Page 57 of The Earl’s Forbidden Temptation

But how far did that purpose extend? She had come to understand that he was kinder and far more thoughtful than he allowed the world to believe, but would his interest in his sisters endure through the years, or would the demands of his own life eventually draw him away from them?

The thought troubled her more than she wished to admit.

Her sisters were already drawn to him, looking upon the earl with a fragile hope that bordered on longing. They wanted to belong with him, and with Caroline, the sister they had yet to meet. They knew only that she was not yet of an age to come out in society and was spending the Season in Bath. Their curiosity about her was impossible to miss, yet they had restrained themselves from asking Sebastian too many questions, as though afraid that wanting too much might somehow endanger what little connection they had been given.

A tightness had gathered in Darcy’s throat, and with it came a fierce, protective resolve.

If he caused her sisters pain, if he allowed them to grow attached only to cast them aside with cold indifference, she would forgive him nothing.

There would be no mercy in her.

Rebecca’s carriage rumbled to a halt, drawing Darcy from her reflections upon the past several days. She took a steadying breath, then alighted, accepting the footman’s hand before acknowledging his assistance with a small nod. She raised a gloved hand to ensure her mask remained securely in place before proceeding toward the entrance of Aphrodite.

The familiar hush of the corridor welcomed her, candlelight flickering against gilded walls, the distant murmur of music and laughter weaving through the air like a promise she had already tasted and could not quite relinquish.

Yet tonight felt different. The weight upon her shoulders had eased. Her sisters’ futures, once so precarious, were now secure in a way Darcy had scarcely dared imagine, and for the first time in years, their survival did not rest solely upon her. She was free to consider herself. Marriage, once a distant expectation, held no urgency. Instead, her thoughts turned to her art, to refining her skill and perhaps one day gaining recognition not merely as the hidden hand behind scandalous canvases, but as a painter of note.

Aphrodite might well provide the path to such independence.

Darcy moved deeper into the establishment, accepting a glass of champagne from a passing footman before she caught sight of Rebecca. She stood near a column, her presence commanding without effort, her gaze already fixed upon Darcy with quiet appraisal.

“You return,” Rebecca said, a faint smile touching her lips as she approached. “I had begun to fear Raine had frightened you away.”

“I am not so easily scared,” Darcy replied, inclining her head with a light laugh. “I would like to speak with you.”

Rebecca’s brow lifted. “Shall I be disappointed?”

Darcy allowed herself a small smile. “I hope not.”

Rebecca gestured toward a quieter alcove, and they moved away from the main thoroughfare, the hum of the house softening into a distant backdrop.

“The chief reason I accepted your commission was that there were people dear to me whose futures I was bound to secure,” Darcy said once they were alone. “Their futures are now secured, which leaves me in a position I have not occupied in some time.”

Rebecca studied her with renewed interest. “And what position is that?”

“One in which I must think of myself,” Darcy answered. “I have no immediate need to marry, and I believe I would rather avoid it for the present. I wish to continue my work here and perhaps expand it.”

Rebecca’s gaze sharpened. “Expand it how?”

“I would like to accept more private commissions from those who can afford discretion as well as art,” Darcy said. “If I am to secure my independence, I must do so with intention. Perhaps, in time, when I have amassed enough to provide myself with a respectable marriage portion, I might consider marrying.”

For a moment, Rebecca said nothing, her expression unreadable. Then she nodded slowly. “Ambition suits you, and I shall help you. I have interests in several other ventures and will give you the particulars so that you may decide whether any suit you. I also welcome suitable investors in Aphrodite. This is not merely a place where men of wealth and consequence seek pleasure; it is a refuge for the women under my protection and a means by which they may secure their futures.”

Darcy hesitated before asking, “How did you come to this place? To…all of this?”

Rebecca’s lips curved faintly, though the smile did not quite reach her eyes. “Hard work,” she said. “Good friends. And a refusal to surrender what was mine to give.” She paused. “I also learned very early never to confuse business with pleasure. Desire has a rather inconvenient way of clouding judgment, and affection is worse. A woman in my position cannot afford either when there is money, reputation, and power at stake.”

“You never make exceptions?”

“No.” Rebecca’s answer was quiet but absolute. “The moment I desire a patron for myself, I cease to see him merely as a patron. I might forgive what I ought not, overlook what should concern me, or make decisions for reasons that have nothing to do with business. Worse, he might begin to believe that what I have built gives him some claim upon me.” Her gaze held Darcy’s. “Aphrodite is mine because I have never allowed pleasure to become the price of keeping it.”

Darcy tilted her head slightly. “So you have never…?”

“I have never taken a client to my bed,” Rebecca said plainly. “Not once.”

Darcy caught her lower lip between her teeth, unable to prevent her thoughts from turning to the Earl of Raine and how thoroughly the boundaries between pleasure and everything else had blurred where he was concerned. “That cannot have been easy.”

“It was not,” Rebecca replied evenly. “But it was necessary.”