The awkward silence that followed was deafening, causing Nicholas to clear his throat not merely twice but a few times.
Yet it seemed that Sophia was the one in control as she stood to her feet with a nonchalant expression on her face, as though their previous topic was less serious than it truly was. He maintained his serious mien, still uncertain how much she could see or read on his face. It was better to assume that she could read his mind.
"I shall have another visitor on the morrow." Her voice was calm and collected. Nicholas wondered if she had rehearsed what to say should they reach their current arrangement. "You ought to come early and wait for me to call for you. By then, you shall have the chance to read the note my visitor shall leave behind before the receiver gets a hold of it."
Nicholas shook his head. "The letters shall be anonymous, yes?"
"I would not know for I have never laid eyes on any of them. I only know what Marcus tells me."
"Then I would want to know the men who come into your chamber. Rock'oles has many corridors and anyone of them could very well take any to enter and exit yours."
"I cannot possibly name them, but I can provide you with descriptions."
"Can you not put something on their clothes instead? Anything that will give me a sign."
She shook her head. "No. These men are very cautious. They will suspect it that moment I change my behavior toward them."
Her behavior toward them? That statement made Nicholas frown. "And what sort of behavior do you usually exhibit?"
She let out a mysterious smile meant to disarm and frustrate him further. "A mistress should not disclose secrets of her loversâformer or current."
His jaw tightened. Although he knew that Rock'oles women such as Sophia could not be exclusively owned, he still hated the thought of her with other men. And to think that he had not even bedded her yet! It was a troubling thought, but then, men never wanted to share anything, especially women.
"Very well," he said, feigning indifference. His eyes landed on the familiar black cat licking its fur on the chaise. He frowned and asked, "May I inquire who that is?" he asked, pointing at the feline, glad to have spotted something to discuss.
Sophia followed his gaze and narrowed her eyes at the black cat. "You mean Brigid?"
Nicholas stepped forward until he was beside Sophia and bent down, his hands leaning on his thighs. He studied the cat closely and his eyes rounded when he saw its bright green eyes. "I am quite certain this is Mrs. Beagle."
"Mrs. Beagle? Whatever do you mean, my lord?"
"It is bloody Mrs. Beagle!" He exclaimed the words in such a way that caused the cat to jump off the chaise and scurry under the bed. The white dog stood alert in one corner, starting to growl.
"You are scaring my pets, my lord," Sophia sternly uttered, walking over to her dog to give it a calming pat. "And who is Mrs. Beagle?"
"My sisters' pet," he distractedly murmured, walking to the bed and dropping to the floor. "You!" he said to the cat as its glowing eyes turned to him, "You are coming home with me, you wench of a cat!"
"My lord!" Sophia gasped.
"This bloody feline has been disappearing every month from the Everard estate since I can remember and now I know where it disappears to!" he said over his shoulder before he again bent his head against the floor. "Mrs. Beagle, come out at once. You are wanted in the Everard estate. You are the most ungrateful, unfaithful leech I have ever met!"
"My lord!" Sophia said, more sternly this time. "That cat is mine. I named it Brigid, not Mrs. Beagle."
Nicholas went up on his knees and shook his head. "No, this is Mrs. Beagle."
"No, it is my cat. Now, if you please, stand on your feet and forget about the cat."
Nicholas sighed.
"There are many cats in the Town, my lord. And many of them are black."
"But I know Mrs. Beagle. I have seenâ"
"I do not wish to discuss Brigid at the moment," Sophia said, walking to the chaise. "Would you like a drink?"
Nicholas glared at the foot of the bed. "I will see you when you return home, you sneaking feline," he hissed under his breath before he moved to join Sophia in the chaise. "Now, Sophie," he said with a smile, "Where were we?"
*****
"How was your negotiation with Whiston?" Marcus asked in a calm voice.
"Everything went according to plan, Marcus, fret not," she said, feigning a yawn. "I am rather tired. I wish to retire early."
Marcus stood and placed something on the table. Sophia narrowed her eyes to study it closely. A letter.
"You shall give this to him on the morrow."
"He wishes to know the men who deliver the letters," she gravely uttered.
"Simply think of anyone that your imagination can come up with," he retorted.
As he walked to toward the secret door, Sophia added, "He has asked me to go away with him, Marcus."
Marcus chuckled. "You believe him?"
"No, of course not."
"It cannot be done, my dear."
"I know," she muttered.
