The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies) by Michaels, Maddison (short books to read TXT) 📕

the goings-on of everything in Society, regardless of whether they have anything to do with her or not. Is that not right, Aunt?” She motioned Etta to the door again and then turned back to her aunt.

“You are an impertinent girl,” Demelza said.

“That I may be, but you have only yourself to blame for teaching me to be so.” Livie kissed her aunt’s weathered cheek.

Demelza huffed mightily. “Do not think you have gotten out of telling me what you are up to. I shall find out from you when you visit with the girl.”

Livie pulled back from her aunt and followed Etta to the door. “I look forward to you trying.”

The sound of her aunt muttering “impertinent girl” followed Livie and Etta as they strode through the entrance hall and outside to where Livie’s carriage was waiting.

“I don’t know how you have the courage to stand up to the Dragon Duchess,” Etta enthused as she vaulted into the carriage, Livie following her in at a more sedate pace. “She scares me dreadfully.”

“As I’ve told you before, her bark is far worse than her bite.” Livie settled herself on the seat and glanced expectantly at her friend. “Well? What is so urgent that you braved the Dragon’s den?”

“Mr. Mooney has threatened us with eviction.”

Her stomach clenched at the news. Mooney was the landlord for the small warehouse they’d leased to use as the location for the gazette’s printing house. And he’d originally agreed to them putting down a small deposit with the balance of the rent to be paid at the end of the month. “But we have two weeks left to come up with the money!”

“I know,” Etta said, wringing her hands in front of her lap. “But apparently someone else wants to rent the space, and unless we come up with the rent money, which he has decided to double, by nine o’clock tomorrow morning, Mr. Mooney said he would padlock the doors and sell our equipment to cover his losses.”

“The fiend!” Livie smacked her fist in her other palm. Though they’d only been able to afford to purchase a small amount of the printing equipment that their printer, Mr. Whitbury, required, it was still their equipment. Equipment they could not afford to lose. “Mooney is trying to extort us! Well, I will not have it. We must get word immediately to Mr. Whitbury and his apprentice.”

“Word of our predicament?”

“Yes. They must attend the warehouse without delay and print up five hundred teaser pamphlets of the gazette tonight, to be distributed by our runners tomorrow. We need to get word out of the gazette’s intent and start building anticipation of its release, and we cannot risk Mooney padlocking the warehouse doors before we can at least do that.”

“Very well,” Etta said. “I shall get word to Mr. Whitbury. But Livie, without an investor I don’t know how we’ll satisfy Mr. Mooney’s extortion or even be able to print a first edition the teaser will allude to.”

“Actually, I do now have an investor.”

“You do?” Etta’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Why, that is marvelous! And has this investor given you the funds? If so, we can pay Mr. Mooney, though I think we should try to have him honor his original agreement.”

Livie fidgeted with her high collar. “Well, I don’t yet have the funds. Nor do I exactly have the contract signed, but I shall as soon as I find Sebastian.”

“Sebastian?” There was confusion in Etta’s voice. “Who is Sebastian? And why have I not heard of him before, if you are on a first name basis with the man?”

“Where to, my lady?” her carriage driver asked, speaking through the wooden panel from where he sat at the front.

“Baker Street, please, Gregson.”

“Mr. Colver’s offices, my lady?” Gregson asked.

“Yes.”

Across from her Etta stiffened. “Mr. Colver? As in, Sebastian Colver, the Bastard of Baker Street?”

The carriage set off, and Livie wished Etta could be as compliant and unquestioning as her driver was. “Yes, that is he.”

Folding her hands across her chest, Etta narrowed her eyes. “I think you had better start telling me what on earth you’ve gotten yourself and us into, Livie, because I’m starting to think that the devil really well might be on my tail—all of our tails in fact, if the Bastard of Baker Street is involved in any of our business.”

Livie knew she would have had to tell both Etta and Kat eventually, though she’d been wanting to have Sebastian sign the contract first. Lucky, though, it was going to be only Etta she had to tell, as Kat had left for Europe the day before last in pursuit of her uncle’s killer.

Of course, Kat hadn’t wanted to leave them, not in the initial stages of starting the gazette, but both Etta and Livie insisted she did. After all, Kat’s pursuit of her uncle’s murderer was too important not to follow the most promising lead she’d received thus far. And it also meant she wasn’t in London to object to Livie’s plan involving Sebastian, for Kat could be particularly difficult when she so chose.

Taking in a deep breath, Livie told Etta of her meeting with Sebastian yesterday, though she didn’t mention Charlotte was his sister, instead calling her his friend’s daughter. And though Livie loathed lying to Etta, she’d promised Sebastian she would tell no one of his relationship to Charlotte, and she would keep her word.

She also left out the information about the strange physical feelings of attraction the man had conjured within her. There were some things one didn’t share with anyone, not even one’s best friend.

After she finished, Etta was completely silent, which was somewhat of a feat for her friend.

“So, you see,” Livie continued, trying to break the horrid silence that had gripped the carriage, “our problems are solved. Once I tell Sebastian of my success with my godmother, he will sign the contract and give us the start-up funds we require. And as much as it will pain me to do so after