Chapter 11

11

Half an hour later, they were led into a very nice parlor of a townhome on Collins street. A few minutes after that a lovely older woman swept into the room and walked purposefully to Violet. She was tall for a woman and though her figure had obviously softened with age, she was still rather thin. Her dark hair, streaked with silver, was up in a simple chignon and dress was quite obviously from previous fashion trends, but still in excellent shape.

It was easy to see that this woman must have turned heads when she was younger. It was no wonder she was a successful and much sought-after mistress. Agatha wasn’t unattractive, but she would never be considered a stand-out beauty.

“Oh my dear, how lovely it is to see you,” she embraced Agatha’s friend. Then she turned a smile to Agatha. “And who do we have here?”

“Felicity, this is my dearest friend, Agatha Pennybrook. We’ve come to seek counsel on an important matter.”

Felicity’s brows rose, then she rang the bell on the table and ordered tea and cakes. After which she took a seat on her settee while Agatha and Violet sat in adjacent chairs.

“Now then, what can I do to help you ladies?” Felicity asked.

Violet glanced at Agatha and inclined her head, a clear indication she wanted her to proceed. In other words, Violet wasn’t going to do this for her. Very well, she would need to learn to stand on her own as it was.

Agatha swallowed and folded her hands in her lap. “I am a widow and I wish to become a mistress.”

Felicity’s brows rose even higher this time. “Indeed?”

“Violet said that you have a similar past and suggested you might be able to give me some advice.”

“Might I inquire as to why you want to do such a thing? You’re young and handsome enough you could find another husband.”

Agatha’s head shook before Felicity had even finished her sentence. “I do not wish to marry again.”

“Did you love your husband?“

“I barely knew him. He was many years my senior and died only after we’d been married a month. I have just come out of my two years of mourning. Unfortunately, I have been relying on Violet’s hospitality to provide me with suitable living arrangements. I have a very small amount of savings and do not wish to find myself yet again in a marriage not of my choosing.”

“I have told her repeatedly that I have plenty of money and room and she can stay with me indefinitely, but she is stubborn,” Violet said with a smirk.

“Perhaps she is interested in attributes you do not possess, my dear.”

Just then a maid rolled a tea cart in and set everything up, then curtsied and left the room.

After fixing herself a cup of tea, Felicity leaned back on her settee. “Now then, what specifically can I help you with, Agatha?”

“I am not very well versed in matters of the flesh and I’d like to know what I need to know in order to find the best patrons,” Agatha said.

“Lovers,” Violet corrected.

Agatha waved a hand dismissively.

“Being a mistress is certainly about pleasures of the flesh, so I’d say the most important thing is that you need to be comfortable with your own body. You need to understand what a man needs from a woman—something they don’t always understand themselves. You need to be a good listener because men love to hear themselves talk. You mustn’t be jealous, in particular if your lover is married. It is common among the aristocracy for men to take a mistress in town while their wives are in the country with the children or here in town as well, but otherwise indisposed. Not very many marriages in this town are happy ones and men have needs.”

Already Agatha was feeling overwhelmed. What did men need that even they didn’t know about? And why were men’s carnal needs more necessary than a woman’s? Certainly those wives wished to enjoy the pleasures of their marriage bed.

“You need to enjoy the acts themselves. If a man wants to bed a frigid, still woman, he can bed his wife. What he wants from a mistress is a warm, willing and participating woman. If you can’t do that, you’d be better served as a wife. A husband protects your name as well as your income.”

Agatha was writing down everything so quickly she was certain she’d dull the tip of her pencil. They hadn’t even been here half an hour and she felt more unprepared and ignorant than she had when they arrived.

“Do you enjoy bedroom acts, Agatha?” Felicity asked.

Agatha exhaled slowly. She knew she was blushing, her cheeks heated with just the thought of last night’s acts. “Yes. Very much so.”

“But you said you do not have much experience.”

“Correct. I don’t. I’ve had one singular experience with an experienced man. I believe he taught me plenty about pleasure.” How much more could there be? He’d pleasured her three times with three different parts of his body.

“I see.” Felicity sipped her tea thoughtfully.

“What would be the most important thing for a mistress?” Violet asked. “I’m assuming it would be something about not falling in love.”

Felicity shook her head. “Actually, my dear, you do want to fall in love. You need to fall just a little bit in love with each of your lovers. Find that thing about him that creates a spark in you and nurture it as you would a seedling. But do not allow it to grow too much else it will weed and choke out the entire garden.”

Agatha contemplated those words. They felt wise and important, but she doubted she understood the entirety of their meaning. Fall in love but only a little bit. How did one measure that? Or prevent oneself from falling further? This was all far more complicated than she’d imagined.

Perhaps she should simply marry the duke. Certainly that would be the simplest of all solutions. She shuddered. The thought of his hands on her body, his mouth on hers—no. She could never do that.

He would undoubtedly make her miserable and she’d lose every bit of freedom she’d enjoyed over the last two years. Not to mention her parents would benefit financially from such a union and she’d had enough of aiding them in any capacity. It was one thing if they legitimately needed the funds, but they did not.

Abruptly, Felicity stood and walked to Agatha. She held her hand out to the notebook and pencil. “May I?”

“Of course,” Agatha handed them over and watched the older woman return to her seat with them. Then she proceeded to writing in it swiftly over the next several minutes. When she was done, she closed the book and turned to Violet.

“I do hope it won’t take you this long again to come and visit me.”

“Where is my beloved?” A man’s booming voice sounded from the hall. Then a very large and jovial man lumbered into the room. He wasn’t precisely portly, just large all over. He walked straight to Felicity and bent to kiss her cheek. “There you are, my love. Are you entertaining?” He smiled at both Agatha and Violet.

“We are finished,” Agatha said, coming to her feet. She stepped over to Felicity and held out her hand. “Thank you so much for your assistance.”

The older woman handed over her book. “I wrote down a few skills you might want to grasp before you proceed. Do let me know if you have any further questions.” She smiled genuinely. “It was a pleasure meeting you. And seeing you again, my dear, Violet. Don’t be a stranger.”