CHAPTER TWENTY
Joseph held his breath as the carriage pulled up in front of his house. As they’d travelled through Cheapside, Evelyn had looked through the window eagerly. It was dark, so she could not see much. But he wondered what it was like to see the area through her eyes.
After growing up in the stews, he was proud to have moved to a part of town known for its solid homes and middle class environs. The houses were nowhere as large as those in Mayfair, but they were well kept and spacious. His own home, while somewhat narrow, boasted kitchens and servants’ quarters on the lower level, a sitting room and dining area on the ground floor, his beloved library on the first floor, along with his master bedroom. There were three additional bedrooms on the second floor, one of which could easily be used as a nursery. Though if Joseph were ever fortunate enough to have children, he’d decided he would move his bedroom up to the second floor to be nearer to his children.
As he helped Evelyn from the carriage, he grew increasingly nervous. They had not spoken on the journey. He’d held her, as much to calm his racing heart as hers. He had not told her of his pride in his house. All he saw now was that it was but a portion of the size of her home in Oxfordshire. Because of the cold weather, the window boxes were empty and the coal dust had settled on the buildings of his street, making them all look dirty. His shutters could use a coat of paint.
He stood with her for a moment in the cold, after dismissing the carriage with a message to give to the Kellingtons regarding Lady Evelyn’s whereabouts. He wanted nothing more than to sweep her across his threshold, yet he knew everything would change if he did.
She squeezed his arm. “Are you going to invite me in? Or do you wish to stand out here all night?” Her smile was brilliant and he had everything he could do not to kiss her right there on the street.
Instead, he escorted her to the door, which was opened by his butler, Goldberg. “Welcome home, Inspector,” he said, as he bowed to Joseph and Evelyn.
Joseph introduced his butler to Evelyn, as the servant took their coats. Joseph then dismissed the man for the night. His servant was too well-mannered to give any indication that he thought it was odd that a lady was there so late in the evening.
Yet that was all Joseph could think about. She was there. In his home. Finally.
He turned to her. “Evelyn…”
“No, Joseph. No more talk. No more discussions of honor or class or any other nonsense. You brought me here for a reason. Now, take me.”
She did not have to tell him twice.
He swept her up in his arms, then strode purposefully to the stairs, which he took two steps at a time.
He walked into his bedchamber, kicking the door shut behind him. He put her on the ground, then they both began undressing each other. There were no words, only the urgency driving them both. Though Evelyn fumbled a few times, she was able to get him undressed quicker than he would have thought possible.
Finally, they stood in each other’s arms, skin to skin, kissing, with hands roaming over each other. He led her to the bed, then laid her on her back. He moved on top of her, but had to hold himself back to keep from falling upon her like an animal.
He pulled back, evading her arms that sought to hold him. He looked at Evelyn smiling up at him. He wished it was daylight because the candles did not let him feast his eyes as he wanted.
He kissed his way down her body, put his lips to the delicate arch of her instep. Then he kissed his way back up her legs, darting his tongue over her inner thighs.
He reached the heart of her and began to lick and lave. She instinctively pressed her thighs against him as she moved beneath him. She was already wet when he began, but he wanted to ease the pain he knew she’d experience.
He kissed his way back to her lips, then supped, gradually deepening his kisses until their tongues fully mated. Then he gently spread her legs and positioned his achingly hard cock at her entrance.
He hesitated. “Do you want this?”
“Yes!” she said.
“But everything will change.”
“I know, my love. I know.”
He gently pressed into her and almost blacked out from the pleasure. He had to go slowly, easing in to her, stretching her as he went. When he came to her maidenhead, he pressed forward then slid all the way home.
He stilled then. And for a moment, all he knew was the warmth inside her, where his impossibly hard cock could feel the pulse of her gripping him. He kissed her and she tenderly touched his cheeks.
That was all the restraint he had. He began moving, still gently. But decisively. In and out. With her, against her. Surrounded by her. And slowly all the years of pain began to fade away. All he knew was her.
* * *
She could not think. All she could do was feel. Joseph was inside her, stretching her, giving to her. Owning her soul. With each move he made, she fell more deeply in love. She was joined with him in much more than body. It was truly two souls coming together.
She could feel him growing harder inside her. She could sense his restrained passion. The muscles of his back – which felt so good beneath her fingers – were tense. His breathing was labored. And his physical responses excited her more.
As she began to spiral toward passion, he did, too. He was nipping lightly at her neck. She was scratching her nails down his back. She could not be close enough to him. Here in his house. In his bed.
She lost control and flew away with passion. He slammed into her three more times, then she felt his seed pulsing into her.
Then he collapsed upon her and all was right with the world.
* * *
Joseph groaned as he came. Then as he lay upon her, trying to catch his breath, he groaned silently once again. He had ruined her. He really was a bastard for doing it. Just as bad as the randiest lord. But he would not think of it now. Not when he had her in his arms.
She was boneless from the exertion, but he wanted to get her under the covers before she grew cold. She was little use in the endeavor, so he worked around her. He pulled the covers up around them, and she nestled against him, just as she had in his bedchamber in Caversham.
