“Oh, I saw him enter her doors last night,” Christine told her. “This way.”
As they walked toward the back of the house, Sophia asked, “What is it that you do, Mrs. Potter?”
“Christine, please,” Christine said. “I run a hiring agency.”
“I knew it,” Sophia declared. “You know our friend Lorena and met her fiancé Lord Ashwick.”
“Oh, yes!” Christina declared. “Lovely couple and her cousin and aunt were there. Tell me, how is Mrs. Shaw? Her father dresses her so beautify.”
“Well, she went to the country to bring some of her things back to London. She’ll be returning in a fortnight or so.”
Alice was glad her friends seemed to be getting along but conversation began to draw to a close when Christine showed them to the back door.
“It’s the red door. You won’t miss it,” Christine said.
“Thank you,” Sophia said. “And if you change your mind, you’re invited to dinner at my house on Friday.”
Christine bit her lip but then shook her head. “Thank you for the invitation but I’ll remain here.” Then she waved them off and they departed.
Sophia asked Alice once they were away, “Has Christine been hurt before?”
Alice’s stomach fell as she thought about Christine’s troubles. “I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Say no more.” Sophia took her hand and squeezed before letting it go.
They knocked on the back of Madame Margaret’s red door. It opened a moment later and Alice was sure the face she was seeing was incorrect. She blinked a few times but when the only thing to change was the expression of the person at the door, Alice’s heart climbed to her throat right before it fell.
“Calvin?”
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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Calvin narrowed his eyes between Alice and Sophia before asking, “What the hell are you two doing here?”
Alice gasped.
Sophia’s green eyes didn’t even flinch. In fact, she looked ready to do Calvin bodily harm. “What are you doing here, Calvin?”
“I don’t owe you any explanations, Sophie.”
“It’s Sophia!”
Alice jumped at Sophia’s exclamation.
But then Sophia went on, “And though you might not owe me any explanations, there is a woman here who you do.” And then her eyes moved toward Alice.
Alice’s blue eyes locked on him, and her cheeks stained before she looked away.
Calvin leaned in the doorway, crossed his arms, and stared at Alice though his words were directed more so at Sophia. “If you might recall, I was shot at last night by a woman. Therefore, I’m trying to find the guilty party and starting where I am more than likely to find her.”
Alice didn’t blink and asked, “So you’re not here to…”
Calvin pushed off the wall and took a step toward her. Then he placed her hands on her waist and turned to Sophia. “A moment, if you would.”
Sophia grinned. “Of course.” Then she slipped into the brothel.
Calvin turned his eyes to Alice and pulled her close.
Alice’s arms slowly went up his chest and she took a breath that vibrated even to his own ears. She was scared of his reply and she had every right to be. He’d never been a saint when it came to these situations. He’d played the role of a cad for most his life, moving from one woman to another and one very special woman out there was interested in seeing him dead. Alice did have good reason to worry, and he’d have to assure her that there was nothing to worry about anymore.
Alice spoke before he could. “I’ve heard about your… appetite.”
“My appetite?”
She worried her lip and looked at where her hands rested on his jacket. “Julius and Francis said you enjoy women.”
“I do.”
“Greatly.” Her eyes returned to his.
He leaned forward and rested his head on hers. “I do.”
“Sometimes two at a time,” she whispered.
He narrowed his eyes. “Exactly when did this conversation occur?” And he wondered if he could get away with killing two of his very good friends. With them being titled, he was sure the ton would frown upon it.
She looked at her hands again. “They told me after you left me in the room last night. Actually, they weren’t speaking to me at all. They were talking to one another. They made mention of Hugh and Morris as well.”
He was going to kill them. The ton be damned. “I shouldn’t be compared to Morris.”
Her eyes returned to his. “They said as much.”
He cupped her neck. “I changed.”
“When?” she asked.
“When I decided I would have you no matter the consequences.”
Her eyes warmed but she looked down. “I’ll not marry you.”
“I didn’t propose.”
He saw her soft smile and went on. “There’s only one woman here that I want.”
She drew her brows down and pressed her lips together.
He chuckled and said, “It’s you, silly woman. I’m all yours, Alice.”
She smiled and began to play with a button on his jacket. “Say I agree to marry you and it’s a full year before we wed. Would you remain faithful to me? Would you wait a year for me?”
“No.”
Her head came up, and she looked as though she’d been struck.
He pulled her face close to his and whispered, “I plan to be inside of you very soon.” He felt her body tremble in his hands and tightened his hold on her. “I’ll not wait to claim you. You are already mine. I’m simply allowing you time to adjust to the notion.”
Her eyes darkened but she pressed a hand into his chest and said, “I’ll not lift my skirt for you.”
“Not to worry. I’m very capable of lifting them myself.”
She gasped.
