A Regency era courtesan gives up her empire for love and discovers how truly binding her connections are to the noblemen she used to serve.
*****
In the sequel to Courte...
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The Sea Dog Pub and Scrub sat at the edge of port, welcoming visitors with buoyant laughter and the scent of stale pipe tobacco. My nerves had been tweaking since we left the dockyard, but I tried to hide my anxiety from Jules. An independent woman needed to keep her wits at all times, especially when facing an ornery general who might be her kin.
"Don't worry, Rose. I'll be with you the whole time." Jules offered his support, having read my thoughts perfectly.
Captain Forsythe nodded in agreement as he ushered us through the pub's weathered door. Suddenly, the noise level died out, which I guessed had to do with me. After a quick survey of the room, I determined I was the only female in the place other than the barmaid. Captain Forsythe made his assessment as well, and I watched his gaze fall on three men sitting around a table. All of them looked as old and battered as the ships moored at the landing, but I guessed the general to be the one occupying an invalid carriage.
"That's him over there. Are you ready to do this?" Captain Forsythe waited for my nod. Of course, there was no turning back now, given that every face had turned our way. When I confirmed my readiness, we proceeded toward them, and the good captain performed introductions.
"General Hayes, I am Captain Daniel Forsythe of the royal navy. My friend here is interested in meeting you." He turned and nudged me forward. "May I introduce Mistress Rosalind Hayes. She is visiting from London with her betrothed, Captain Jules Thompson of the royal navy. There has been some speculation that you and Mistress Hayes may be related."
Throughout the captain's lengthy introduction, the general scowled at me, leaving little doubt that he had, indeed, heard the rumors and believed them to be false. "It is good to meet you, General Hayes. I am sorry to interrupt you and your compatriots, but I felt it would make our lives easier if we managed these speculations before they are pulled out of proportion."
His forehead pinched, although his thin skin and frail bone structure did not allow for much animation. He offered his friends a pointed look, and they politely relinquished their seats to us. Jules held my chair as I sat across from the general, then he pulled his next to mine, allowing Captain Forsythe to flank me on the other side. All of these actions were observed closely by General Hayes, a tactic I felt certain he had employed for most of his career.
He also did not impress me as a talker, which gave me an opportunity to assess his military dress. It was clear he missed generaling, as Anne put it, by the telling signs of his faded jacket and tarnished medals. A well-worn blanket sat across his lap, and he kept his hands wrapped around a half-full pint of brown ale. Although his body had aged to the point of near uselessness, his eyes held a feisty gleam, and that gleam never left my face.
"Well?" he said finally.
"Well, Sir... I am not exactly sure what we might accomplish through this meeting, but I suppose I could begin by telling you my story."