They were silent for a moment, with just the sound of their breathing. He thought she might even be falling asleep. But then she spoke.
“You once told me you did not wish to speak of your parents, of your life before Bow Street. But I would like to hear it now. I want to know everything about you.”
“I can say with certainty you don’t.”
She reached up and touched his cheek. “Don’t tell me what I want from you. Not here in your bed. Please, Joseph, it’s important to me.”
Joseph didn’t want to tell her, but he needed something to make her distance herself from him. Because at this point, he hadn’t the strength to leave her. And she deserved to know the truth.
“My mother was a prostitute. She had no idea who my father was. It was likely he was one of her customers or possibly one of the men who worked at the brothel. She was as good of a mother as she could be, though she had a problem with drink and opiates. She died when I was nine.”
“How horrible to lose your mother so young.”
“She’d been as good of a mother as she knew how. Her own mother had abandoned her when she was a babe. Things could have been worse when she died. At least the madame allowed me to stay if I worked for my keep.”
“But you were only a boy. What could you have done?”
“I did whatever I needed in order to keep a roof over my head. I ran errands, cleaned, worked in the stables. I combed through the alleyways in search of coins the customers may have dropped on their way home, foxed to the point they couldn’t walk straight. I had to share what I found with the madame, but the few shillings I earned felt like guineas. I spent the next two years that way, but I knew I was on borrowed time. The madame was pushed out and her new replacement was ruthless. She changed the clientele and began offering specialty services.”
From th
e look of curiosity on Evelyn’s face, he could tell she had no idea of the depravity that could be found in London’s underworld. And he didn’t plan to enlighten her. “One night a fight broke out. Two men were beating one of the girls and I tried to help her. Unfortunately, the men had paid to beat her.”
“That’s barbaric.”
“Quite. The new madame didn’t take kindly to my intercession, so she had two of her bully boys beat me in the alley. I was strong for eleven, but those brutes were merciless – and there were two of them. They beat me within an inch of my life, then left me for dead in the alley.”
He saw her wipe tears from her eyes. No one had ever cried for him before.
“For the next nine months, I lived on the streets. I barely survived. I was weak from my injuries and thus in constant danger. But I was determined to get well and find a better life. One night I was rifling in the bin in back of a shop, hoping to find food. The owner of the shop heard the noise and came out with his pistol pointed, thinking he was stopping a would-be burglar. I thought I was going to be killed and it had been three days since I’d eaten. I’m ashamed to admit I fainted.”
He dared to sneak a glance at her. She was still crying.
“When I awoke a day later, I was on the softest bed I’d ever lain upon. In truth, it was but a cot well-stuffed with straw. But I was clean and wearing night clothes that were at once too short and too big everywhere else. A lady was trying to make me take some gruel. And standing behind her was the man who’d pointed the gun at me. They were Mr. and Mrs. Minsberg, the owners of a small jeweler’s.”
“Are they the same owners of Minsberg Milliners?”
“No, sadly, they are not the owners, though they were kin.”
“Were?” asked Evelyn.
Joseph nodded. He wasn’t sure if he could tell the next part. The pain was still too great.
As if reading her mind, she kissed him. “Please,” she said. “I want to hear all of it.”
“Very well, Evelyn. But it is not pretty.”
“But it is your story and, therefore, of infinite interest to me.”
“The Minsbergs were kind enough to take me in. I began running errands for their business. They let me live in a room in their home and for the very first time in my life, I had my own bed. I had honest work and was assured of food and shelter. I felt like a prince. The Minsbergs taught me to read and do sums. They were of the Jewish faith and told me of their religion, while at the same time encouraged me to attend Christian services. They were the very best people I’d ever known. Yet, they were continually persecuted because of their religion. By the time I was fourteen, I stayed close to the shop as much as possible, hoping to discourage the bullies who would shout slurs outside the store. But the Minsbergs told me I must never let the hatred of others affect me. They even encouraged me to find a girl.”
“I imagine you did not need much encouragement for that, though I am not sure I want to hear details,” said Evelyn, her eyes twinkling.
He kissed her. “There was a tavern with a serving maid I had my eye on. She didn’t know I existed and I imagine I made myself a real nuisance. I was too young, too green and too poor. But I lived her for smiles. I would stay at the tavern after the shop closed, hoping for a smile from her.”
“Did you get one?”
“Not many. But one night when I was wasting my time in the tavern, I smelled smoke and heard the bells of the fire brigade. There was a massive fire close by. As the drunks ran out to watch, I was gripped by a real fear. And for good cause. The fire was at the Minsbergs’ shop. They’d been upstairs asleep, with no time to escape. The bastards who’d set the fire had doused the entire store with kerosene. There was no way they could have made it out.”
He stopped, once again consumed by sadness, anger and regret, just as he always was when he thought about the events of that night. But this time it was different. This time Evelyn took him in her arms. To his horror, he began to cry. But she held him until he was able to continue again.
“Did they find who was responsible?” she asked quietly.
