A Scandalous Proposition

by Wendy Soliman

  “I might surprise you.”

  His expression was solemn, but there was a vivacious light in his eye that caused her to wonder at the precise nature of his thoughts. She’d seen that same soft expression enhancing his features during their tryst in the summerhouse, and it was that recollection that decided her. He could have taken advantage of her but hadn’t done so. Enough gentlemen had tried to compromise her during her marriage to Simon, and even more since then. Few, she suspected, would have controlled their carnal desires in the way Adam had managed to do. He was an honourable man and she would trust him with her secret.

  “Very well.” She paused to clear her throat. “My family lived very comfortably in Saragossa before the start of this cursed war. It’s a small town in the northeast of Spain, close to the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, near the French border.”

  Adam nodded. “I know where it is.”

  “My elder brother Eduardo and I speak excellent English. That’s why, when the war came, we both volunteered to become scouts for the English. We were accepted at once because of our local knowledge and ability to pass without suspicion amongst all walks of society. That’s how I met my husband.” She smiled at the memory. “Simon was a captain with the Forty-third Light Infantry and was assigned as our contact. Eduardo and I passed any information we gathered directly to him.”

  Adam nodded. “Local women are often used in such roles.”

  “I found the work exhilarating and never thought myself to be in serious danger.”

  “I believe you’re being too modest. The mere fact that your town is situated so close to the French border makes it vulnerable to rogue raiding parties.”

  “Yes, but I spent most of my time away from home so I wasn’t aware of that.” She shook her head. “Would that I had been. However, first things first. I was explaining about Simon. We enjoyed what time we were able to snatch together and made plans to settle in England when the war came to an end. Then he perished at the Battle of Copenhagen.” Desolation swamped her, as it always did when she allowed herself to dwell upon the demise of her brave husband. “That part of my account was true.”

  “I never doubted it.” Adam’s tone resonated with sincerity. “But it still leaves a lot of things unexplained.”

  “Yes, I know.” Florentina pleated the folds of her skirt between her fingers, lost in the past. “It was some time before news of Simon’s death reached me. When I recovered from the shock, I threw myself even more wholeheartedly into my work as a scout, determined to do what I could to aid the British cause.” She risked glancing at him, dreading to see compassion in his eyes. She could handle anything but that. To her relief, he merely looked as though he understood her need to keep active. “It was over a year after his death before I returned to Saragossa, and what I found there shook me rigid.” She paused to sip her cooling tea. “My parents were both dead from a fever. We’d been attacked by a band of marauding French deserters and our house had been stripped of everything of value. I found Sophia and Ramon hiding in the cellar, half-starved and scared out of their wits.”

  A tear trickled from the corner of her eye and she dashed it impatiently away.

  In one fluid movement, Adam crossed the room and sat beside her, producing a handkerchief, which he passed to her.

  “Don’t distress yourself,” he said with infinite gentleness. “We can talk about the rest later.”

  She mopped her eyes and blew her nose. “I blame myself,” she said, determined now to tell it all. “My parents were frail. I should have stopped playing the avenging angel and stayed at home to care for them.”

  “What could you have done against a band of determined ruffians?”

  “That’s what I keep trying to tell her,” Christine said. “I shudder to think what would have happened if those louts had got their hands on her.”

  “Where was your elder brother when all this happened?” Adam asked.

  “He’d been sent somewhere else by the British. I had no way of contacting him and know not to this day if he’s alive or dead. If he’s alive, I don’t know if he’s aware of what happened to our parents, or where we are now. I worry about that.”

  “Can you not get word to him through Horse Guards?”

  “No, I can’t risk doing that. You’ll understand why when you hear the rest of it.”

  “How did you manage to get to England if you had no way of paying for your passage?”

  “Well, that’s what I need to explain.” She bit her lip without feeling the ensuing pain. “It seemed like fate at the time but I can see now that I was incredibly naïve. The responsibility for Sophia and Ramon hung heavily on my shoulders, you see. Our neighbours did what they could to help but we were all much in the same boat. And then, one day, out of nowhere, an English sea captain appeared. He spoke excellent Spanish and offered the three of us passage back to England. It seemed too good to be true, which is perhaps why I didn’t reveal that I could speak English. Even so, I had to take the chance. Simon’s aged aunt does live in Kent,” she said, with a defiant smile, “and I thought that if we reached her she would be bound to take us in.”

  “And so you accepted this captain’s offer.” Adam scowled. “Didn’t you ask yourself why he was prepared to go to so much trouble if you weren’t able to pay him?”

  “Yes, of course I did! He said his wife had been killed by the French. He hated them as a consequence and was prepared to do whatever he could to help their allies.”

  “Oh, Florentina!”

  “I know I was stupid. But we were desperate and he was very convincing.”

  “At least you didn’t speak English in front of him. Presumably, being able to understand what he said alerted you to the fact that he wasn’t trustworthy. But before you explain about that, tell me how you got to the French coast.”

  “We covered the distance to Tarragona in easy stages and his boat was waiting there.”

  Adam frowned. “Then you had a long sea voyage.”

