None of the women he usually enjoyed, nor any of the ones he’d bantered with at the various ton events they’d attended, had appealed to him. Even those who he knew were quite skilled in the bedroom had not tempted him. Despite keeping his libido under control while on an assignment, he had still kissed his partner and insinuated he would like to take her to bed. Only his strong power of control made him end things before they had gone too far.
It was obvious to him that Lydia felt the same powerful attraction between them. Would she have stopped him if he had not?
Additional nights with them together would certainly challenge his self-control, which had never been a problem before with any other woman. However, for the good of the club and his brother’s peace of mind, he had to withdraw any objection.
“In answer to your question, Lydia, there is no reason why you should not help out if that is your wish.”
She smiled brightly, her eyes lighting up, and he sucked in a breath. He reminded himself once again to keep her hidden. In the office. Behind a closed door. Maybe arrange for her to sit under the desk for when other—male—employees visited the office. Maybe set up a desk in the bedroom.
No. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea.
Driscoll leaned back in his chair and grinned. “I appreciate your help, Miss Sanford. And it will relieve my wife’s mind as well since she is feeling guilty about me not allowing her to work right now.”
The minx grinned at him. “Then it is settled. I will come here when we are not working on the assignment and help out!”
Driscoll slapped the table with his hands. “Wonderful.” He stood and headed to the door. “If you have time tonight, I can show you the books since Dante is here to help out on the floor.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Once Driscoll left, Dante said, “If you change your mind, Driscoll will certainly understand.”
“Why would I change my mind? I like the idea of helping out.”
Dante pushed back from the table. “Then I guess I should show you to the office.”
“And the gaming floor. Even though I said I wanted to see it when it was crowded, I’d still like to see it now. I imagine I will see plenty of the club when I am working here.”
“You will see nothing of the club while members are here. I want to make that perfectly clear.”
“Goodness.”
The thought of Lydia wandering around the club, being ogled by half-drunk men raised his ire to the point he felt the need to punch something. He’d never felt that way about a woman before, in fact he and a friend had shared a woman or two in the past.
This was becoming dangerous to him and his lifestyle.
Right then he made the decision to do whatever it took to finish the assignment. He would not complain about musicales and other events they needed to attend. Get it all wrapped up and back to his normal life.
Then he immediately contradicted himself by cursing the sense of loss at the idea of them parting ways.
They made a stop by the office where Dante pointed to the stack of ledgers on Driscoll’s desk as well as the other desk where Amelia worked when she was in the club.
Lydia walked around the office, her bright eyes inspecting everything from the bad painting hanging over the file cabinet to the small table with a cold teapot sitting there. “This is quite interesting.” She turned to him. “My father would be appalled to know I plan to work.”
“You do now. For Sir Phillip.”
She waved her hand. “Yes. But he allows that because he says since I have the talent to learn all these languages, I should use it in service to my country.”
“I agree.” After checking his timepiece, he took her by the hand. “The club will open in about fifteen minutes, so if you want a tour of the gaming floor it must be now.”
As they walked down the corridor, she said, “Perhaps I can also learn to deal cards like Amelia did and work on the floor.”
“No. We’ve gone over this before, Lydia. Amelia was in a lot of trouble when she came here late one rainy night and climbed through the window to Driscoll’s office. The only reason we allowed her to deal on the floor was because she needed to eat and have a place to sleep. She refused an offer of help and insisted on working for her keep.”
“She sounds like someone I would like.”
Dante studied her for a minute. “Yes. I believe you would.”
“I’d like to meet her.”