a courtesan, for heaven’s sake! Did he look down upon her?
Mr. Levine regarded her, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek in order not to say everything she was thinking. “What is it you wish from me, Mrs.…?”
“Artemis,” she said, thinking it rather ironic, given the role she played tonight, but also appropriate to call herself by the name of the Greek goddess of the hunt. Lilias was chaste, though her thoughts were not, and she was on a hunt—for a manuscript. She didn’t particularly care in this moment what Mr. Levine thought, though she highly suspected him perverse enough to like it.
Nash began to cough beside her, and Mr. Levine’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and then a dark, unsettling smile settled on his face. “Interesting surname,” he replied, his eyes undressing her suddenly.
She bridled, but managed to get out, “I am an interesting woman.”
“I can imagine—”
“Don’t,” Nash interrupted, his tone ruthless. “Do not imagine. She’s mine.”
It shouldn’t have made her heart flutter—it was an act, after all—but it did.
The man shrugged. “For now.”
“Forever,” Nash shot back.
“Gentlemen,” Lilias interrupted, almost wishing she did not have to. It was like listening to her secret fantasy come true, except it wasn’t true and never could be. She suspected what was actually occurring was what often occurred with men. They were trying to show their superiority over each other. “I’m flattered, but as His Grace has said, I’m his, and I’m quite happy with the arrangement.” Saying the words made her heart suddenly hurt, and she had an overwhelming urge to flee. She no longer wanted to play this game with Nash. It had gone from fun to torturous in a breath. But she stayed in her seat, determined to help Helen and Lady Katherine.
“I’m here on behalf of your sister.” She purposely left out that she was also there on behalf of Lady Katherine. She certainly didn’t need to mention that Lady Katherine had been lovers with Lord Quattelbom, who had failed to pay Helen the promised allowance that had resulted in Helen writing the manuscript in the first place. Lilias did not think any of the details would soften the man to their cause. By his demeanor thus far and his hostile interaction with Nash, Lilias actually suspected that it would only make the man more determined to publish the manuscript. He seemed to despise Nash for having been brought up in privilege, so it stood to reason that he despised all lords of privilege.
The man’s brows dipped into a deep V. “My sister? What of her?”
“She sent me to implore you to return the manuscript she wrote.” When irritation swept across his face and he opened his mouth to argue, she hurried to finish. “You know she has changed her mind. It is not your manuscript to see published.”
“I gave her the money to stay in her home, and she gave me the manuscript as payment.”
“Yes,” Lilias said angrily, “and you ought to be ashamed. She’s your sister. You should have helped her without requiring payment.”
“And just who are you to stand as savior to my sister? I’ve never even seen you before.”
“It’s none of your damn business who she is,” Nash bit out.
She put a staying hand on his arm, appreciating his wish to protect her, but antagonizing Mr. Levine would not help matters. And Mr. Levine and Nash obviously had a past, which she had many questions about, none of which she thought Nash would answer. He was a man of many layers, and she’d never even truly peeled back the first. She had not even known he was a twin.
“Tell me, Greybourne, why are you here accompanying your courtesan on a mission for my sister?”
“That’s also none of your business,” Nash growled.
“I wonder,” Mr. Levine said, drumming his fingers on the table once more, “do you regret dismissing Helen from your life as if she never meant anything to you?”
Lilias’s breath caught at Mr. Levine’s words, which reminded her uncomfortably of what Nash had done to her.
“I regret that I allowed what happened to happen, given I did not care for your sister. If she felt mistreated, for that, I am sorry.”
“I doubt it,” Mr. Levine said, rising suddenly. “You’re like all men of your ilk. You leave disaster in your path without a thought to who you have ruined.”
“Wait, Mr. Levine!” Lilias scrambled to her feet as the man began to leave. “Many people will be gravely hurt if you see that