"We know why he is here. He shall promise you the world if he has to. Bloody hell, he would even beg to build you a hole above your head to woo you."
"You need not elaborate, Marcus. I know how to recognize a man who promises fantasies."
"Of course. Considering the hell I rescued you from, you are one of the few who knows that fantasies turn to nightmares in a blink of an eye."
"But what if he is telling the truth? What if he truly intends to take me away?"
A long, eerie silence followed before Marcus said, "Then I shall scour every corner of the Town to take you back," Marcus snapped. "Dare not doubt his actions, Sophia. It is not safe."
She nodded for her mind agreed with Marcus.
Nicholas Everard was potentially a danger.
*****
Nicholas came home to Whiston to be alone. He did not wish to be bothered in his Wickhurst apartment, but it was apparent that his sisters still found a way to be of nuisance anywhere he might be.
"Maxine, I believe, is at Kenward," he wryly stated as Ysabella and Emma chatted over tea and biscuits. Ysabella was sewing something on a handkerchief, a hobby she had recently picked up and was turning to be worse at with each passing day, while Emma was holding a closed book, one finger tucked into a page. When both sisters ignored him, he added, "She is there because that is where she lives with her husband. Merely a few minutes away from here, in fact, and I believe the two of you have misplaced yourselves."
Both women ignored him.
"I can send a note for Wakefield to gather the two of you from there once he is done with his meeting," he added, uncrossing his legs. "And I shall gladly deposit you at the Kenward doorsteps this instant."
For a short moment, he listened to Ysabella narrating her tale from yesterday while she and Wakefield attended a luncheon. "She was there, see," his sister said to Emma. "She was sitting right across from me."
"Had she a murderous look on her face?"
"No," Ysabella said with a shake of her head. "As a matter of fact, she was rather pleasant!"
Emma frowned. "I cannot imagine Frances Highmore being pleasant, Ysa. Not after what Benedict did to her."
"Oh, but she truly was! She inquired after Benedict!"
"And what did you say?"
"Of course, I was cautious. You know that woman. She has the propensity to be a witch behind our back."
"I believe she merely acted the way she did because Benedict did hurt her in many ways," Emma noted with a shrug. "We did enjoy matching Agatha and Ben, but we have neglected the fact that we were hurting Frances Highmore as a consequence as well. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, as what they say."
"Well," Ysabella uttered, shifting in her seat with discomfort and guilt, "we were rather impetuous and foolish back then."
"I hope you did try to apologize?"
"Oh, of course, I did try. But just as I was about to, another surprise came about!"
"What?" Emma asked and Nicholas found himself straining to listen to more of the story.
"Doctor Johannes!"
"Doctor Johannes?" Emma and Nicholas asked in unison.
Ysabella nodded, sparing them both a glance of excitement. "Frances Highmore was escorted by Doctor Johannes! Is it not marvelous! And they both looked in love, Em! I tell you, they did! Isn't it famous? We indirectly made a match out of them both!"
"How so?" Nicholas incredulously asked.
"Well, if it were not for us, Ben and Agatha would not have ended up together and Frances would be our sister-in-law. But because of our genius, Ben realized his love for Agatha and Frances had taken ill and met Doctor Johannes. I wager that is when their romance started."
"You are saying that their courtship has been going on for five bloody years," Nicholas wryly pointed out.
Ysabella blinked. "Well, for some, it can take forever!"
Emma simply shrugged and opened her book to continue reading. "At the very least, Frances Highmore is faring well."
Nicholas shook his head. "And I would rather not hear more gossips," he said, standing to his feet. "I hope you two a lovely time in my lonely estate while I am away."
"But we came here to spend time with youâ"
"You came here because Margaret and Cole took the children to Ashmore with our mother," he cut off. "And your husband is currently busy meeting associates for the harvest season," he said to Ysabella. "Ralph is nowhere to be seen and Maxwell is refusing to have his wife be bothered at her current state."
Nicholas cursed under his breath at his last word.
Emma and Ysabella frowned. "What state?"
"Mind not," he said but his sisters were already on their feet, blocking his path to the door.
"What state is Maxine in?" Ysabella asked.
Emma's eyes widened when Nicholas averted his gaze. "She's with child!"
"Bloody hell," he muttered before he threw his sisters a warning look. "Dare not go to Kenward. Maxwell shall have my head if he finds out that I told youâ"
"But he ought to have told us! He denied it last family dinner! Oh, Em, we must hurry to Kenward at once andâ"
"You know Maxwell. He will not appreciate meddling!" Nicholas snapped. "Now, dare not go to Kenward."
