Lord Greville’s dismissal too close to
heart.”
Raven shrugged. “Perhaps. I did hear your name
linked with his,” she pointed out.
“ Have you? So has most of the
polite world,” Aurora retorted dryly. “That does not mean there is
a shred of truth to it, you know. I was unfortunate enough to be
there when his lordship got himself into a bit of a pickle. I
helped him out of it with Lord Derringer’s assistance. But then I
made the mistake of crossing the duke and he said something that
damaged my reputation and effectively linked my name with that of
Lord Greville.”
Twisting her fingers together, Aurora continued, her
voice low and sincere. “I apologize for any hurt I may have
inadvertently caused you. I did not know you loved him. It must be
very difficult to have to strive to make ends meet and have to do
certain things many would condemn you for.”
Raven sighed. Aurora watched emotions flit across
the other woman’s face, curious at the changing expressions, deeply
aware that Raven was laboring under some very strong feelings of
rejection. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and a little
guilty for being the apparent cause of the other woman’s pain.
Despite this awareness, she was unprepared for her
companion’s reaction.
Miss Raven Emerson burst into tears.
She was even lovely when she cried, Aurora thought
with a pang of jealousy. She wondered if the earl was in love with
the actress as well. It would not be at all surprising despite the
woman’s obviously distressful shortcomings.
“ Tell me about it,” Aurora gently
urged. She patted the other woman’s arm consolingly and pressed a
tiny scrap of muslin into her hand.
And Raven did. She told Aurora all about her family
of nine sisters—five of whom died before she ever knew them, her
ailing father, and her fairly strict religious upbringing. She
confessed to her feelings of guilt and worthlessness whenever she
pondered the steps she had taken in her life. She told of her
desperation when she had first met Adam and her own fleshly desires
when she had met Levi.
This last Aurora understood wholeheartedly. She had
found herself imagining more than once what it would be like to
make love with Levi Greville. The thought never failed to alarm her
considering she had experienced the act once before and she had
decided at that time that once was quite enough. But Lord Greville
had a way of making one willing to toss all one’s beliefs and
principles right out the window for just a glimpse of his boyish
smile.
“ You are not a bad person,” Aurora
reassured her now silently weeping companion. “You have made some
mistakes. We all have. The important thing now is to adhere to your
resolutions. Do not allow yourself to give in to temptation again.” Follow your own advice, Aurora Glendenning.
Raven sniffed and blew her nose. She offered a
watery smile and Aurora marveled that the woman could look
positively alluring right after indulging in a hefty bout of the
vapors.
“ I am sure you have committed some
disastrous sin, Miss Glendenning,” Raven said with heavy
sarcasm.
“ Actually”—Aurora grimaced—“I
have. When I was seventeen, I decided I had to know all about,” she
glanced at her new friend, “you know, making love. So I set out to
discover what I could.”
“ That is hardly a sin,” Raven
pointed out reasonably. “A lot of young women seek to end their
ignorance of sexual matters by reading certain naughty texts and
asking questions wherever they can.”
“ Yes, but few actually decide to
add to their knowledge by indulging in the act themselves,” Aurora
commented dryly. At Raven’s shocked expression, Aurora nodded. “I
did. I asked a certain friend of mine to make love to me so I could
know exactly what all the fuss was about. He was only too willing
to oblige me.”
“ What did you think?” Raven
couldn’t help asking.
“ It was rather unpleasant, really.
I think Desmond lied to me when he
heart.”
Raven shrugged. “Perhaps. I did hear your name
linked with his,” she pointed out.
“ Have you? So has most of the
polite world,” Aurora retorted dryly. “That does not mean there is
a shred of truth to it, you know. I was unfortunate enough to be
there when his lordship got himself into a bit of a pickle. I
helped him out of it with Lord Derringer’s assistance. But then I
made the mistake of crossing the duke and he said something that
damaged my reputation and effectively linked my name with that of
Lord Greville.”
Twisting her fingers together, Aurora continued, her
voice low and sincere. “I apologize for any hurt I may have
inadvertently caused you. I did not know you loved him. It must be
very difficult to have to strive to make ends meet and have to do
certain things many would condemn you for.”
Raven sighed. Aurora watched emotions flit across
the other woman’s face, curious at the changing expressions, deeply
aware that Raven was laboring under some very strong feelings of
rejection. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and a little
guilty for being the apparent cause of the other woman’s pain.
Despite this awareness, she was unprepared for her
companion’s reaction.
Miss Raven Emerson burst into tears.
She was even lovely when she cried, Aurora thought
with a pang of jealousy. She wondered if the earl was in love with
the actress as well. It would not be at all surprising despite the
woman’s obviously distressful shortcomings.
“ Tell me about it,” Aurora gently
urged. She patted the other woman’s arm consolingly and pressed a
tiny scrap of muslin into her hand.
And Raven did. She told Aurora all about her family
of nine sisters—five of whom died before she ever knew them, her
ailing father, and her fairly strict religious upbringing. She
confessed to her feelings of guilt and worthlessness whenever she
pondered the steps she had taken in her life. She told of her
desperation when she had first met Adam and her own fleshly desires
when she had met Levi.
This last Aurora understood wholeheartedly. She had
found herself imagining more than once what it would be like to
make love with Levi Greville. The thought never failed to alarm her
considering she had experienced the act once before and she had
decided at that time that once was quite enough. But Lord Greville
had a way of making one willing to toss all one’s beliefs and
principles right out the window for just a glimpse of his boyish
smile.
“ You are not a bad person,” Aurora
reassured her now silently weeping companion. “You have made some
mistakes. We all have. The important thing now is to adhere to your
resolutions. Do not allow yourself to give in to temptation again.” Follow your own advice, Aurora Glendenning.
Raven sniffed and blew her nose. She offered a
watery smile and Aurora marveled that the woman could look
positively alluring right after indulging in a hefty bout of the
vapors.
“ I am sure you have committed some
disastrous sin, Miss Glendenning,” Raven said with heavy
sarcasm.
“ Actually”—Aurora grimaced—“I
have. When I was seventeen, I decided I had to know all about,” she
glanced at her new friend, “you know, making love. So I set out to
discover what I could.”
“ That is hardly a sin,” Raven
pointed out reasonably. “A lot of young women seek to end their
ignorance of sexual matters by reading certain naughty texts and
asking questions wherever they can.”
“ Yes, but few actually decide to
add to their knowledge by indulging in the act themselves,” Aurora
commented dryly. At Raven’s shocked expression, Aurora nodded. “I
did. I asked a certain friend of mine to make love to me so I could
know exactly what all the fuss was about. He was only too willing
to oblige me.”
“ What did you think?” Raven
couldn’t help asking.
“ It was rather unpleasant, really.
I think Desmond lied to me when he
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