Agnes had been Octavia’s maid during her debut season. She was the only person in London who still called her “miss.” “Madame Octavia” was the name Somerville had promoted — no one liked to call a mistress “Miss Briarley,” but Octavia couldn’t pretend that she had been married before, as so many mistresses did. Agnes had chosen to stay with Octavia despite the scandal. Most of her family’s servants were loyal, no matter how dark the deeds of their masters.
    “You may go, Agnes,” Octavia said. “We may stay here tomorrow night as well — I will tell you in the morning.”
    Agnes nodded and left, letting Somerville in as she departed. Octavia turned to greet him. “How did you find the party tonight, my lord?”
    His eyes flickered over her. She no longer felt uncomfortable wearing her peignoir and nightrail in front of him. She always had Agnes undress her before Somerville arrived, since otherwise Somerville would have to undo her buttons for her. It had only taken one awkward night of that for Octavia to make sure she was always ready to receive him without needing to call Agnes back in after.
    He didn’t notice anything about her attire, but he raised an eyebrow at her necklace. “Do you like the diamonds well enough to sleep in them?” he asked.
    She laughed and touched the necklace at her throat. “I adore them. I think Agnes thought it was charming of me to wear them to receive you. I’m sure she expects that I shall thank you for them properly.”
    “You could be the best courtesan in London if you chose,” Somerville said. He almost sounded admiring.
    “Shall I thank you again for the lessons?”
    Somerville snorted. “As though I could ever teach you anything. You seem to have been born for the role.”
    He said it without a trace of irony. But she wasn’t offended. If a statement like that was enough to offend her, she never could have survived going to the shops and hearing the whispered comments from her former friends.
    “Shall we discuss what we learned?” she asked, gesturing him toward the pair of chairs in front of her fireplace. “I thought tonight’s event was a success, but I cannot say that everyone is equally in favor of your anti-vice legislation. What did you think?”
    They often sat there on evenings such as this one. She had come to expect those quiet moments, when she didn’t have to act as anything other than herself. She had his undivided attention in moments like these — not, perhaps, as a mistress might have expected to have his attention. But she had precious few friends with whom to talk, and Somerville was, if nothing else, an excellent conversationalist.
    Granted, it was entirely on his terms. If he was busy, he didn’t always make time for