by HELEN HARDT
“Me, insane? You dare say such when you are the person who is flooding our society with such rubbish?”
Evan would punish Alexandra for this. If he ever found her that was. How could she possibly rationalize using his business to distribute that paper?
His heart sped up at the thought of her. God, he hoped she was safe. He’d half expected to find her here. Thankfully, she had stayed away.
He held his anger in check. Right now, he had to do what was best for Sophie. He had to get her out of here.
“The woman you are holding is innocent. She is not Lady Alexandra MacIntyre. She is her sister, Lady Sophie, and I can assure you she has nothing to do with any kind of erotic literature.”
Sophie’s eyes widened and she shook her head, her voice straining against the gag. What was she trying to say?
“You’re lying.”
“Take the blessed gag off of her. Let her tell you in her own voice. She’s clearly no threat to you. She’s trying to say something.”
“She has already told us that she is Lady Alexandra,” Ryland said. “Your little game won’t work, Xavier.”
What was Sophie up to? Evan didn’t have time to figure it out. He lunged toward Ryland, tackling him to the ground. “Run, Sophie. Run!”
But the woman held Sophie fast. “Mr. Ryland, are you all right?”
Evan held Ryland down, covering his mouth.
Once Evan had subdued the other man, he punched his face once, twice, three times, until blood spurted from his nose. Sophie’s muffled sobs formed a haze around him. He punched Ryland again, and then again…until an excruciating pain lanced through his thigh.
He cried out, rolling off of Ryland and gripping his leg.
“Hurry, come on,” the woman said.
“Let me get the girl,” Ryland said.
“There’s no time,” the woman said. “Some vagrants are outside, lurking. They’ll run to the constable if they see us. The back way. Come on, we must get out of here!”
Evan grasped at his leg. He needed to help Sophie. She floated above him, her hands bound, her mouth gagged. Her voice, muffled, seeped into his thoughts.
“Evan… Evan… Evan…”
Sophie’s image metamorphosed into Alexandra. His beautiful Alexandra, hovering over him, pulling him toward something.
And then…the curtain fell.
Confessions of Lady Prudence
by Madame O
Amelia, I turned toward the door of my bedchamber. Who could be entering without knocking? I nearly fainted when I saw who it was. Hattie, followed by Christophe. What in the good Lord’s name could be going on?
Hattie’s cheeks turned pink when she saw us naked on the bed, entwined with each other, Lars pumping in and out of me.
“I beg pardon, my lady.”
“It is my fault, my lady,” Christophe said. “I insisted that I see you straightaway. Hattie was kind enough to show me to your bedchamber door.”
“No matter,” said I. “You two shall join us, of course, and we shall have a high time indeed.”
“Oh, my lady, I couldn’t…” Hattie looked at the floor.
Lars continued pumping, and at last groaned and withdrew, climaxing on my belly.
I smiled, a wonderful idea forming in my head.
“Hattie,” I asked, “have you ever had the joy of two men pleasuring you?”
Her cheeks still pink, Hattie replied, “No, my lady.”
“Then it shall be my pleasure to give you this extraordinary gift.”
“But, my lady…”
“You must accept, Hattie dear. I shall consider it an insult if you do not.”
“I do not wish to insult you, my lady.”
“It would be our pleasure, my dear,” Christophe said. “I do believe I can speak for you, Lars?”
Lars nodded, a mischievous grin forming on his mouth. “Absolutely.” He untied the scarves from my wrists. He walked toward Hattie, still naked, and trailed the silk over her cheek. “Would you like me to tie you to the bed, as I did Lady Prudence?”
Hattie trembled, nodding.
“Does the thought of being bound excite you?” Lars asked.
Again, Hattie nodded.
Amelia, my loins throbbed at the thought of watching these two spectacular men seduce and pleasure Hattie. I rose from the bed, walked to my chair where my silk robe was strewn, and draped it over my shoulders, sitting down.
