Chapter Two

 

 

He was a little younger than she’d anticipated. Perhaps in his early forties, which was no great age, but given that he was the name behind a prestigious London publishing company, she’d been prepared for someone with more of an elderly appearance.

“Miss Smith?” He rose as she entered the parlour.

“Indeed.” She dropped him a polite curtsey. “Thank you for the honour you do us, Mr. Lesley. Coming all this way from London is very much appreciated, and quite a surprise.”

They sat, he in a large chair by the fireplace, she in a smaller one next to the well-worn sofa.

“After reading your…er…friend’s manuscript, I felt it incumbent upon me to visit in person. And to be honest, I have an acquaintance in the area, so it was a case of killing two birds with one happy stone.” He crossed his legs. “I suppose there is no chance of my meeting with Lady Corinth in person?”

“No sir, I’m afraid not.” Letitia kept her expression calm and her words simple. She was masquerading as the author’s friend and intended Mr. Lesley to completely accept her role. “Given the nature of the manuscript, I’m sure you can understand her desire to remain anonymous.”

“Indeed.” Lesley nodded. “Cytherean Tales has the potential to be a very popular volume, Miss Smith.”

Letitia’s heart jumped. “It does?”

“Yes.” He tapped his leather case which lay on the table next to him. “It is quite remarkable in its characterization and the heroines’ voices are strong and will easily attract and hold a reader’s attention.”

“Well,” Letitia cleared her throat. “I can assure you she will be very happy to hear that. Very happy indeed.”

“You realize however, that this is a very controversial volume?”

“I do.”

“You have read it yourself?” He raised an eyebrow. “I will admit to some surprise that a lady of your tender years has risked exposing herself to the material contained in this book.”

Letitia’s chin rose. “I believe Lady Corinth wrote much of the book with women in mind, Mr. Lesley.” She caught herself up. “At least that’s what she told me, several times, during its creation.”

“You astound me.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure that we will be able to market it as suitable for ladies.”

Unwilling to argue at this point, Letitia let that issue lie. “Do I take it then, that you are considering accepting Lady Corinth’s work, sir?”

“Indeed yes. I will be very happy to offer a publication contract to Lady Corinth. On most generous terms, I might add.”

Since she couldn’t stand up, shout, dance, whoop or do any of the things she would like to have done, she just smiled.

“There is one proviso…” He reached for his bag and withdrew the manuscript.

Her heart dropped to her boots. Here it comes. Nothing is ever that simple.

“I have made a copy and taken the liberty of marking up some areas that need greater clarification. I’ve also had a copy made of the document with the suggestions. It never hurts to have an extra manuscript for safety.”

“Would not an editor be the one to make those suggestions, sir? I believe I’ve heard that that’s how these matters are handled?”

“We do have editors on call; several are well-respected in their fields. However, given this particular volume and the nature of the content, I felt it better to retain it in our own offices. I’m sure you can appreciate my point of view.”

She watched him. He was not embarrassed, just cautious.

“Therefore I have done what might be called a preliminary read, and made some editing suggestions. If Lady Corinth would be good enough to look them over, and perhaps attend to them, then we would be delighted to offer one of our highest tier contracts.”

He withdrew a document from his case and passed it to Letitia.

Her vision blurred for a few moments as she read the terms. The advance alone would be enough to fix a lot of the rotting floors at Ridlington Chase. And the consequent profits from sales and second and third editions? Her mind scrambled to grasp the significance of the numbers.

After a few minutes, she laid the document beside her on the couch. “You must be confident of success, Mr. Lesley, to offer such generous amounts. You’ve said yourself that this is controversial material. Are you that sure it will sell? Is there a market for works of such a nature?”

“I can understand your questions, Miss Smith. And since they must emanate from Lady Corinth herself…” He glanced at her with a questioning look.

“Yes, they do.”

“Then you may reassure her that yes, there is indeed a very active interest in such books. I think it fair to describe this as erotic, if you’ll forgive my blunt words. And such volumes have achieved very healthy sales numbers, while not necessarily finding their way into the most popularly visited sections of bookshops or libraries.”

“Ah,” exclaimed Letitia. “I see what you mean.” You’re going to make a fortune selling my book under the counter.

It was no more or less than she’d expected.

