Page 42 of To Steal a Kiss

Alice smiled, knowing there was one person in the world who would be delighted. “Before I accept his proposal.”

There was a shriek of joy and Matilda crossed the distance between them, tugging Alice to her feet and throwing her arms about her. “We’re going to be sisters!”

Alice laughed with her, wondering at how easy this was. She’d always longed for a sister, for a family where hugs, warmth, and laughter were easy and natural, unlike her own parents, stiff with formality and the terror of putting a foot wrong in society. They didn’t touch. Her mother’s idea of affection was a pat on the hand. She might allow Alice to kiss her cheek if she were in particularly good spirits. Such a display of happiness as this would have been considered vulgar indeed in the Dowding household. The idea made Alice quail inside, and she pushed it down. She had a few weeks before they would discover the truth.

Once the euphoria had died down, the two women sat huddled together on the settee, all formality cast aside. Matilda had kicked off her shoes and drawn her legs up under her skirts, and feeling terribly daring, Alice had copied her. Such unpretentiousness was new to her and seemed wonderfully freeing.

“Tell me about him, Tilda,” Alice said, leaning her head on the back of the settee and watching Matilda.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything,” Alice said, grinning.

Matilda pulled a face and then laughed. “Good heavens, now I’ve no idea what to tell you. Let me see.” She tapped a finger against her chin, considering. “Well, he’s not at all like his reputation, for starters.”

She must have caught Alice’s sceptical expression as she pressed on.

“Oh, I’m not saying he’s an angel. There’s no smoke without fire, I know, and yes, you’ll have heard of his opera singers and dancers, I’ve no doubt. He’s been a devil in the past, but it’s not who he is. After father died….” Matilda sighed and shook her head. “They were so close when he was a boy. Nate adored him; we both did. Such a charming and funny man. Only we didn’t realise then how irresponsible he was. Nate has inherited his charm, but he’s matured and takes his responsibilities seriously. That was a trick papa never learned.”

“It must have been a dreadful shock to you,” Alice said, feeling her heart clench as Matilda laughed. She tried to make light of it, but her regret was all too clear.

“We never mixed in the most illustrious of circles, but our name was a good one. We were accepted to nearly all the best events and I had everything I could possibly want. Pretty dresses, jewels; my father never denied me anything I wanted, and I never questioned it. We were wealthy, so why shouldn’t I have those things? We had a smart town house and yes, our country home needed a little work perhaps, but it wasn’t so shabby. In fact, I rather loved the rough edges. It was home.”

Alice nodded and reached out, taking Matilda’s hand, sensing this was hard for her to relate.

“It was all so sudden,” she said, her voice growing quiet. “Father had been in a strange mood for weeks. Quiet and sullen one moment, and then losing his temper for no reason at all. Whenever we asked him what was wrong, he’d smile and beg our forgiveness and tell us there was nothing wrong, nothing for us to worry about. I remember those exact words. There’s nothing for you to worry about, Tilda, darling.”

Matilda snorted and shook her head. “He fell ill and took to his bed, and so we sent for the doctor. Nothing seemed to help him, and he grew feverish. That’s when we suspected that there was something wrong. He rambled in his sleep about money and… and we felt a little uneasy, but Father liked to gamble. We knew that. We just assumed he’d played rather too deep and it was on his mind.”

Alice squeezed Matilda’s fingers and watched her friend smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“The first bailiff arrived the next day. I was so frightened. Nate sent him away with a flea in his ear. It had to be a mistake, just a bill that had gone astray. Then Father called Nate to his room and explained he’d made a few bad investments and he’d been gambling to make up the money he’d lost. He was so rueful and apologetic; we never guessed how serious it was. Nate comforted him and told him not to worry, he’d sort it all out. So, he went to see Papa’s man of business and….” Matilda drew in a deep breath. “Everything was gone. The houses, the jewels… we couldn’t even pay the staff. Men came into the house and took our things away.”

She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and stifled a sob.

“Oh, Tilda, I’m so sorry.” Alice shuffled closer and put her arms about her. “You must have been so frightened.”

Matilda nodded. “We had to move into a horrible little house. It was damp and dirty, but it was all we could afford. Of course, the damp made Father worse, too, and he was hardly ever in his right mind. He rambled and got cross with us, he didn’t understand why he wasn’t at home in his own bed. Nate took it hard, but he swore he’d get it all back. He promised me it would only be for a little while. Thank God, he had a little money of his own put away and he invested it in a gambling club. He knew the fellow who owned it well and knew he could make the place more than it was, so he bought into the partnership. He said if there were bloody fools out there who would beggar their families over the throw of a dice, he was only ever going to be on the other side of the table from now on.”

“So, Hunter’s was born?” Alice said, smiling a little, but Matilda shook her head.

“Not then. It took months, and all the time Father’s doctor’s bills ate most of what Nate brought home. Nate despised him for that. He couldn’t bear to look at him.”

Alice couldn’t wonder at it. What must have it been like, to have lived a life of privilege only to have it stripped from you in a matter of hours? To discover the man who ought to have protected your interests had squandered and gambled with your futures?

“You know what happened when Father died,” Matilda said with a sigh. “But you don’t know how hard Nate worked. He barely slept. He was drowning in guilt. Guilt for leaving me in a position where my reputation was left in tatters, guilt for the fact I had no pretty clothes, no hopes for the future. He swore he’d make it right, that I’d be so wealthy I’d never have to worry again.” She smiled then and swept her hand around them to illustrate the luxury of their surroundings. “Et voila,” she said with a chuckle. “He kept his word.”

“He did,” Alice agreed, smiling.

“The only thing he could never fix was our name,” she said with a shrug. “Hunter’s is now synonymous with luxury and vice, and so are we.”

“That’s not true, Tilda.” Alice frowned. “You wouldn’t be invited to so many events if it were the case.”

Matilda gave her a pitying look, not unkind but implying that Alice was far more an innocent than she. Which was true, she supposed. Smoothing out the heavy swathes of her gorgeous blue silk gown, Matilda spoke in a low, measured voice. “Nate has powerful friends, darling. The kind of people who owe him favours, and Nate collects by ensuring I get entry to all the best events. However, that does not mean they accept me. I will never get a marriage proposal and make the match I might once have done,” she said with a twisted smile. “Though I’m not short of other kinds of propositions.”

Alice gasped in shock. “You don’t mean—?”

Matilda reached out and tugged one of Alice’s red curls. “Yes, I do mean. If I want a position as a rich man’s mistress, I’ve offers aplenty. Why, even a duke has vied for my company.”