The Casanova Code Read Free Page B

the counter. The instant she’d spotted him near the door, her cheeks had flushed an attractive pink. After a moment’s hesitation, she’d patted her hair and issued a seductive smile. Ashton opened the door, then tipped his hat as she passed by, just as any gentleman would. Yet she paused, issuing a brazen unspoken invitation with her eyes. He remembered a time when he would have led the lady to a less public location to explore the pleasures her gaze requested. But today he slowly shook his head. She nodded and continued on her way. Though he never understood why his appearance managed to elicit that almost universal reaction, it was what it was and he’d become accustomed to it. He returned inside, removed his hat, then stepped up to the counter.
    “The replies in box eight, if you please.” He held the marker he’d been given to claim the responses to his search for a suitable companion for James, the man responsible for saving his life in Burma. Though finding a partner for a man disfigured by his courageous act seemed a small payment for his sacrifice, it allowed Ashton to utilize his one God-given gift, his ability to attract women, for the benefit of another. One far worthier than himself, truth be told. During those dark, pain-ridden nights when the two of them recuperated in a primitive hospital, Ashton had composed a long list of past wrongs that he planned to right, friendships he planned to mend, should God grant him the time and ability to do so. He would make a difference in the world, leave some value behind in case the next bullet struck a vital organ. He could start with this one kindness and work his way forward, so that he might be known for something other than his ability to dance and charm.
    “Your ad met with success.” The lady clerk smiled, an event so unexpected and transforming of her features that Ashton was taken aback. She stacked a small quantity of letters before him.
    Strange.
This very same clerk wouldn’t spare him the time of day last week. Now she embodied the very symbol of cooperation. “Do you wish to continue your ad for another week?”
    “All this resulted from one ad?” There must be twenty letters in that pile. “I had anticipated only one or two responses.”
    “London is filled with honest women seeking companionship,” the clerk said, her eyes warm and helpful. He truly must have caught her on a bad day before. That, or the lady had a friendly twin. A particularly licentious memory from years ago brought a smile to his lips. He’d had some experience with twins.
    Did a flicker of disgust just flash in the clerk’s eyes? Or was that merely a reflection off the lenses of her spectacles? No matter. The clerk’s demure smile obscured any ill feelings. “Responses are bound to be plentiful when the ad is placed by a refined and educated man such as yourself.”
    “You recall the ad?” he said, surprised. “Given the number of advertisements that must slide across this very counter, you must possess a remarkable memory.”
    “It is a consequence of my position to associate the faces of the advertisers with the ads they place.” She hesitated a moment, then glanced up at him from beneath her lashes. “I assume you intend to interview the respondents?”
    “That had been my initial intention, yes.” He ran his finger across the edges of the envelopes. “However, I hadn’t planned on so many replies.”
    She brightened. “You may find that some are unsuitable once you read their letters. The others . . .” She pushed her spectacles further up the bridge of her nose. “If I may be so bold, sir, have you given any thought as to where you intend to interview the others?”
    Ashton straightened. “I believe that’s a personal matter—”
    The clerk leaned forward. “I only meant to caution that an honest, respectable woman might have difficulty meeting a bachelor in his own quarters.”
    “That is true.” His lips quirked. He should’ve thought of