  “Yes, indeed.” She pulled a face. “There were the three of us and two other young girls. At the time it didn’t occur to me to wonder why the captain had only taken the younger people. If I thought about it at all, I suppose I reasoned that we were the strongest and therefore the most likely to survive the rigours of the journey.” She noticed Adam and Christine share a wry glance. “We discovered when we got to the port that Captain Dawson ran cargo in both directions. He transported gold guineas and, for some reason, English newspapers in one direction. As well as us, his hold was full of textiles, brandy and gin on the return journey.”

  “And what did Captain Dawson require from you in return for your safe passage once he got you on board his ship?”

  “I know what you’re thinking, but it wasn’t like that. I heard him give the rest of his crew strict instructions to leave us be.” She took a deep breath. “But when we reached Portsmouth I soon found out why. We were transported to a warehouse on the docks, and I heard Dawson boasting about his good fortune. He said that he’d get an excellent price for all of us. Especially Sophia and me.”

  “The devil he did!” Adam paced the room, scowling. “He was planning to sell you all into prostitution, I collect.”

  “Yes, he was.” Christine took up the story. “But thankfully business took me to Portsmouth that particular day. An acquaintance, someone I thought I could trust, told me a new girl had arrived whom I might like to take a look at. You know something of my history, Adam.” He clasped his hands behind his back and nodded. “I had little choice but to enter this profession, coming from the workhouse as I did and having been molested by the overseer when I was younger than Sophia is now.” She sighed. “I’ve made the best of it, remained in the business through choice and built up a good reputation. But I’ve never employed a girl who doesn’t wish to grace the profession of her own free will, and nor will I.”

  “I overheard Christine contemptuously refusing to take any of us,” Florentina said. “Being desperate, I
decided she was our only hope. We had the clothes we stood up in and little else, not even enough money to get to Simon’s aunt in Kent. Dawson had taken what few valuables we did have for safekeeping, you see. I heard Christine say she was going to be at a particular hotel for the rest of the day and decided to throw myself on her mercy.”

  “How did you escape from the warehouse?”

  “Well, I’d learned a few tricks of my own whilst scouting for the army and had no difficulty picking the lock when we were left unguarded. By great good fortune we found our way to that hotel before we were missed and the alarm was raised. We concealed ourselves until Christine emerged, told her what had happened to us, and that’s why you find us here today.”

  Adam stared at her, making no effort to keep the admiration out of his expression. She made it all sound so straightforward, but the entire episode must have been terrifying.

  “And now you two ladies make it your business to rescue others who were in the same situation as Florentina.”

  “How did you know?” they asked together.

  Adam smiled. “Nothing could be simpler. I followed you to the cottages on the estate yesterday.”

  “Oh, I see.” Florentina appeared flustered. “I’m sorry to misuse your property in such a manner, but it’s only temporary. The poor souls have to be hidden somewhere until we can find them something permanent.”

  “It’s perfectly all right. Tell me what happens to them next. It can’t be easy to find them positions, especially if they don’t speak the language.”

  “We have wonderfully supportive people helping us. We couldn’t manage otherwise. We approach others with tales of misplaced persons who’ve been deprived of the ability to support themselves due to the conflict raging in Spain. That almost always results in offers of employment for one or two of them.” Christine’s expression was sardonic. “It makes them feel as though they’re doing something to support the war effort.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it does.” Adam smiled at both ladies but addressed his next remark to Christine. “What made you decide to remain involved in such a risky venture?”

  Christine waved the dangers aside. “I know how it feels to be forced to do degrading things in order to survive.” She sighed, a frown creasing her brow at some unsavoury memory. “But at least now I can use what influence I have to save other girls from a similar fate. When Florentina told me what had happened to her, I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk away without at least trying to stop Dawson’s business.”

  Adam nodded, not entirely surprised by Christine’s words, and turned to Florentina. “Do you think the people who attacked your village were really French deserters? It occurs to me that they could have been paid by Dawson to sack small villages close to wherever his boat happened to be moored. Then Dawson would be able to come along and take advantage of the situation?”

  “Naturally, Christine and I have considered that question and think as you do. It’s just too convenient otherwise.”

  “Wherever there’s war, so follow those ready to profit from the misery it causes.” Adam clenched his jaw. “But how on earth did you go about disrupting Dawson’s operation?”

  It was Christine who answered. “We knew very little about him, other than that his cutter was called The Albatross. But I’ve a number of influential gentlemen who frequent this establishment whom I know I can trust, including Lord Madison. You might recall that his wife’s background is shrouded in scandal. She was only saved from ruin when Madison married her but she still has sympathy for the plight of fallen women, since she often says that were it not for Madison she might have found herself in that situation.”

  “She did recommend me to your mother as a suitable companion,” Florentina said, a glimmer of her old spirit reflected in her eyes.

  Adam chuckled. “She’s obviously a good judge of character.”

  “Florentina saw Reynolds when The Albatross docked at Portsmouth—”

  “The man at the Feathers,” Florentina explained with a shudder.

  “Ah, I see.”

