by Wendy Vella
What little color she had in her face drained away, and Marcus felt uneasy that he had been the one to cause her distress.
“My father wants nothing to do with me, as is evidenced by the fact that he has had not tried to contact me.” Once again she lowered her eyes. “And it’s my fervent hope that Squire Lorne is dead.”
No emotion colored the words, but Marcus knew there was anger in each one, and he wondered what Lorne had done to her and why he cared so much.
“Miss Radley, it’s my belief you have not disclosed everything to me. If there is something you are not telling me because it has no bearing on the case, I assure you that often the leads that at first do not appear worthwhile usually are.”
She tapped harder on the desk, and Marcus thought she would say nothing more, until suddenly she sighed.
“I have not seen my father since the day I left his home seven years ago, but lately I believe someone has been watching me. I couldn’t be sure but…”
“But?”
She looked at him again, and Marcus couldn’t look away from those gray eyes.
“I cannot be certain, but the man who tried to abduct me could have been Mr. Hollander, my father’s steward.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Charlotte drew her cloak closer as she followed Fred down the narrow alley. Mist swirled, making it hard to see through the darkness even with the moon to guide them.
“The note said the woman was hurt, Charlotte?”
“Yes, Fred. It said she was beaten and left to suffer unaided, and that we were to come to Klipper House at once.”
The boy walked in front of her, and Charlotte had a hand on his shoulder. She was unsure how he could see, but he could and she trusted him to guide her.
“Lord Needly’s not going to be happy when he hears you’ve been out here again.”
“Lord Needly is not my keeper, Fred. He is also a nobleman, and I thought you had no liking for anyone born with a title.”
“I don’t,” the boy grunted. “But he seems a good one in a bad lot.”
“You’ve met him once. Surely you cannot have formed such an opinion already?”
“Not many would care about them missing girls, nor that you got home safe from visiting his house, Charlotte. I reckon that makes him better than them others.”
Charlotte was in agreement with the boy, and even though the man disturbed her greatly, she still knew he could be trusted. He had shown her that merely by believing her story. Her biggest problem with him was the awareness she felt in every part of her body when he was near. It was all very odd and uncomfortable, as Charlotte could not remember feeling that way before.
He was big and dangerous. Awareness filled the air when he was close, and she should not think about him as much as she did. He was a nobleman who had women fawning over him constantly. She would not be another one, Charlotte vowed. Yes, he was intelligent, and a man of strong character, both things she admired. He was also far above her on the social ladder, and why she was reminding herself of that she had no idea. Lack of sleep, Charlotte told herself. She needed a good long rest to revive her flagging spirits, and then she would not be enamored of the handsome Lord Needly any longer.
Buildings rose high above them, housing tenements that held hundreds of people, most of whom would be sleeping at such an hour. Pinching her nose, she tried to breathe through her mouth, yet the thought of what she was inhaling made her ill.
“Klipper House is not far now, Charlotte. It’s a hellish place, and as you’ve never set foot in a brothel at night, you should let me go in there alone.”
“You are a child, Fred, I cannot possibly let you go in there.”
“I’ve told you afore, I was bleeding raised in one and me ma was a lady of the night afore she died.”
“Yes, well, don’t curse, please,” Charlotte said, feeling ill at what the boy had seen and suffered. “It does not mean I have to let you go back into one again.”
Fred snuffled. “I’m going in if you are, and at least if you’re with me, I don’t have to worry about you standing about out here finding trouble.”
He made it sound like she was the child, Charlotte thought. Fred lived with her, along with their cook-housekeeper, Dandy. He was old and stooped, but for all that healthy, and could cook better than any person Charlotte knew. They were an odd group of three, yet they had formed a family, and she loved them dearly.
“We must find this girl who is injured, and, as Lord Needly has yet to find those missing girls, Fred, we can assist him in the search. Going into Klipper House may turn up some information,” Charlotte said, trying to sound confident when her knees were knocking together and her stomach clenching so tight it hurt. She always felt this way when she ventured out on the streets at night. These women needed her, as no one else cared if they lived or died. Charlotte knew just what that felt like, therefore she would do what she could to protect them.
“It’s only been two days, Charlotte, and the Lords of Night Street have a good reputation, for all they are noblemen.” Fred spat after this statement.
“I’m sure they do, but there is no harm in helping.”
Charlotte heard a scurry of movement and bit her lip to stop the yelp as something skittered over her foot.
“Hello, darlings.”
Charlotte squinted through the mist as a woman appeared before them.
“Fiona?”
“Lawks, Miss Radley, what you doing out ’ere at this hour?”
“We’ve had word a woman is injured in Klipper House.” Charlotte wanted to put her hand over Fred’s eyes, as currently they were level with a very large expanse of bosom, and not a lot of it was covered.
“You shouldn’t be going into Klipper House, Miss Radley. It’s not safe. Send in word and get one of the girls to check.”
“I told her that already, but she won’t listen,” Fred said.