“Well then, if you have no more questions from the lady, it only remains for me to mention our publication schedule. We have a number of volumes that need to be set up for printing; that means that within three to four months, we would have an opening for Cytherean Tales. In fact,” he tilted his head to one side in thought, “January might be an excellent month to debut the work. We could make sure to get the word out to…” He stopped, looked at Letitia, and chuckled. “There I go. The publisher always trying to ensure the success of a book.”

“Is that not a good thing?”

“I suppose it’s a good thing for everyone, but it does sometimes send my conversation down paths that can be hard to follow.” He rose. “It’s been delightful meeting you, Miss Smith.’

Letitia rose too. “Thank you, Mr. Lesley. I have enjoyed our conversation, and will make sure that Lady Corinth reviews your suggestions immediately. I take it you would like to hear from her before Christmas?”

“Even sooner if possible.” He thought for a moment. “Would December first be acceptable, do you think? An informal deadline which should give her time to consider the changes and perhaps complete them?”

“I believe that should be acceptable, yes.” She turned and picked up the contract. “What about this? Will it still be valid at that time?”

“Yes.” Mr. Lesley drew himself up. “We believe it to be a fair offer, and Lesley and Sons does not withdraw such an offer lightly. Unless, of course, Lady Corinth herself refuses the contract or submits her document elsewhere.” He frowned. “We do not consider work that has been shopped around, as it were.”

“Of course,” said Letitia soothingly. “You have my personal assurance, Mr. Lesley. Lady Corinth has always been committed to the idea of publishing with Lesley and Sons. She wouldn’t dream of going elsewhere, I’m convinced.”

He nodded. “That is good news. Now I must take my leave.” He picked up his hat.

Letitia curtseyed. “Of course. As must I.”

He opened the door. “Your maid awaits you, I trust?”

“Oh, I…” She hesitated. Yes, she would have a maid with her. Of course she would. If she was who she claimed to be. Thinking frantically, she glanced through the door and saw Harriet sitting quietly in one corner of the inn’s foyer. “There she is.” Meeting Harriet’s eyes, she beckoned, and Harriet stood then walked toward her.

“Excellent,” approved Mr. Lesley. “I see I can leave you in safe hands.” He doffed his hat. “A pleasure, Miss Smith.”

“Thank you again, sir.” Letitia smiled and then turned to Harriet. “Would you get my cloak, please, Harry? We’re ready to leave.”

 

*~~*~~*

 

“You don’t mind the walk?”

Letitia glanced at her companion as they began the journey back to Ridlington Chase.

“Not at all.” Harriet looked around. “This countryside is so lovely. And the air is clean and fresh. A delightful change from the metropolis, I can assure you.” She carried a small portmanteau, but without effort. There could not be much inside.

“Good. Because we must talk.” Letitia formulated her thoughts. “As you guessed, I pretended you were my maid. Mr. Lesley expected me to be accompanied and for reasons I’ll go into shortly, it was necessary to meet those expectations.”

“Yes, I gathered as much.” Harriet nodded. “It was indeed clever of you.”

“Not so much clever as a momentary improvisation. However,” continued Letitia, “it has given me an idea as to how to solve your problem and also assist me with mine.”

“Oh?” Harriet’s eyes turned to Letitia in curiosity. “I am all ears, Miss Letitia.”

“I think you should actually be my maid.”

Harriet’s mouth fell open, and if it hadn’t been a matter of import, Letitia would have been hard pressed not to laugh at the picture she presented.

“What?”

“If you’re agreeable, that is.” Letitia guided Harriet onto the lane toward the Chase. “You were the one who actually began my train of thought on this very topic. You said you needed to be invisible.” She glanced at Harriet. “Who is more invisible than a lady’s maid?”

The young woman considered Letitia’s words for several minutes as they walked between tall hedges just showing signs of the oncoming autumn season. Little peeks of reds and browns, sparse as yet, but heralding the inevitable arrival of cooler days.

“I don’t know anything about being a maid,” Harriet said. “I’ve had one, but never really paid much attention to what she did. And to be honest, I didn’t like her very much. I always felt she was spying on me.”

“Well there you are then. You won’t be anything like her at all. You’ll be quite the opposite.”

Harriet’s mouth opened and closed. “Miss Letitia…” The remonstrating tone was quite clear. “You are in an aristocratic household. You need a maid who knows what she’s doing. Who can take care of one such as yourself without any direction. Your maid should be able to anticipate your needs, make sure that your day is not plagued with problems…all those things, of which I have no knowledge whatsoever.”

Letitia shook her head. “You’re completely wrong. I don’t need that sort of maid at all.”