He kissed her swiftly, enjoying the expression on her face much too much.
“You’re such a cad,” she whispered.
“But you already know that and you still loved me.”
The look she gave him would have made a weaker man apologize. Calvin was not that man. “It’s true, isn’t it?” he taunted.
“You’re so beastly.”
“And you still love me.”
She groaned in frustration.
He kissed her again, and this time he didn’t hold back. He felt his body stir as he licked her soft bottom lip before plunging his tongue into her mouth. If he were being straightforward, he’d have to admit that he’d been aroused since the moment he’d seen Alice standing on the other side of Madame Margaret’s back door. Aroused and angry. It had been a strange sensation to not feel any desire for a woman upon his arrival at Madame Margaret’s. Usually, Calvin found himself easily stimulated by the appearance of a naked woman but it seemed that the woman before him held the key to his desires, which seemed fitting when one remembered that she’d die for him.
The thought was slightly dramatic but still true.
She was not the first woman to tell him that she loved him, though she’d not even admitted to that as of yet. He’d give her time. But he’d never thought he’d feel such pleasure by simply kissing a woman. Alice tilted her head back with only the slightest tremble, a trembling that might have reflected both lust and fear. He couldn’t wait to get her into bed.
But from the voices that began to shout from inside the brothel, Calvin knew he’d have to wait.
He broke the kiss just in time to see Mr. Ralph Wilkins step out into the light.
Calvin didn’t release his hold of Alice, whose eyes were wide with surprise.
Ralph’s eyes moved between them.
“You and I need to have a chat, Mr. Wilkins,” Calvin said.
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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Madame Margaret gave Calvin and Ralph use of her private morning room upstairs. Her footman closed the door behind them. Alice watched from the private dining room as the footman walked away and pretended that she was neither furious nor nervous about what was happening beyond the door. When she’d heard Calvin address her father outside, she’d assumed he meant for the three of them to speak but, apparently, he had not.
“Only men, darling,” he’d said before presenting her with his back and motioning for the footman to shut her out. She’d thought to scream her anger but had thought better of it, considering she was not at home but in a brothel that was known to entertain men of the highest caliber. She did not wish to alert everyone in the townhouse that she was there.
“I’m sure everything will be quite all right,” Sophia said as she sat across from her. She’d already begun to eat from the plate that had been set before her, consuming a large portion of breakfast delights. There were meats, fruits, and breads overflowing on Sophia’s plate. Alice wondered again where in the world Sophia could be hiding all the food once eaten.
She watched, fascinated for a moment, but then a raised voice made her turn to the door again. The dark oak gleamed at her, taunting her. She should be on the other side. Calvin didn’t have the right to speak to her father before she did. She was the one who’d been forced to wear clothing that hid her body and had been betrothed to a man for two years without her knowledge. Though it was his right as a father to marry her to whom he wished, she felt betrayed. She felt used and never once had Ralph Wilkins ever made her feel like one of the women he so frequently sought out, charmed until she did his bidding. She’d thought, as his daughter, she’d meant more to him.
“Calvin will make it right,” Sophia told her right before she bit into a slice of toast that she’d covered in orange marmalade. “You’ll see.” She grinned.
“No,” she decided. “I don’t wish for any more assistance from him or any other man.” She stood and started for the door.
“Alice,” Sophia called after her.
She was across the hall with her hand on the knob when it opened.
She lifted her head.
Calvin stood there.
Their eyes held.
She pulled in a breath and tried to remind herself that his beauty was simply another tool he used to get his way.
He stepped forward, which forced Alice to step back. “Your father will see you now.”
“What did you say to him?” she asked.
He touched the underside of her chin with a finger. “I’ll wait for you at your carriage.” Then he walked away.
“Alice.”
She turned and met her father’s dark eyes. He wore a small smile but she could tell from his eyes that he was troubled.
As he should be. She was quite upset and pushed past him as she strolled into the room.
“Father—”
“I must apologize.”
“No, don’t you dare…” She paused and turned to look at him, surprised. She couldn’t ever remember her father apologizing for anything. She’d watched him over the years navigate the minds of others into believing him to be right even when everyone knew he was wrong. In the end, he was already right.
Except for now, apparently.
Ralph Wilkins stood with his hands folded in front of him and his dark head bowed, making his large nose look more prominent but his deep brown eyes were on her and there was an expression his face she’d never seen before. He looked greatly troubled in a desperate way.
“Father?” Alice went over to him and placed her hands on his arms. “What’s the matter?”
His expression cleared, and he tried for another smile. “Alice, I’m so very sorry, my love.” His hand went up and cupped her cheek. “At the time, I hadn’t known what else to do and Isaac… Well, you’ve always been fond of one another. I simply thought a settlement on your hand earlier than planned.”
Alice felt her face fall as she stared at the truth in her father’s eyes. “You sold me to Isaac.”