"But we want to wish them the best! And you did promise to deposit us at their doorsteps earlierâ"
"No, I changed my mind," he sternly said. "You both shall wait here and drink as much tea as you want until Wakefield comes for you."
"And where are you going?" Emma asked.
"Rock'oles. Where else?" he said with a grin.
His sisters rolled their eyes. He circled around them and walked to the door. "By the by, Emma," he said, "Is Mrs. Beagle still missing?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
"Simply curious." He lifted a finger of warning at the two women. "Remember, don't go to Kenward if you wish my head to remain attached to my body."
"I never realized you have one!" Emma retorted but Nicholas chose to let it slide for once.
He was late for a meeting.
*****
Sophia waited while Nicholas read the letter. She did not know what it contained, but she sensed from the way he kept pacing in front of her that he was angry.
"Three women slaves," he muttered and made a move to crumple the paper but she said, "My lord, please, I will be in trouble if the receiver finds it in less than the condition it is now."
"I ought to tear it to pieces, Sophie," he ground out but did as she requested and folded the paper. She held out her hand and placed it to the side when he handed it back to her.
"What did the letter contain?" she asked.
"It is about a proposal for a pick-up point," he said in a low, angry voice.
She nodded. What was Marcus planning?
"How long do negotiations such as this take?" he asked. She looked up to see his blurry form standing before her, his hands on his waist.
"I cannot say for certain," she said. "It normally takes ten or more exchanges before a long respite follows."
"What do you mean?"
"As I have said before, my lord, I do not know the details, but as their messenger, I have learned the pattern. It will usually take ten or more letters before they will stop for quite some time before another begins. I have long supposed that each transaction is different with each interval."
"And how often do these transactions take place?"
Sophia lifted her shoulder in a shrug. "Perhaps once a month?"
"Then we ought to catch them this time to save time," he murmured under his breath.
"We? You said you are not a Town Guard."
"I am indirectly a Town Guard," he said. "Those bloody bastards cannot do what I can."
Sophia chuckled. "Like wooing your way into a chamber in Rock'oles?"
His voice was lighter, etched with his charming tone, as he said, "Yes, of course."
Sophia's heart began to hammer against her chest when Nicholas came near and settled beside her in the chaise. He smelled of fresh grass, like of the flowers Marcus would take bring her now and then.
"You smell pleasant," she noted, clearing her throat to ignore the anticipation building inside her.
"I came from my estate."
"Whiston?"
"Yes."
"Of course, Lord Whistonâ"
"Dare not call me that."
"Why?'
"I hate the name."
She chuckled and was about to ask when he took her hand and gently rubbed the back with his thumb. Her heart raced even faster.
Since he had entered, since they had their fight, she had never expected him to pursue intimacy. But apparently she was wrong.
She could feel that he wanted more out of their arrangement. She could feel it with his touch and his heavy breath beside her. And worse, she found herself relieved.
He still wanted her after all.
Mayhap he was using her, using seduction as a way to do so, but the fact still remained that he desired her. Every part of her felt it as he shifted in the chaise to face her, as he leaned closer, his head lowering toward hers.
"What would you like to do the moment you are free from this place?" he asked in almost a whisper, his breath brushing against her cheek as he nuzzled closer, very lightly teasing the side of her cheek with the tip of his nose and lips.
Sophia swallowed as she closed her eyes. So Nicholas Everard wanted her still after all. And despite everything, despite his so-called mission, he was still planning to get what his carnal desires yearned for. He was not a member of Rock'oles for nothing after all.
"I want to find the brightest place in the Town and look at your face." Sophia did not realize she had spoken aloud until she felt his smile against her skin. "The lighting in Rock'oles seems not to be enough," she decided to explain since she had foolishly let her thoughts be spoken aloud anyway.
She fought the flinch that threatened to erupt when his lips playfully traced the side of her mouth, not truly touching her lips, but teasing them.
"Then I promise to take you under a gigantic hole," he whispered, his breath brushing against her lips and Sophia almost allowed herself to kiss him. "Will you allow me to kiss you then? If I take you to the brightest place in the Town?"
She smiled, placing her hands at the back of his neck as his hands circled around her, unbuttoning her gown. "Deliver your promise and we shall see," she whispered in his ear. "For now, I wish to continue where we left off the last time."