Harriet came to a standstill next to a stile. “I do not understand what you’re saying.”

“Very well. Here, come and sit for a moment.” The two women walked to the stile and rested themselves on it, tucked between the hedges and looking out over a delightful view of fields and sheep and a few cows grazing in the distance.

“I’m going to trust you with a secret,” began Letitia. “You’ve been good enough to trust me with yours, and although we barely know each other, I believe such a trust will be held fast between us. Am I right?”

She looked at Harriet, into her eyes, doing her best to gauge this woman she was about to let into her most private thoughts. The honesty she saw there reassured her, as did Harriet’s words.

“I think we met by design, Miss Letitia. You and I were destined to run into each other this morning. Your words make me believe that I do indeed have a future that does not include the terrible things I feared. So yes, whatever you choose to impart will be held close and private until my death. I promise.” She held out her hand.

Letitia took it and shook it. A masculine gesture but an effective one for this occasion. “Then first, you must stop calling me Miss Letitia.” She blinked. “I should amend that to when we’re alone. It would be indeed odd for a maid to be on such informal terms with her mistress.”

“And you will continue to call me Harry?” asked Harriet. “I quite like it.”

“Then Harry it is.”

“Very well, Letitia. Now please tell me what this is all about.” Harriet settled herself in readiness.

Letitia took a breath. “I have written a book.”

“Oh, my. How exciting. And how brilliant of you.”

Harriet’s admiring gaze was exactly what Letitia had found herself wanting for so very long. “Thank you. Yes, it took me a lot of time.”

“Is it a biography? A book of poetry perhaps? Or even…” Harriet took a breath, “a romance?”

“Er…not exactly.”

“Oh, then…a collection of recipes?”

“No, not that either.”

Harriet looked puzzled. “What subjects remain?”

“Sex.”

The silence would have been deafening if not for the birds, who apparently weren’t affected by Letitia’s dramatic pronouncement.

Harriet finally cleared her throat. “You said sex?” She almost whispered the word.

“I did,” confirmed Letitia, hoping her new-found friendship hadn’t just ended before it had really begun. “I’ve written a book that tells the stories of the ladies who live in an unusual mansion.  A place where gentlemen can derive pleasure.”

“You mean whores?” Harriet whispered again.

“No, not whores.” Letitia looked at her. “Definitely not whores. These are women who choose to be there. They are all well-educated, but not defined by their position in Society. They are hungry for sensual experiences, some have dreams of finding a husband, others of fulfilling their fantasies.”

“And the men?”

“That’s where I decided to take a little more control. The men have to pay exorbitant sums of money to gain admittance to the house. And even then, they may be turned away by the residents at a whim.”

“Goodness.” Harriet was listing intently. “That is quite different.”

“I hope it is a book that will appeal to women. I think it quite wrong that there is so much erotic literature out there for men who can simply walk into their library and pull a volume off the shelves, while there is little to nothing available for women. We have no resources, nowhere to turn to elicit the information we so sorely require.”

She rose and Harriet followed as they resumed their walk.

“Women need such information, Harry. Nobody tells us anything about passion or intimacy. About how our bodies respond to a man’s touch. About what we will feel, about how to go on, about…so many things…”

Harriet looked confused. “But isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? We find ourselves a husband and they will be the ones to educate us about those things.”

“That’s the way it is, Harry. Not the way it’s supposed to be.” Letitia gave a firm assertive nod. “What, for example, what if your husband has no idea how to please you?”

“Please me?” Harry blinked. “I thought it was a wife’s job to please her husband.”

“Would it surprise you to know that pleasure can be mutual?”

“It can?”

“Yes.”

“Er…how do you know?” Harriet’s eyebrows rose high.

“I read it, of course.” Letitia shook her head. “I am not speaking from experience, Harry. But I have read everything I can get my hands on. All those books that only men are supposed to read. The old Baron, my father, gave not one whit about anything I did. I was a mere girl and therefore unimportant. So I had the run of more places than he could have imagined and it turns out one of my ancestors had quite a collection of improper works. From many countries.”

“Oh my goodness.”

“Some were illustrated.”

Harriet struggled. “Ah. Well. How…how…”

“Fascinating is the right word, Harry. Fascinating. I learned so much from them.”

“I’m sure you did. I mean you must have.” She gulped. “Pictures?”

“Detailed pictures.”

The two women looked at each other—and burst out laughing.

All in all, thought Letitia, not a bad way begin life with a new maid.