Persuasion

by Owner

  chosen the gray silk for it complemented her coloring, displayed her figure to

  its best, but at the same time indulged masculine interest.

  That she had chosen this dress with a man in mind, when a month ago she

  would have refused to wear it on principle of its low bust, told her how much

  she had changed. For the second time that night, she felt nauseous! She had

  never considered herself to be a paragon of virtue, but… this was just

  ridiculous.

  She had simply answered the gentleman with a slight nod and had then

  allowed herself to be whisked away by another man and to another dance.

  Her reputation was such that a large percentage of the eyes in the crowd

  were continuously upon her as she danced. In that regard, Lily could

  understand why Anna believed her to be untouchable. But she wasn't. To be

  the constant sinecure of all eyes provided her with relative security but as

  the evening progressed, and she had failed to meet with her blackmailer,

  rather than feel relieved, she felt worried to the bone. But, at the same time,

  neither did she wish to seek him out. Au contraire!

  Perhaps, it was fate that ultimately decided for her. Having imbibed far too

  much punch, just before the clocks struck twelve, Lily found herself hurrying

  to the ladies area. A footman guided her along a tucked away corridor and

  left her at its door. Moments later, when she exited it and once more

  traversed its length, she heard the sibilant whisper and knew that she had

  been caught. That the moment she had been avoiding for the entire night

  had arrived.

  Lily did not welcome it. As soon as her ears processed that spitting hiss, she

  shuddered with distaste.

  “You have danced me along a merry chase this evening, ma'am, for that I

  must commend you, and now to business. It does not do to avoid me, my

  lady. I shall always find you. It would do you well to always remember that.”

  Nerves assailed her, as did the shakes. She felt almost as though she could

  collapse upon the gleaming parquet floor! "Why are you doing this? Why?

  What have I ever done to you? In fact, do not answer that. I have done

  naught to hurt you. Naught!" she spat, her voice coming out strong at first

  and then petering out weakly as emotion rushed through her.

  The man snorted under his breath and his impatience was quite evident as

  he laughed harshly. “My reasons are my own, and none of your business,

  my lady.” This was said with great scorn. “All that you need to know is that

  your mother's life is in danger if you do not do as you are told. But then,

  that is something of which you are fully aware. And I have to once more

  commend you on your talents. At the last ball, you certainly managed to get

  under the Earl's skin, did you not?”

  “I did nothing of the sort!” she retorted indignantly. “I merely danced with

  him! He discarded me like an unwanted present as soon as the music came

  to an end!”

  “I think you'll find that you did, my dear. Or is that a touch of a bruised ego

  I hear? Does the lady dislike the fact that her charms failed upon so

  handsome a fellow?”

  “I am not your dear!” Lily spat.

  “I see that the pretty butterfly has a sting!”

  “I do, indeed. Perhaps, it would do you well to remember that! And no, my

  ego does not come into this. If it did, then I should inform my uncle of this

  sorry escapade!”

  “Now, that, I do not believe, my lady.”

  “What do you want of me?” she spat, her voice filled with frustration and

  almost as soon as the question had escaped her mouth, she wished she

  could withhold it!

  Fate, however, was never so kind.

  “From your talents at Lady Rutherford's ball, I would say that you have

  learnt what a seduction entails . . . ?”

  “Yes, I have had to abase myself before my Abigail. How dare you do this to

  me.”

  There was a low chuckling sound, and Lily wished at that moment that she

  were a man and that she had attended Gentleman Jackson's boxing club as

  had her brother, Devlin. How she wished she could pummel him into the

  ground and terrify him as he had her. How she wished that that were

  possible!

  “I dare, because I have the power. You have realized, and I want an answer,

  what a seduction entails?”

  “I know that it entails the complete destruction and ruination of both my

  reputation and my honor!”

  Again that sound of laughter came from the shadows which he inhabited and

  fury rattled through her. Her fear had dissipated now, as had her anxiety.

  She merely wished that this interview between them were over and that she

  was no longer in his toxic presence.

  “Good, good. It seems your Abigail has been most informative. It is a good

  thing, is it not, that you value your mother's life above your reputation?!”

  She seethed inwardly at his retort and clenched her fists to physically

  restrain herself from responding, for there was no need to respond. He

  already knew her answer. And now that the time had come, Lily ceased to

  worry about the future. The future could take care of itself. It was the

  present that counted. Her life would not be over because of this misfortune,

  she now realized. There were many girls out there who had been

  compromised and who were no longer pure. She would simply have to . . .

  explain to her future husband were she to decide to marry. Explain what . . .

  she did not know.

