visitor has arrived, sir.”
Another guest. The last thing he needed.
“Send him up, Charles.”
The butler shook his head. “Not an invited guest, sir. A personal visitor, she says.”
“She?”
“Yes, sir. Sent by Mr. Paxton.”
“Paxton?”
“Yes, sir.” Charles frowned distastefully. “I explained to the young woman that you were occupied, but she insisted—”
“No, that’s fine, Charles. I’ll see to her myself.”
Stephen hurried out of the ballroom, anticipation humming in his veins. Could this be his present from Richard? Would he have actually done such a thing?
At the top of the steps, Stephen stopped. The grand, central staircase led straight down to the marble foyer and the carved, double front doors. Off to the right he glimpsed a woman wandering through the sitting room. Was this she? His gift?
The woman turned and Stephen’s knees weakened. Oh, yes. Beautiful. Shapely. A woman meant for rolling around in bed with, if ever he’d seen one.
Just what he needed.
Stephen trotted down the stairs and across the foyer. He forced himself to stop at the entrance to the sitting room.
“Good evening,” he said.
She swirled. “Mr. Monterey?”
Heavens, she was pretty. Not gorgeous, but touchable. Wholesome and natural-looking. With big blue eyes framed by dark lashes, soft skin, full pink lips, brown hair.
She had on one of those shirtwaist dresses that Aunt Delfi thought so scandalous, with a bell-shaped skirt pulled across the front and gathered high in back, emphasizing her small waist. High buttoned shoes peeked out from under the hem. Her bosom filled out the pleated blouse; a big soft bow was at her throat. Large leg-of-mutton sleeves on her short jacket made her wrists look small.
And that hat. Stephen loved the wide brim, all done up with ribbons and flowers, dipping over her face at a provocative angle.
Not what he expected to see in a whore. She looked more like one of the ladies Aunt Delfi invited to tea. But he hadn’t seen a whore in a while, and Richard had said he’d mistaken the woman himself, at first.
Stephen stepped farther into the room. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
She heaved a little sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. You were expecting my arrival.”
“Anticipating is more the word.”
“I’m Caroline Sommerfield. Mr. Paxton asked me to come here tonight.”
“So Richard did send you?”
“Yes, he did.”
“For me?”
She frowned slightly and clutched the handle of her satchel tighter. “He said I was to speak to you specifically. But when I saw that you’re entertaining guests, I thought that maybe—”
“Oh, no, that’s fine.” Stephen couldn’t hold back his grin. “Actually, it’s perfect.”
“Well, then.” Caroline cleared her throat. “I suppose we should…proceed.”
A full smile broke over his face. “Let’s not waste a minute.”
“Mr. Paxton said you have an office here in your home. Should we go there, or did you have some other place in mind?”
His office. Oh, heavens. Right there on the desk. Stephen thought his knees would give out completely.
He gestured grandly toward the foyer. “My office, by all means.”
Caroline hesitated a moment. “Mr. Paxton said he would be joining us. Should we wait? After all, he did recommend me after seeing my demonstration at a party.”
Stephen frowned. “You gave Richard a…demonstration? At a party?”
She shook her head. “Just a sampling.”
His heart thudded harder. “Richard is on his own, as far as I’m concerned.”
She held up her satchel. “I brought references.”
His eyes widened. “References?”
“Yes, and my tools.”
“Tools?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve found that one needs tools to do a thorough job,” Caroline said. “You do expect a thorough job, don’t you?”
Stephen opened his mouth, but no words came out, just stutters and some babbling. All he could manage to do was point.
Music from the ballroom upstairs drifted down as he led the way to the suite of offices at the back of the house. Halfway there he realized he was walking so fast he’d left her behind. He stopped and waited for her.
Caroline hesitated as he opened his office door and hurried in ahead of her. Only a few lights burned in this part of the house. It was quiet, except for the music. No one else was around. Cautiously, she peered into the office. Stephen Monterey moved briskly about the room, clearing off his desk.
He looked around suddenly, realizing that she was still in the hallway. He hurried to the door, looking stricken.
“You haven’t changed your mind, have you?” he asked.
Caroline glanced around. The situation was a little unnerving, but this was the opportunity she’d waited for. She wanted the job.
“No,” Caroline said. “I haven’t changed my mind.”
She drew a deep breath and walked inside.
Chapter Two
He wasn’t what she expected.
From the way Richard Paxton had spoken about his employer, Caroline had pictured an eccentric old geezer. Not the handsome Stephen Monterey.
He was over six feet tall, she estimated, since her nose was about level with his shoulder. He had black hair. Green eyes with little worry lines crinkling the corners. He looked dapper in white tie and tails, and a single-breasted vest. It made his shoulders look straight and his chest wide.
And maybe he was a little eccentric, Caroline decided, since he was clearing off his desk for no apparent reason, hurriedly piling everything onto the floor. But other than that he seemed intelligent, capable of running the large international business Mr. Paxton had mentioned.
Stephen scooped up the last stack of papers from the desk and dropped them on the floor. He ran his hand slowly over the walnut finish.