He let out a groan before he roughly pulled her toward him and gathered her in his arms. "No deliberate accidents this time, darling," he rasped, ravishing her neck as he cradled her hips against his, providing her enough evidence of his desire.
Aabha growled but did not move from her corner. Brigid jumped away from the chaise with a purr.
Nicholas expertly stripped her nightgown off her and carried her with ease to the bed where they both tumbled over the covers. She blindly helped him untie his cravat and dispose of his shirt.
Nicholas unfastened his breeches with haste, cursing as his first attempt failed. She did flinch when she heard his boots thud against the floor, but that soon was replaced by a sense of surrender. The feeling surprised her for the feeling was accompanied by a throb of excitement, of stimulating torture as she felt his skin touch hers.
Surrender had been a part of her past, but it was never like this. It never felt as good as this.
Sophia let out a sighâor perhaps a whimperâas Nicholas' mouth wetly traveled down her throat and over the peak of one breast where he teased her, tortured her until a keening demand escaped her throat and he suckled and gave her what she wanted.
Brigid purred from under the bed but Sophia barely heard her. Nicholas was allowing her to discover her body by exploring it with his hands, his mouth.
"I swear to all that is holy that bloody cat is Mrs. Beagle, Sophie," he rasped above her. His hand cupped her face, tilting her head to the side to give him room to worship her neck with his mouth. His other hand roamed down between her legs, causing her to squirm, unsure of what to do despite the fact that she knew what he wanted her to do.
But it seemed that Nicholas did not expect her to do anything. No, his touch was telling her to do as she pleased, to partakeâto share.
"I must take her home," he rasped in her ear as his hand found her and she writhed beneath him, lifting her hips and parting her thighs in surrender.
Her hands clutched his shoulders as she let out a panting breath. "Take who home?" she absently asked, already lost in a different world where she lived with naught but one goalâreach something...whatever it was, she ought to reach it.
"The cat," he bit out, his hand suddenly leaving her before he settled between her legs.
"She is mine! You are not taking her!"
His forearms rested beside her head as he bent to graze her jaw with his teeth. "Bloody hell, Sophie, let us not talk about the cat."
"You started talking about the cat, even threatened to take her away, and nowâ"
His head snapped back and the tip of his nose touched hers. "Talk about the cat one more time and I shall kiss you."
Sophia closed her lips and then bit her lower lip as she felt the tip of him nudge against her.
"Bloody hell, I did not expect to be doing this tonight," he gritted out against her cheek, his hands caressing her hips, patiently waiting for her to relax. But she could not relax. Her entire being was on fire and he was delaying the pleasure, torturing her.
"Liar," she panted and he chuckled.
"For now, darling," he said before he finally plunged inside her.
Sophia gasped and she almost buckled away from him. The instinct to push him away took over her but as her body was accustomed to such reaction, it was also used to stop it and she froze.
Nicholas froze above her, probably stunned by her reaction.
Sophia hated that she felt ashamed. She hated that she wanted to hide the panic and the fear. She did not want to please him, not when she knew they were merely using each other. But she found that she was unconsciously wanted to. She wanted to be like the other women he bedded. She wanted to prove that she was a woman and she could give him pleasure.
"It is all right," he whispered softly in her ear. He was not moving and Sophia soon realized that he, in some way, understood what was happening to her. And he was waiting.
She felt tears brimming her eyes so she shut them, urging them to retreat and allow her to deal with this on her own. And she did. She was able to relax, reminding herself that she was in control here as much as Nicholas was.
Because he was letting her.
Because, for whatever reason, he was different.
He was not like the other men of her past.
Nicholas Everard was a lover.
And as she realized it, the pleasant sensation from before returned. Sophia's lips curved into a smile.
"That's it, darling," Nicholas whispered as he began to move. "Just feel."
Yes, Sophia was feeling. She was feeling many things that opposed many of her memories.
A slight fear flickered inside her but she brushed it aside.
She would deal with it later for at that moment, she was not dealing with Nicholas Everard as a spy for his brother.
In her chaise, he was. But in her bed, he was her first lover.
A/N:
By the by, townspeople, I submitted an entry for the Wattpad Block Party. It is a chapter teaser for the first Trilby story that will follow the Everards. Check them through here: https://www.wattpad.com/405679737-wattpad-filipino-block-party-2017-greenwriter%27s. I will also be providing the link  in the comment section in case you cannot tap on the link OR you can check out my profile page for the link of the story as I announced it earlier. For now, I  hope you are enjoying Nick's story. Things will start to pick up very soon!