  Lily tried not to think about it. She also tried to divert her thoughts from the

  fact that this man, this pig, would forever have this information over her and

  would forever be able to use it against her. She shuddered at the thought.

  "It is indeed good fortune for you that I value my mother's life and that I

  love her. God truthfully smiles upon you, for was her state of mind not so

  frail, I would have ignored your ridiculous threats and simply confronted her

  with this farce. But, she is not as strong as she ought to be since my father's

  death. It would seem ergo that God does not smile on the righteous," she

  murmured quietly.

  He hissed and grabbed her by the upper arm. As his fingers tightened about

  her and she felt the tips of the digits sink into her tender flesh, she cried out

  with genuine pain. Her arm stung from those pressure points and shards of

  agony sliced along her forearm and shoulder.

  “How dare you!” she spat and tried to pull away but ceased any attempts,

  when he refused to release her.

  “I dare, because I am in control. Now listen to me and stop your backchat.”

  He paused and sucked in an angry breath. “Tonight, when the clock strikes

  at half past three, a shrouded carriage shall be waiting for you at the corner

  of your street. Within it is a key. That key will gain you entrance into the

  Earl's residence.”

  "Who are you? How can you have a key to another man's home in your

  possession?” she hissed, surprised at the blackmailer's audacity in

  possessing something so private.

  “That is for me to know and for you to never find out, my dear.”

  “How on earth, am I supposed to slip out of my
aunt and uncle's house

  without causing a stir?”

  “That is your concern and not mine. I am sure they sleep heavily after such

  a party as this one.”

  “Perhaps, but they are not the problem. It’s the servants who will more than

  likely capture me.”

  He snorted. “Capture you? I should rephrase that were I you! What will they

  do? You are their mistress. Not the other way around.”

  Nervously, Lily lifted her free hand to her throat and tightened her fingers

  about it. Her grasp caused her pain but it was pain that she needed to keep

  her grounded, to remind her that this was not just some sordid nightmare,

  but real life. She gulped and felt the ball of tears that had gathered at the

  back of her mouth attempt to choke her. This entire situation seemed

  completely surreal and how she wished it was. How she wished that it was

  indeed a nightmare. That she would be able to wake up at this moment, and

  realize that it was all make-believe.

  "And once I have the key?” she whispered as she sucked in a deep breath.

  If he heard her tear-laden voice, he made no mention of it. But then, she

  expected no less of a heartless brute such as this man here.

  “Must I spell it all out for you?” he asked impatiently.

  “I'm afraid so, sir. Before I met you, I was naught but a well-reared lady.

  You are the first to sully my good nature!”

  “A prize indeed,” he retorted scornfully. “Anyhow, once you have opened the

  door to the Earl's residence, there shall be a manservant waiting inside for

  you. He will guide you to the room in which the Earl is . . . relaxing. And

  thereafter, what you do is up to you. You can enjoy it. You can hate every

  moment of it. The choice is yours. However, I have two requirements. He

  must enjoy you and secondly, he must break your maidenhead.”

  Lily felt most disturbed by his explicitness but, what more could one expect

  from a barbarian such as this pig of a blackmailer? Lily closed her eyes at

  the term, ' break your maidenhead.' How was any woman supposed to enjoy

  a man's attentions, if he had to break something in the process? Feeling her

  lip curl with distaste, she attempted to forcibly stop her train of thought. But

  to no avail. His words had swiftly informed her that the little she knew of

  seduction would be quite inadequate for the evening she had ahead of her.

  "You swine!” she hissed.

  Suddenly, his hand released its grip on her arm and as she was freed from

  his hold, Lily swayed on her feet as she attempted to regain control of her

  body. As she did, Lily heard his low toned laughter fade away as he too

  blended into the darkness and left her alone in the shadowed corridor to

  contemplate his orders and how she would go about obeying them.

  ****

  With her heart pumping like a piston, Lily descended the darkened staircase

  of her aunt and uncle's house and felt uncomfortably like a thief stealing

  through the night. Each step that she took was hesitant for the hallway was

  pitch black and she couldn't see a damned thing! The remaining staff on

  duty when they had returned from the soiree had only just gone to bed, for

  she had listened for their trudging steps as they had risen to their quarters.

  This fact combined with her anxiety and nervousness had forced her to

  decide against using a candle to aid her in her exploits and so the possibility

  of falling down the steps was probable. Her hand shook as she gripped the

  banister and her heart ceased to pump at all, instead it seemed to take

  residence in her throat, as the clock struck at half past the hour.

  She was late.

  Instantly, terror flooded her nervous system. Would the carriage wait?

  Would it simply ride off into the night without her?