“There was never any question. There was a gang of five youths who took responsibility. I had no doubt they’d done it. They’d thrown rocks through the window and painted slanderous words on the shop for years. They’d tormented every shopkeeper in the neighborhood, demanding protection money. But they’d been worse to the Minsbergs because of their faith.”
“Then the authorities must have apprehended them.”
“Sadly, no. The gang had been paying off a few local officers for years. But there was one honorable man. Inspector Salinger was known for his honesty. I went to him and demanded that he do something. But since there was no evidence, there was nothing he could do.”
“But you did something, didn’t you?” It was a quiet statement, not a question. “You wouldn’t let such an injustice stand.”
“I took the law into my own hands. I knew I would be no match for all five, so I waited for the right moment. There was a hanging, which is always accompanied by a riot. I waited for my chance, then in a moment when the crowd was fighting and the leader was separated from his friends, I took my knife and killed him. I looked him in the eye and killed him, telling him I was doing it for the Minsbergs – though it was the exact opposite of what they’d taught me.”
He waited for the condemnation. Waited for her to pull away, though it would kill him when she did. But she looked at him and said “Good. I’m glad you did.”
She continued. “Did Inspector Salinger ever learn it was you?”
“He saw me do it.”
“What?”
“As I dropped the body, I looked up to find Inspector Salinger staring at me. But I didn’t run. I didn’t want to hang for what I’d done, but I’d known what the consequences would be if I were caught. I was prepared to face them. He took me to his office at Bow Street, without saying a word. He didn’t say a word once we got there. All he did was ask for a meal to be brought to me – I hadn’t eaten on a regular basis in the weeks since the Minsbergs had been killed.
“He’d been a friend to them, and he and I had an acquaintance because of it. He told me they would have been disappointed in what I’d done, but he could understand why I’d acted as I had. He said he was giving me one chance to make amends to their memory. I could work as an errand boy at Bow Street until I was eighteen, living in his home. But he warned me that if I made even one mistake, he’d see me hanged. I believed him because he was the only honest copper I’d ever met. It was only years later that I learned he’d set out to kill the gang leader that night, too, only to have me beat him to it. He couldn’t very well have me hanged for a crime he’d been about to commit.”
“I would like to meet him some day.”
“You would have liked each other. But sadly that won’t happen. He died of a wasting disease two years ago.”
“I am so sorry.”
“As am I.” He looked at her. “So that is my story, my lady. It is yet another reason why I am not worthy to be your friend, let alone your lover…or anything else.”
“You are wrong,” she said. “You are the most worthy man I have ever met.”
They passed the next few minutes in silence, simply holding each other, until he heard her slow steady breath of sleep.
* * *
Joseph awoke to an empty bed. For a moment, he thought he might have dreamt the entire interlude. In a way, he hoped he had. But then he saw the indentation where Evelyn had lain. It was still warm, so she hadn’t been gone long. The sun was out, which meant there was no chance of sneaking her back to Lynwood House.
He got out of bed, then noticed her evening gown was still on the floor. That was a good sign. At least she hadn’t been so horrified by the night before that she’d fled his house. Although, now he was insatiably curious to see what she was wearing.
He pulled on a shirt and some pantaloons, then set out in search of Evelyn. He found her in the kitchen, having tea wi
th his staff. She was wearing his dressing gown with one of his shirts beneath it. Both were ludicrously large for her, which made him want to snatch her up and carry her back to his bed all the more.
He remained in the doorway, unseen by anyone, watching Evelyn interact with Goldberg, Mrs. Bly his cook – who was a former prostitute – and one of his maids, April, who’d been a tavern server until she’d been savagely attacked by a gang of men. He watched as all of them laughed at something Evelyn had said. She was a lady, through and through, yet she was talking to the servants as if she did this all the time.
“Mr. Stapleton!” April rose from the table, suddenly self-conscious. “We was just finishing our breakfast.”
Evelyn looked at him and his heart stopped. She was more beautiful today than she had been yesterday. Her hair was hanging down and she looked deliciously tumbled. As he watched, a rosy blush broke out on her cheeks and a shy smile curved her perfect lips. “I am afraid I am disturbing your household, Joseph. I came in search of tea, then could not leave until I sampled Mrs. Bly’s delicious rolls.”
“I’m glad someone appreciates my cooking,” said Mrs. Bly. “The Inspector hardly eats enough to stay alive. I have to remind him to eat and even then he only eats half of what I give him. It don’t make sense, what with him such a large, strapping man who eats so little. He needs someone to make sure he gets his meals and eats them, too.” Here she cast an appraising glance at Evelyn. “I was thinking maybe Lady Evelyn could….”
“Thank you, Mrs. Bly,” said Joseph, as he cut into what was sure to be an embarrassing suggestion. “We shall keep that in mind.”
“Be sure that you do,” she said, as she went back to work. “This place could use a woman’s touch.”
“Lady Evelyn,” said Joseph, “have you seen the rest of the house?”
“I have not, sir, though I can say your kitchen is impressive and quite well maintained.”
“It is, at that,” said Mrs. Bly, from inside the pantry.
“Then pray allow me to take you on a tour,” said Joseph.
Never Turn Away (Kellington Book Six) Page 18