“Yes, well, we are going in there as the note said she was in dire need of my help. So stand aside please, Fiona, and I thought I told you that you must be close to someone if you are standing out here at night.”
“Jenny’s only a shout away,” Fiona said, before she disappeared back into the mists. “You watch her in there, Fred.”
“Will do, now let’s go.” Fred started walking once more, with Charlotte’s hand on his shoulder.
“That door there,” the boy said minutes later, pointing to a wooden portal set into the wall of a building. “Not sure they’ll let us in, but we can try.”
“Surely you won’t be let in at your age?”
He gave her a look that was far older and more jaded than a boy of his age should ever wear. Then, lifting a clenched fist, Fred banged on the door hard three times. A few seconds passed before a face appeared through a small opening in the top.
“Who be you?”
“Fred, and I bring someone who wants to gamble.”
“Haven’t seen you around in a while, Freddy boy. You still working for Sal?”
“Moved on from Sal,” Fred said, and Charlotte wondered who Sal was and how the man knew the boy. Was this the brothel he’d been raised in? She kept her head lowered as they talked.
“She got money?”
“She has,” Fred assured the man.
Charlotte held her breath as neither man nor boy spoke for a few seconds, and then she heard a key turn in the lock and the door swung wide.
“Stay close,” Fred whispered.
Not needing to be told twice, Charlotte pressed herself into his back as they entered Klipper House. She heard the rumble of voices grow louder as they walked down a narrow hallway and into a room. Thick with the scents of alcohol, smoke, body odor, and something she couldn’t identify, it was cloying.
From the corner of her eye, she noted gaming tables, around which sat men and women, the latter dressed in scanty clothing that showed off a great deal of their flesh. One man had a woman seated on each leg, his hand down the bodice of one, and the woman was urging him to fondle her
breasts. Averting her eyes, Charlotte wondered how anything could still shock her after the last few years of her life.
The walls were dark and stained with smoke, the floor felt sticky under her boots, and she thought briefly of the room she had left the night she had run from her father’s house.
Floors carpeted with soft rugs, a large comfortable bed, and pretty furnishings. The windows had shown vistas of rolling pasture and pretty gardens. It had become a jail to Charlotte, and one she never wanted to return to.
“We want the second and third floors. That’s where the rooms are,” Fred said. “Keep your eyes down, and don’t let anyone see your face.”
She did as she was told. “We shall need to check each room until we find the girl, Fred.”
He grunted his assent but said nothing further as they began to climb the stairs.
Charlotte had no wish to witness the debauchery that was no doubt taking place around her, but knew that to find the girl she would have to. She wasn’t a prude, knowing what happened between a man and a woman. However this, she knew, went a great deal further than just the act of making love.
“Are you sure you want to look behind those doors?” Fred said when they reached the second floor. “The girls usually come to you, or you visit these places in daylight hours. You’ve never actually had to search for them at night.”
“I’m an adult,” Charlotte said, trying to sound confident. “You are a child. It should be you who should not witness what we are about to see.”
“Charlotte, I slept in the same room as my ma when she had her customers.”
“Dear Lord.” Charlotte couldn’t help it, she reached for him, hugging him tight. He stiffened as he always did, but then relaxed and let her hold him. “I’m so sorry, Fred, for what you suffered.”
“It’s all right, ’cause I got you now,” he said, his words husky.
“Always,” Charlotte said, kissing the top of his head before releasing him.
“To make this faster, so I can get you out of here, we should both search, but I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“No, your idea makes sense, Fred,” Charlotte said, trying not to show her anxiety at his suggestion.
“Are you sure?”
All she could manage was a nod.
“All right, I’ll take the third floor while you search this one,” Fred said. “Open the door a crack, look in, and move on. Don’t let anyone see you. If you hear anyone, or you are seen, hide there.” He pointed to a dark space beneath the stairs. “Or call my name and I’ll come.”
Nodding again, Charlotte battled the panic as Fred walked away from her down the dimly lit hallway. Inhaling, she made herself walk to the first door and slowly turn the handle. She found a woman straddling a man on the bed; both were naked. She quickly shut the door and gulped in a breath. The next had a man tied to the bed and a woman standing over him. Charlotte didn’t want to think about that scenario too much, so quickly opened the third door. In the last two there was more of the same. Moving to the right, she opened the first door, praying it was empty.
There were two empty chairs seated before what appeared to be a large window. Poking her head into the room, she searched for a bed.
“You, Miss Radley, are a bloody fool!”
A hand came out and grabbed her, and suddenly she was pulled into the room and pressed into a large, muscled chest. Looking up, she saw the clenched jaw of Lord Needly.
“Release me!”
“Be quiet.” The words were growled into her ear, and then suddenly her back was against the wood paneling of one wall.
“Stop struggling,” he whispered as he nudged her into a dark corner. “We are no longer alone.”
“Let’s have you then, girl!”
Charlotte shuddered as a man spoke. Looking around Lord Needly, she saw two men now seated before the large window. Her heart thudded hard as she tried to get him to release her. Instead, the two bands of iron holding her gripped her tighter.
