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surrendering to her will was preposterous.
    “Tobias Lynsted is not the type of man to submit to any woman’s dictates.”
    “Do not be so sure, ma petite ,” Angélique said with a small smile. “There are many men who like a strong woman in their bed. A woman they are happy to submit to when it comes to pleasure.”
    “This marriage is not about pleasure. It’s about my father disposing of me,” Jane said with a jerk of her head. “Worse, my future husband is well within his legal rights to say where I go and what I do.”
    “I know Tobias well enough to reassure you that he will abide by the terms of his agreement with you. He is an honorable man. And as I said, Tobias might enjoy having a wife with skills such as yours,” Angélique said softly.
    Her friend’s words sent a frisson skimming across her skin. Did Angélique know something about Tobias that Jane didn’t? Her mouth went dry as a dark fascination held her in its grip. Almost as quickly as her fantasy emerged she pushed the images out of her mind. Tobias might not be of the nobility, but his grave demeanor left her with the distinct impression that he would be no less disapproving of her activities than any member of the peerage.
    She wasn’t about to fool herself into thinking Tobias would understand how others found pleasure and satisfaction in the sexual experience of domination and submission. As a man, he had a freedom few women enjoyed. How could he possibly understand what it was like to have no control over his life or living within the constraints society demanded of a woman?
    Inside the walls of La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres she’d found a sanctuary that gave her the freedom to express her inner strength and wield her feminine power when and if she chose to do so. For months now, that knowledge had freed her from her father’s oppressive authority in a way she’d never dreamed possible.
    Not even his successful effort to auction her off to Tobias had completely stripped her of her freedom. Deep inside she knew that had her father selected someone other than Tobias for her husband, she would have objected fiercely. Her father would never have thrown Jane out onto the street. Had he done so, it would have cast him in an unfavorable light with his peers, and her father would never jeopardize his image of the benevolent father.
    It was her lack of resistance to marrying Tobias that alarmed her. Jane quickly buried the thought as she considered Angélique’s suggestion. The idea that Tobias might want a wife who was far from submissive was an outlandish one. With a wry twist of her lips, Jane met her friend’s gaze and shook her head.
    “Not only are you a romantic, you’re an optimist.”
    “And you are far too cynical,” Angélique said as she rolled her eyes. “I sometimes wonder if I erred in introducing you to the way I take my pleasure.”
    “I don’t recall giving you much choice.”
    “If I’d not been so half-witted, I might have managed to explain away Lord Brocklehurst’s and Lord Rochester’s inappropriate conversation about me and La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres .”
    “ See . You’ve just confirmed you’re an optimist,” Jane said with a laugh. “Especially when you know full well, I would have pestered you incessantly until you explained what Brocklehurst meant by calling you the most seductive Lady of the night he’d ever served.”
    “They should never have had that conversation outside of La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres ,” the Frenchwoman bit out in a fierce tone. Anger furrowed her beautiful brow. “And I reinforced that message the following night.”
    “I now understand the need for discretion, but you can hardly blame me for my curiosity. They spoke your name with such reverence.”
    “They were suitably repentant afterward.” Angélique’s anger ebbed away as a half-smile curved her mouth.
    “Well, I’m glad for their indiscretion.”
    “And I am grateful you were the only one to overhear