"Ooh!"

"Oh no!"

"Dat's a no-go area missy."

"Don't touch it."

"Don'tdontdont," Ella slid to the other side of the black lounge chair, trying her infinite best to escape the annoying horde of half-naked women trying to touch her-she couldn't even say the word out. How scandalous it would be!

"Dere, dere," the evil women trying to ruin her sanctity all echoed. "It would be a shame if we let such a pretty man like ye ta go untouched."

She glanced around the whorehouse searching for Howard. If only he was here-at least the married man would take a share of her suffering. He had left five minutes after Robert disappeared with that bloody cockerel. She couldn't be the only one to get touched!

Robert. His name echoed down the raging walls of her mind. He was the cause of this nonsense. If only he didn't ask those frenzy of excited mammary mammals to attack her--oh once she gets her hands on him.

I'm afraid someone else is doing that for you. Friggin hell; the woman! The woman he left with! What were they doing? From what Howard had told her, Robert seemed willing enough to do anything to get what he wanted. Though she didn't understand how sleeping with a whore would get any information about Cowper.

Her teeth clenched at the thought of him being in bed with a woman while she was being tormented down here. Some part of her seemed unusually annoyed at the first situation. She put that part inside a bottle and tossed it out of the wet kitty. There should be no room for such rubbish in her head.

By the time she knew what was happening, hands too strong for the women before her grasped her arms and sent her to the cushion of the chair. This was it. This was her end. Wait till they find out that the socks in between my legs aren't what they think it is.

"Mr Law."

That stupid voice. She gnawed her teeth as the women made way to reveal the Rake of London in all his foolish glory. Her fingers were yearning to encircle his throat and choke him till he apologized for putting her through this torture. But the sane part of her mind kept reminding her that she was his employee. And an illegal one at that.

His dirty shirt was more than rumpled and his hair dishevelled in a way that made him look devilishly irresistible. He called one of the overly excited females and placed a brown pouch on her slender fingers. Its contents made a clinking cacophony and Ella frowned, wondering what that might contain.

"I hope he wasn't too much trouble." Robert smirked. "I understand he can be a tease at times."

Ella's face went red and steams rushed out of her ears. She'll show him how teases behave.

Definitely not a good idea.

Ella didn't agree.

He's a Casanova.

That didn't exempt him from a death sentence by the guillotine.

"Ah yes," the ladies cooed like a swarm of pigeons. "He's definitely one big tease."

Ella glared searing spears at their backs and watched them disappear behind a red velvet curtain. When she was sure they were out of hearing distance, she muttered a word too naughty that even a Frenchman would have to cover his ears.

"Quite da vocabulary ye 'ave there," Robert teased, moving closer.

"What were ye doing?" Ella asked in a brusque tone. Her countenance took him by surprise and he raised a brow as if digesting the question.

"I was getting information," A streak of guilt appeared in his blue eyes as he avoided eye contact. "even though I'm not proud of da way I got it. Ye can think of me in whatever way ye want. This is my dream and I'm-"

He paused, probably realising he had spoken too much. Ella was smart enough to know that the dream he meant wasn't sleeping with whores. After all, he was a rake. So whatever that letter and key were, they were both beneficial to his dream.

"Who am I to judge ye?" Ella smiled ever so beautifully, "After all, I'm a woman dressed as a man. If both our vices were brought ta da public eye, I'm sure I would be da one sent to prison."

Robert snickered, relief flooding his eyes. "I must say, yer attempts of making me feel better works like a charm."

Ella's heart hammered at the remark and she wondered why she would be flattered by the rake of London. He must've said that line to billions of women. Who knows, he might've said it to the whore he was with some minutes ago. Still, she couldn't deny how she felt alive around him. Maybe it was because he was one of the few men who believed that women were as smart as men even though they weren't allowed to work.

In a desperate attempt to change the topic, she asked, "What information did ye get?"

"I was right. 'e was 'ere last night but left in da morning," Determination churned in his blue depths as he accessed the room. "Da lady said 'e was gloating about how 'e was going sell a golden key at an auction tonight."

Robert watched from the corner of his eyes and sighed. "You know what dat means."

"Aye," Ella nodded in quick but annoying realisation. "I wouldn't be there ta see you get dat thief."

"Ye will see 'im tomorrow," Robert said, trying to comfort her. It was moments like these that Ella wished she was a man. She knew many eighteen-year-old boys who could stay outside their homes till nine at night and would come back without being questioned intensely by their parents. Well, it was a small price to pay for her dreams.

"Aye," She glanced around the room filled with sinful minds. "Do you know where Howard went?"

"Don't worry about 'im," Robert said, standing. "Let's get ye 'ome. Tonight is going ta be bloody."