  “She saw him come aboard as soon as the boat docked and overheard him talking with Dawson. You must remember they still weren’t aware that Florentina understood English, and they spoke quite openly at the other end of the hold to where she and the others were kept. Reynolds, apparently, kept looking at Florentina and exclaiming about what a good return they’d get for her.”

  An ungovernable rage swept through Adam as he contemplated the narrow escape she’d managed through a combination of good fortune and extreme courage. “He’ll pay for his rapacity,” he said with quiet conviction, unable to resist covering Florentina’s hand with his own and squeezing it gently. “On that you have my solemn oath.”

  She met his gaze and held it, saying nothing but not attempting to reclaim her hand.

  “Florentina overheard Reynolds arranging to meet Dawson later in a tavern on the docks. He made it sound as though it was a favourite haunt of his. Lord Madison sent some of his people there. They followed Reynolds and kept note of where he went. We discovered that most of the girls, and I regret to say young boys, too, were taken to establishments in London.”

  “Lord Madison’s wife was outraged that girls should be taken from their home country and forced to do these things,” Florentina said. “Because of that, he moved heaven and earth to help us. Without him we wouldn’t have been able to infiltrate their organisation. They vary their ports of call, you see, but he managed to get one of his people on the inside to feed us information. That way we have advance notice of where the ship will be arriving. Sometimes, but not always, we manage to release at least some of the captives when they’re transferred to land.” She lifted her shoulders. “It isn’t much but at least we feel as though we’re making a small difference.”

  “As always, you’re being too modest.” Adam smiled at them both, deeply impressed by their courage. “But since neither of you are actually there when they’re set free, at least you’re not putting yourselves in the direct line of danger.”

  “Oh, I’m always there,” Florentina said in a matter-of-fact tone. “They none of them speak English, you see, and have built up a trust in Dawson by the time they reach this country. I have to explain to them the difficulty they’re in and persuade them to transfer that trust to me, otherwise they wouldn’t agree to being rescued.”

  “Which is where she’d been when you encountered her at the Feathers,” Christine said. “Usually Dawson doesn’t risk bringing his boat into London but comes to a port nearer to us here in the south. But he changed plans at the last minute, presumably in the hope of outwitting us, so Florentina had to invent a reason to get away quickly.”

  “We’d just spirited the poor creatures into a carriage with Lord Madison’s man when Reynolds appeared. He recognised me and I only just managed to evade capture.”

  “But he followed you.”

  “He must have seen me catch the mail coach.”

  “You didn’t travel with the captives?”

  “No, there wasn’t enough room. Anyway, it’s safer if we don’t all travel together. I did however need to come here immediately and warn Christine that we might have been compromised.”

  “Which is why you didn’t risk telling me who you were?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Florentina and I were just now discussing what we ought to do next,” Christine said. “It’s too dangerous to continue now Reynolds is so close on our tails. The only other option is to try and put Dawson out of business once and for all. The problem there is that he’s so well connected that we don’t think we’ve much hope of succeeding.”

  Florentina glanced at the clock. “Oh goodness, I must go. It’s later than I imagined and Her Grace will wonder what’s become of me. I have no time to spend now with Sophia and Ramon if I’m to take food to the refugees. Please tell them I’ll see them tomorrow, Christine.”

  Florentina jumped up, embraced Christine and headed for the door.

&n
bsp; “I’ll come with you,” Adam said. “I should like to see them for myself.”

  They said good-bye to Christine and made their way to the stables.

  “Seeing your younger siblings safe must be a great comfort,” he said.

  “Yes.” She sighed. “But it also makes me fear for my elder brother all the more. We ought to be together, with him protecting us all. This just isn’t right.”

  Adam could sense her frustration but could think of nothing to say to ease her mind. Instead he helped her into the gig, pondering her problems as he did so, convinced there must be a way for him to be of service to her. But he was damned if he could decide what it might be.

  He kept Rochester to a sedate trot, matching the pace set by the gig as Florentina drove it to the derelict cottages. When they arrived, he helped her to alight and unloaded the hamper for her.

  “I ought to go first and warn them to expect a visitor,” she said.

  “Of course, take all the time you need.”

  He leaned against a tree, deep in thought about all he’d just heard. By the time Florentina beckoned him into the cottage, a plan to bring Dawson down was already taking shape in his head. But in order to carry it out, he needed to know a great deal more about Dawson’s operation. He spent ten minutes talking to the bewildered captives in their own tongue, doing his best to reassure them that they were now safe. As he left he made a mental note to provide them with better bedding and a few other items that would make life more comfortable for them.

  “Thank you,” Florentina said. “I believe you gave them hope.”

  “It was the least I could do.” Adam smiled at her. “Your instinctive decision to place your trust in Christine served you well.”

  “Sometimes instinct is all we have to guide us. I learned that very early on whilst working for the British army.”

  She was looking at him in a strange manner, causing him to wonder if she was actually referring to her decision to place her trust in him. If so, he was determined not to give her reason to regret that decision.

  “I’m engaged to dine with my brother tonight,” he said. “But you and I still have a great deal to discuss about this unfortunate business. Will you meet me again in the summerhouse later on?”