The two men, one dressed and one not, undressed Hattie provocatively, and with every new inch of porcelain skin they exposed, I grew hotter and wetter.
When she stood before them naked, Christophe turned to me.
“And what shall be your pleasure, my lady?”
I licked my lips. “I shall watch.”
Chapter 20
Ally quickly unbound and ungagged Sophie, and then cradled Evan’s head in her arms.
“Where did you come from?” Sophie cried.
“I came earlier in a hansom cab. I’ve been hiding in the shadows, waiting for you to arrive… And it’s a damn good thing I did. One of us can go for help.”
“How? He’s… He’s been shot… We don’t even know if… Oh, so horrible. Too horrible for words!”
Ally shuddered. Evan was not dead. Evan could never be dead. She could not entertain the thought. His chest rose and fell. He still breathed. Thank God! He had been shot in the leg, not through the heart.
His heart. She willed herself to be calm. Evan was all that mattered right now. Evan, and getting help.
“Sophie, I need to go for help.”
“It’s not safe. I have no idea where we are, but I can tell by the condition of this place.”
Oh, her sister had no idea. How would she hail a cab at this time of night? She would have to walk until she found someone who could help.
She looked down at Evan, his breathing labored. Blood from his thigh wound seeped through his britches, leaving a dark wet mark.
His eyelids fluttered.
Ally’s heart lurched. “Evan, can you hear me?”
“Alexandra…” His voice was hoarse and raspy.
“Yes, Evan, I’m here. You’ve been shot. I will get help for you. I promise you.”
He opened his mouth but nothing more emerged.
“Don’t try to talk. I will help you.”
“Too dangerous… I must…keep you safe…”
Ally’s heart nearly broke. Here he was, bleeding profusely, in pain, and he was concerned about her safety. Oh, she truly was in love with this man. She would never love another.
Had money really been so important to her that she had been ready to marry someone other than the man she loved more than her own life? What a self-centered imbecile she had been. She had to save Evan, one way or another. She had no medical training, and she had no idea where to even go for help at this time of night and in this area. But she would save him. Failure was not an option.
“Sophie, we have to get the bullet out.”
“Ally, you and I have a lot to talk about. Those people who took me, they thought I was you. They said you were writing for a—”
“I know. And I’m so very sorry, Sophie. But right now I can’t think about that, and I can’t talk to you about it. All that matters is Evan, don’t you understand?” Tears formed in her eyes and fell down her cheeks. “We can’t lose him, Sophie. We just can’t.”
“Of course. Of course I understand.”
“Dear Lord, I’ll do anything if only he’ll be all right.” Ally sobbed, her nose running, her voice cracking and choking. “This is all my fault, Sophie. You were taken because of me, and he was coming to save you. And now…” She gulped. “I may lose him. I may lose the man I love.”
Sophie gasped. “You love him?”
“I love him more than anything.” Ally laid her head on Evan’s chest, his heartbeat faint against her ear.
“Oh, Ally, I had no idea. You’ve always said how useless he is, and—”
“I was wrong.” Em
otion flooded her. “He is everything. He is all I’ll ever want.”
“I will hold you to telling me all about this later. Right now we need to see to his needs.” Sophie stood. “I have no idea how to get the bullet out.”
“Nor do I.” Ally sniffed and willed herself to regain her composure. Losing it was not going to help Evan. “I need to go for help.”
“I’m sorry, Ally, but it’s just not safe. We’ve already got one person injured. I cannot risk losing you as well.”
“I fear if we try to remove the bullet we may cause further damage. Let’s just try to stop the bleeding before he bleeds out. Unfasten me, will you?” Ally turned her back to Sophie.
“Unfasten you? What for?”
“I want to tear my dress into strips to help stop the bleeding.”
“You’re not thinking clearly. Use your petticoats. We can use mine too.”