“Not a word or movement.” His breath was hot against the shell of her ear.
She watched a woman walk out with a candle behind the glass.
“There she is, there’s my girl!”
The men were calling to the woman through the glass. She was dressed in a flimsy gown that allowed them to see her breasts and the thatch of hair between her thighs. When a man walked out, Charlotte watched him rip the gown from her body, then cup her breasts in both hands and begin to caress them. The men shouted out encouragement. The woman then began to take off the man’s clothes and Charlotte pushed her head into the hard wall of Lord Needly’s chest in horror as she felt the treacherous heat of excitement rise in her body.
It was fear that had produced that and nothing more. She was not aroused at seeing those two people, she assured herself; her breasts did not feel heavy, nor were her nipples tight. She was not thinking of the man holding her doing those things to her, Charlotte told herself, even as she felt her body sink into his. He was warm and solid; each muscle clenched as he caged her against his body. He surrounded her, his scent filled her head, and she had the foolish urge to press her lips to his neck.
“Release me,” she whispered. Her words sounded soft and needy, and when his hand touched her chin, lifting it, she did not resist.
His mouth was hard, forcing her head back against the wood, urging her lips open as he took them in a hot savage kiss. She couldn’t breathe. His body touched every part of hers, crushing her breasts, bracing her thighs. It was possession, and she’d never experienced anything like it before. His teeth clashed with hers as his hands swept up and down her sides, circling her ribs to splay over her waist.
Charlotte couldn’t think, only feel as he took her on a sensual journey she had never traveled before. He softened the kiss, his anger now gone as he started to tease her lips, urging instead of demanding a response from her that she was only too willing to give. Where one kiss stopped another started, and she wanted more.
Gripping his lapels, she held him close as his hands moved over her, his fingers touching the undersides of her sensitive breasts. Even through the layers of clothing she could feel them, wanted them on her flesh, cupping, kneading, as the man had to the woman behind that glass.
Suddenly he pulled away, and Charlotte felt his chest heave along with hers as she battled the unfamiliar feelings of lust that still rampaged through her body.
Aware now of other noises in the room, she heard the men grunting and urging the couple on to more lewd acts. Lord Needly began to move her slowly along the wall to the door. He opened it and dragged her out. Seconds later, she was in the empty hall with him, breathless and wanting to run to the dark corner beneath the stairs, where she would not have to face this man.
CHAPTER SIX
Shame washed through Charlotte at what she’d done. To have responded as she had to a man she barely knew was disgraceful.
“What the hell are you doing in such a place, Charlotte?”
“L-looking for an injured girl.”
His handsome features were drawn into an angry mask as he glared at her. Was she the only one affected by what had happened between them? Charlotte realized with a painful rush of clarity that she was an innocent fool to believe otherwise. The man was an experienced rake; dallying with women was a pastime for him.
“What injured girl?” he snarled.
She took refuge in haughtiness. “I received a note that a woman was beaten here and needed my help. And as you have not found the missing girls yet, I decided to look for them as I came to her aid.”
He cursed softly. “In a brothel, that incidentally has an opium den nearby and a gambling house on the lower floor?”
“As I’m standing here, I believe answering that with yes would be a little superfluous.” How could he not be affected by what they had done? She studied his face as he looked over her head to see if they were still alone. His jaw was clenched, and perhaps his breathing was still more rapid than normal, but th
at could be anger because she’d interrupted his pleasures. She didn’t like to think that he’d come here for pleasure or that he frequented brothels, and then called herself a fool once more. It didn’t matter what he did with his life, only that he found her girls.
“Forgive me for intruding on your pleasures.” She waved a hand at the door they had recently walked through.
“You think I was in that room to watch?” His brows lowered as he pushed his face into hers. “That I come here to seek out my pleasures?”
Charlotte nodded as she tried to reclaim her usual control. She had never been the type of woman whose head was easily turned by a man; now was not the time to start just because she had been touched and kissed… thoroughly.
“That, Miss Radley, is an insult.” His voice was a deep growl. “When I seek my pleasures, it is in a clean bed with a consenting woman, and I assure you, I do not need that sort of stimulation to get me started.”
The image of him naked with another woman was not one Charlotte felt comfortable contemplating.
“Who is here with you?” He snapped out the words.
“Fred is upstairs checking for the injured girl, and I must look behind the last few doors, to ensure she is not there.”
“She is not, as I have looked, and there is no sign of the missing girls here either, so that would suggest you were lured here on false pretenses.”
“Oh.” Charlotte felt like a fool. “Are you here investigating, my lord?”
She saw the answer to her question in the dark blue eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“I believe we discussed the matter of you trusting me earlier today?”
“Yes, but you can’t expect me to do so on such a short acquaintance, surely?”
“Try” was all he said.
“Why did you kiss me?”
His eyes ran over her face. “Because had either of those men turned and seen you, they would have wanted more than a brief kiss, Miss Radley. Therefore, I claimed you as mine.”