The Cogsmith's Daughter (Desertera #1)(28)

It was the first time Madam Huxley had ever shown Aya any true concern, and it was also the first time she’d ever implied Aya could be her equal.

Aya felt a knot forming in her stomach, and she swallowed hard. “Thank you, Madam. I will.”

Madam Huxley nodded and strode down the hallway. “Now, burst into Dellwyn’s room and pry Lord Collingwood off of her. You two have a lot of work to do.”





CHAPTER SEVEN


“You did what?” Dellwyn gripped her sides, wincing as her laughing stomach fought against her corset. She had not changed out of her work attire when she and Aya arrived home, insisting she had to hear all about Aya’s time in the palace immediately.

“I stroked his beard,” Aya repeated. She and Dellwyn sat at the table in their common room. They had started a fire in the iron stove to warm up the hovel, but Aya had still gone into her bedroom to fetch her spare cloak to wrap around her shoulders. She had returned home wearing the garish outfit of Lord Varick’s house colors; her favorite green cloak and her nightdress remained at Lord Varick’s estate.

“All right, I’m sorry,” Dellwyn wheezed, still clutching her sides. “Whew, we’ve got a long way to go.”

“That’s what everyone keeps saying.” Aya rolled her eyes. “Over and over.”

“I’m sorry, Aya.” Dellwyn sat up straighter, wiping her hand in front of her face to indicate that she was ready to be serious. “Why don’t we start by figuring out where you are right now? Tell me how you interact with your clients at the Rudder.”

“What do you mean?” Aya shuffled in her seat.

“When they come into the room, what do you do to pique their interest?”

“Well, I generally pose myself on the bed the way you taught me, with my back arched and skirts askew to show off my legs.”

“That’s a great start.” Dellwyn squeezed Aya’s hand to show that she was sincere. “Once they are in the room, what do you do?”

“If they come over to the bed to begin, I just let them lead and have the experience they want.” Aya shrugged. “If they linger in the doorway, I will get up, go over to them, and start unfastening my corset. That generally gets things moving.”

“I know what your problem is.” Dellwyn smiled. “You don’t know how to lead the seduction. Of course, I don’t blame you. You’ve only ever been in the Rudder, where clients want instant satisfaction. You’ve never had an opportunity to be in control, not really.”

“Do you think I need to take control with King Archon?” Aya leaned back and crossed her arms.

“Yes.” A wicked smile crept across Dellwyn’s full lips. “In my experience, the more powerful the man, the more he likes to yield to a powerful woman in the bedroom.”

Aya furrowed her eyebrows. “Do you think I should be more aggressive with the king?”

“Not necessarily aggressive.” Dellwyn tapped her fingers against her chin. “Power and control do not have to be expressed with action. You hold the power when he comes to you. If you can make the man approach you first, speak to you first, or make a physical move first, that means that he wants you more than you want him. Therefore, he is the one who has to work for it, and you are the one who can give and take as you choose.”

Aya nodded and stared down at the table. She wondered if she’d had the power in her interaction with Willem. After all, even though she looked rather pathetic when he stumbled upon her, he did approach her and make the first move to sit by her—and he did ask her to share a dance. That had made him vulnerable, if only for a moment.

“Aya?” Dellwyn waved her hand in front of Aya’s line of vision. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do.” Aya straightened. “But I still don’t understand how exactly to make him want me. I mean, how will I gain the power if I can’t entice him?”

Dellwyn’s gaze drifted to the window. She dipped her head down to see the position of the moon. Aya followed her lead. However, instead of looking for the moon, she searched the palace, wondering which, if any, room Willem lived in. Was Willem a high enough nobleman to live in the palace, or had he just been walking through on his way back to his home in Starboardshire?

“It’s getting late. Let’s end for the night.” Dellwyn yawned and stretched her arms. “Tomorrow.” Dellwyn lowered her voice for dramatic effect. “I will teach you everything you need to know to entice your father’s murderer into killing his wife to be with you.”

“It sounds so disturbing when you say it like that.”

“Isn’t it?” Dellwyn laughed.

“Oh, yes, it is.” Aya groaned, putting her head in her hands. “I’m just trying not to think about the whole picture. Not when I’m in the moment, anyway.”

Dellwyn chuckled and walked to her bedroom.

“Dellwyn?” Aya called. Dellwyn stopped in her doorway and turned around. “Do you really think I can do this? Can you really teach me enough in two nights?”

“Aya, by the time I’m through with you, every man in that palace will be crawling on his knees for you.”

Aya nodded. The nerves in her stomach told her otherwise, but if anyone could teach Aya to seduce a king, it was Dellwyn.