  Logic told her to stop being foolish. However, she was not feeling rational or

  logical. The clarity of mind that had been her companion when talking to the

  blackmailer had disappeared. She felt very young at that moment. Almost

  like a child and she wished that she could run to her mother and beg for

  help. But, she could not. It was her turn to be the protector, and protect her

  mother Lily would.

  The thought fired her courage and she managed to reach the entrance hall

  of the London mansion without damage to herself or the property. Gripping

  the banister all the while, Lily closed her eyes and sought help from her

  memory. In the dark, the entrance hall appeared to be completely different,

  almost alien. It was only as she traversed the path to the kitchens in her

  mind that she was able to physically walk that same route.

  The first ten steps were quite simple, however, by the next ten she had

  almost walked into a console table and only by the grace of God, had she

  managed to resettle the overflowing vase of flowers that sat upon its

  surface! Finally she reached the door that led downstairs and another set of

  stairs lay before her. Only this time, Lily had no idea of how they twisted

  and turned.

  As soon as her foot was resting upon the first tread, she knew that this

  would be more difficult than earlier. The steps were narrow and rickety and

  as she moved, and her weight was displaced upon the wooden tread, they

  squeaked loudly. By the second step, she had ceased to fear the seduction

  that rested before her, Lily felt quite certain that a tumble down these steps

  would be the next thing to befall her and now simply feared for her life!

  It was then that the idea came to her.

  She could recall a younger cousin descending the stairs on his bottom, when

  he had been naught but a toddler. Deciding to do the same, she awkwardly

  rested her behind on the narrow planks and managed to enter the depths of

  the servants' quarters.

  This area was an easy part of the house in which to travel. She stood at the

  foot of the stairs and as she looked down, there were four doorless jambs.

  The part in which she stood at this moment in time, was obviously a scullery

  for a faint light shone through the mullioned window which was close to the

  ceiling and above a large sink. About which, were myriad plates and dishes.

  She walked through the first doorway and realized it was the kitchen. The

  next heralded the dining room, which contained a large table, odd sets of

  chairs- this she could ascertain from their shadows, and a fireplace, whose

  hearth still glowed from the dying embers of a fire. The last room was quite

  obviously a salon. Again, there were a number of chairs and pride of place,

  beside another gently glowing fireplace, was an armchair and a rocking

  chair. Cook and Rodgers, the butler would take their rest in those particular

  seats!

  The kitchen and salon had very little natural light for there were no windows.

  But the dining room had a relatively large one and she stole to that opening

  and as quietly as possible, and damning each loud squeak that escaped from

  the hinges, Lily managed to lift it to an adequate height.

  Huffing for her breath, Lily pushed her way out of the house and almost fell

  to the ground with a bump! She had been too hasty and only instinct had

  had her throwing out her hands to catch her fall. While her
palms might be

  grazed, at least she wasn't lying comatose upon the cellar ground!

  Rolling her eyes at the thought, Lily jumped up and run up the ten or so

  stairs that led to the street. It was mostly dark and quite difficult to see, but

  at the end of the street, she could see a shadowed box and she knew that

  that was the carriage meant for her.

  Swiftly, Lily ran to it and so suddenly that she almost shrieked, a footman

  appeared out of nowhere and opened the door. With his help, she entered

  the carriage and as soon as the doors were once more closed, the driver set

  off and drove her into the London night and an uncertain future.

  Chapter Five

  Battling her nerves, Lily forced herself to relax. It would do no good were

  she to expire of apoplexy before she even reached the Earl's home!

  Where once, her wry humor would have found amusement in that thought,

  now she felt merely glum. And more panic.

  Never in her life had she felt so torn. So torn between what was right and

  what was wrong. For in these circumstances, was the delineating line not

  blurry? Was it not impossible to differentiate between what was right and

  wrong?

  She closed her eyes at the thought and sat back with a faint jolt against the

  seat. Lily gulped as her mind began to wander down paths she did not wish

  to traverse and she opened her eyes to dispel the imagery that overcame

  her. A small candle provided faint relief from the overwhelming darkness of

  the carriage but she could easily have done without it at all. Instead, she

  ignored the faint light and sank into the enveloping darkness that cushioned

  her in its welcoming bosom and provided her with escape. Her papa had

  once told her when she was a little girl, to close her eyes and count to ten if

  she was ever frightened and that when she reopened her eyes, the world

  would be a much better place.

  Even now, knowing that those trite words had been solely to comfort a small

  girl, she took solace in her father's dictate and counted slowly to ten.

  When she reopened her eyes, while the world was still as cruel as ever, her

  franticness had dissipated some and she no longer felt as though she were

  about to swoon! Which, Lily thought, was something at least!

  Knowing that she had to be strong, that she was doing this for her mother's