His hold on her cheek tightened, and his eyes grew worried again. “I saw no other way.”
She put her own anger to the side as she tried to understand her father’s dilemma. “Why did you need Isaac’s money to begin with? Is it the club? Are we losing money?”
Wilkins shook his head. “It’s not the club, though I will admit that many have left to join Nashwood London. We’ve had some loss but luckily Nashwood London only accepts graduates of Oxford.”
Alice hadn’t known that. “Then why did you need the money?”
He backed away from her then and said, “It no longer matters. You are free to marry Calvin and are no longer obligated to Isaac.”
Alice’s eyes widened as she realized that in one day she’d gone from being Isaac’s intended to having her engagement broken. It was an unsettling feeling even though she’d never approved of their match to begin with. Yet, now her father was championing Calvin?
She narrowed her eyes and found there was no controlling her outrage. “You sold me again?”
“Alice,” her father protested. “It’s not what it seems.” Then he used his most charming smile. “Calvin already told me that you’re in love with him. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
Alice shrieked, which was something she’d not done in a long time but had done plenty while growing up. She had a temper but once Uncle Lucas had begun to take her to parties and balls, Alice had learned to control herself. Well, no more.
Her father straightened and his sobered. “Alice, control yourself.”
There was nothing normal about them.
“You sold me twice!” Alice’s breath caught in her throat, and she choked back a sob. Her voice trembled. “Have I always been less than a mule to you?”
Ralph’s face crumbled. “Alice—” He moved toward her.
She backed away. “You always said you were better than those pompous fathers because you actually loved me, yet now I see that it has never been so.”
Ralph’s arms circled her and dragged her into his shaking body. “Oh, my girl, I’m so sorry. I was desperate.”
Alice tried to push him away from her but pain from her arm shot through her and she cried.
Ralph pulled away and they both looked down to see that blood had seeped through her sleeve. She’d ruined yet another dress.
“What happened to you?” Ralph asked as he took her arm.
“I was shot.” She winced as he turned her arm toward him.
He looked up at her with wide eyes. “Bloody hell! By whom? When? Why wasn’t I told this? Who shot you?”
“You’ve been here, which is why you don’t know and I don’t know who shot me. Most likely a woman of Calvin’s acquaintance.”
“A woman shot you?” Ralph’s hold on her tightened. “What of her appearance? What did she look like?”
She looked up at his anxious face and it made her grow anxious. “I don’t know, Father.”
“Was she blond? Short? Tall?”
She narrowed his eyes. “I don’t recall. It was dark.”
Ralph dropped his hold of her and took a step back. His eyes were wild and since Alice had stepped into the room, she’d barely seen a trace of the man she’d known before. She studied him for a moment and noticed he’d not shaved his face and his clothes were rumpled, which she’d attributed to his being at Madame Margaret’s but as she stared at his face, she noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
“Father, what is happening?”
Ralph ran both his hands through his hair and cursed as he turned away. She’d never seen her father this way and knew something was amiss.
Alice reached out for him. “Father—”
He turned back around. “Did you sleep at the club last night?”
She shook her head. “I sle
pt at Lady Lorena Cullip’s house.”
“Cullip? The Duke of Valdeston’s sister?” He seemed surprised.
“Yes,” she told him. “And her brother lives right next door.”
“Good!” he told her. “Stay there. Don’t return to the club.” Then he started from the room.
Alice stood in place but then followed him down the hall. She became aware of her movement catching Sophia’s eyes, prompting her to follow, but her mind stayed with her father. She followed him down the hall and down a flight of stairs that led out into the front room of the townhouse. Since the hour was early, Alice only spotted a single woman whose state of undress she found less disturbing since she was sleeping with a sheet draped over her secret places.
Ralph turned down another corner and walked into the front room. There was the shout of a feminine voice, then Alice rushed in to watch her father begin to pack a small valise.
She ignored the woman on the bed but the smell of sweat, bodily fluids, and perfume was hard to ignore. Alice tried to not breathe as she spoke. “Father, was is happening?”
Her father didn’t cease from his task. “I’m leaving London for a few days.”
“What?” Alice asked. She felt a hand touch hers and knew it to be Sophia. The hand became one of the only things that kept her standing. Her world was tumbling out of control.
Her father threw the bag over his shoulder, walked over to her, and said, “Stay with Lady Lorena. With the knowledge that you have friends of the highest ranking, no one will bother you. Don’t return to the club.”
“What is happening?”
“I don’t know but I’ll find out.” He kissed her head, pulled away, and gave her a direct stare. “No more coming to Madame Margaret’s either. You know I never liked you here.”
Alice blushed. “No one could find you.”
He shook his head and looked at Sophia. “Who are you?”
Alice’s Shameless Spinster’s Society Page 11