Ally shook her head. Of course, the petticoats. She had to think clearly or she would be no help to anyone, especially Evan. Her reticule was gone, but she did have a handkerchief in her pocket. She grabbed it, fitfully blew her nose, and gulped. “Of course, you’re right.” Ally pulled the petticoats out from under her skirt and began ripping them into strips. She took a fistful of the fabric and pressed it against Evan’s wound.
“We could use a tourniquet to stop the bleeding,” Sophie said.
Ally hated the idea. Evan could lose his leg, but at this point they had no choice. “Yes, you’re right. Tie this off while I continue to put pressure on the wound.”
If only morning would come.
“All we need to do is get him comfortable and stop the bleeding,” Sophie said. “If we can do that, he will survive until we can get help.”
Then, damn it, that is exactly what Ally would do. She leaned forward and kissed Evan’s cheek. I swear to you, Evan, I will not let anything happen to you. I will get you help. I will take care of you. Always.
A half hour later, Ally and Sophie had stopped the bleeding. Evan’s breath was shallow, but at least it was present.
“Ally,” Sophie said, “you should try to get a little bit of sleep.”
Ally shook her head. “I will not go to sleep until I know he is all right. I’m so very sorry, Sophie, for all that I’ve put you through. Please, you try to get some sleep.”
Sophie nodded and lay down on the floor. Soon her soft snore wafted to Ally’s ears. Though she tried not to, Ally wept. She sat next to Evan, keeping vigil, waiting for the elusive dawn.
Many hours later, sunlight finally filtered through the dirty window of the dank room.
Evan still breathed, but had not awakened. Ally nudged her sister.
“Sophie, wake up. It’s finally light, and I must go for help.”
“I will go with you.”
“No, someone must stay with Evan. I will go.” Ally couldn’t bear to leave Evan’s side, but she would be more able to get help than Sophie. Though they had both come here in the dark, Sophie had been blindfolded and would have no idea where she was. Ally at least had a small idea of what she was dealing with.
She jerked and looked up as the door was forced open. Two constables entered.
“What is going on here? You do know you’re trespassing.”
Ally sucked in a relieved breath. “Oh, thank God! This man needs help. He was shot. We managed to stop the bleeding a few hours ago, but there’s a bullet inside his thigh. He has been unconscious for the most part since the shooting. Is there a doctor anywhere nearby?”
“Yes, madam,” one of the constables said. “I shall fetch the doctor.” He left quickly.
“How did you know we were here?” Ally asked.
“We received an anonymous message that someone might need help here.”
“Who on earth? Sophie, it must’ve been your kidnappers.” Ally widened her eyes. “Kidnappers with a conscience. That’s a new one.”
“You were kidnapped, madam?”
Sophie nodded. “Yes, I was taken from the Brighton estate in Wiltshire. I’m not sure how long ago—maybe two days? Three? They kept me in a dark room and I lost track of time.”
“We received a note telling us to come here at midnight last night,” Ally said. “This is Lord Evan Xavier, second son of the Earl of Brighton.”
“My God. Well, with any luck, the doctor will be here soon. You ladies have obviously taken very good care of him. If I had to wager a guess, I would say he will recover. Of course, I am no medical professional.”
Ally let out a sigh of relief. The constable might not be a doctor, but hearing someone—anyone—say those words helped.
“And who might you ladies be?” the constable asked.
“I am Lady Sophie MacIntyre,” Sophie said, “and this is my sister, Lady Alexandra. We are Lord Brighton’s stepdaughters.”
Ally’s heart nearly stopped. This man was a constable, sworn to uphold the law. Whoever had kidnapped Sophie had done so because of Alexandra’s involvement with The Ruby. Though she was not involved in the publication and distribution of the paper, she did write stories for it. Was that against the law? Would Evan somehow get in trouble for this?
She could not risk that happening. Once Evan got the help he needed, she and Sophie would have to decline to speak to the constables any more about the matter. If only she hadn’t mentioned Sophie’s kidnappers.
Nothing to be done now.
What seemed like hours later, the other constable arrived with the doctor. “I’m sorry it took so long,” he said. “I had to go several blocks over. I also had to promise that he would be paid double for coming into this area.”
Double? Triple, quadruple, Ally didn’t care, as long as the man helped Evan. “Of course. This man is Lord Brighton’s son. You will be paid adequately, Doctor.”
The doctor, a stout man with gray hair and spectacles, set down his black bag and knelt to examine Evan.
“It’s very good that you got the bleeding stopped. I would like to be able to remove the bullet, but at this point I cannot tell exactly where it is lodged. We will need to transfer him to my office. Let’s get him into your coach, Constables.”
* * *
Ally wrung her hands as she sat in the waiting area at the doctor’s office. Evan had been taken into the back for surgery.
“Ally,” Sophie said, taking her hand, “we have a lot to talk about. I know you must be worried sick about Evan, as am I, so we will save our talk for later.”
Ally nodded. “I am so sorry that you got dragged into this. If anything had happened to you…” Ally’s heart wrenched.
Sophie’s touch soothed her.
“I am fine, and Evan will be fine too, God willing.”
“Oh, Sophie, he just has to be.”
A few moments later, a nurse joined them.
“My ladies, Lord Evan is out of surgery. The doctor wishes to speak to you. Please follow me.”
Ally sucked in a breath. “How is Evan? Will he be all right?”
The nurse smiled. “The doctor will explain everything.”
The nurse wouldn’t have smiled if anything had gone wrong, right? At least that’s what Ally hoped. They followed the nurse to a small office. Dr. Stanton sat behind a desk.
“My ladies, do come in and have a seat.”
Ally sat in a leather chair, and Sophie sat next to her.
“You’ll be happy to know that Lord Evan came through surgery brilliantly. He is strong and healthy. I was able to remove the bullet, and he is stitched up. Right now he is sedated and on morphine for the pain. I’ve already made arrangements to transport him back to the Brighton townhome in London.”
Ally let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank God.”
“It was rough for a little while, but everything worked out fine,” the doctor said.
“Thank you so much, Doctor,” Sophie said. “We will see that you are paid handsomely for your services.”
“Thank you,” he said.
The nurse opened the door. “Excuse me,
Doctor, but the transport has arrived for Lord Evan.”
“Excellent,” the doctor said. “My ladies, you will go with Lord Evan in the transport. We will put him aboard on a stretcher. Two attendants will travel with you and get him safely to his chamber.”
Sophie politely thanked the doctor, but all Ally could do was nod her head and cry. She had never been so thankful in all her life—more thankful even than when her father had passed away and freed her, Sophie, and her mother from the prison of their home. Never in a million years could she have imagined that any person would mean as much to her as Evan did. His life meant everything to her.
Once he had regained his strength, she would accept his marriage proposal.
Sophie had been right all along. Some things were more important than money.
Once in the transport, Ally asked Sophie whether her kidnappers had harmed her.
“I was frightened more than anything else,” Sophie said. “They were not unkind to me, and they did feed me regularly. They did not hurt me, though they did say they were going to get rid of both Evan and me last night. I don’t know exactly what they meant, and I’m glad I didn’t find out.”
“As am I. Something spooked the woman. I don’t know who or what it was, but I thank God for it. I could never have forgiven myself if any harm had come to you,” Ally said.
“But what is it all about, Ally? I don’t understand. Have you truly been writing erotica?”
Ally’s cheeks warmed. “I have. But please believe me that I never would’ve done it if I had thought any harm could come to anyone I loved.”
“I know you would never let anyone harm me,” Sophie said. “You’ve proved that many times.” She cast her gaze downward.
“That is all in the past, dear sister.”
“I’ll never forget how you took on Father for me.” Sophie wrung her hands. “I should have been stronger.”
“Please, Sophie.” Ally didn’t like to think about those times. “As I said, it is in the past.”