A Matter of Sin
Page 25
“Resigned,” Katherine whispered back.
Turnkey Martin was a decent man, and therefore like gold dust in a place like Newgate, where everyone was after something. Bribes were commonplace. Clothing was stolen from sleeping or dead prisoners and sold on, and if you wanted something better than the stale piece of bread and gruel for your supper, then you had to find some coins to pass on down the line.
But this turnkey had been kind to her. He once confessed he’d taken the work because he’d been a prisoner himself, and had no option when the outside world would no longer consider him. So he remained here, in Newgate, and Katherine for one was glad of him.
“This is where they put the toffs,” Turnkey informed her. “See, it’s cleaner. And the torches are lit. And you can smell proper food,” he added, and lifted his large nose to sniff the air.
He was right. They had reached the area of the prison reserved for the important prisoners; the wealthy gentlemen.
The crème de la crème of Newgate.
Soon she would be given over to her fate and that fate was Gervais Hawley, gentleman highwayman currently residing in Newgate.
She’d seen him strolling about the prison, dressed as if he were attending a society ball in his tight breeches and well-cut superfine jacket, his dark hair brushed neatly, his handsome face cleanly shaven.
Gervais Hawley. The Honourable Gervais Hawley.
Wealthy aristocrat. Gentleman. Darling of London society.
Highwayman. Thief. About to be hanged at the gallows tomorrow morning.
Men who were about to be hanged had a final wish. Turnkey had explained it to her. If that wish could be granted by the Keeper of the Gaol, and if the prisoner could pay enough bribes and fees and grease enough palms, then it would be.
Gervais’s wish was a night with Katherine.
“You don’ have to do it,” Turnkey had assured her, when the offer was first mooted, his monkey face screwed up with concern. “But if you do then Gervais has said he’ll pay off your creditors and Keeper will let you out. Freedom, Kathy, eh? How does that sound? And it’s not as if—”
“As if I haven’t done it before?” Katherine had finished for him.
Well it wasn’t, was it? She’d had a man in her bed, and surely all men were much the same?
Perhaps she made a noise because once again the turnkey glanced at her over his shoulder. They’d reached a thick blackened door and now he had found the right key from his bunch and held it poised over the lock.
“Ready?” he asked.
Was she? She opened her mouth to say that no, she wasn’t ready and she didn’t want to do this. She wanted to go back to her filthy, crowded cell and spend the next year or so locked in there, awaiting the money to pay Edward’s debts. Money Edward owed, and just because he had run off didn’t mean the debt could be wiped clean. She’d begged his family to help but they’d never liked her, never thought she was good enough for their son—and besides she and Edward weren’t married, though he’d always promised her father that he would. It came down to the fact that someone had to pay off the debt, and the rest of the world had decided that someone was Katherine.
Not surprisingly, Katherine shut her mouth again and nodded.
Martin turned his key in the lock and the door creaked open. Light spilled out like a ray of sunlight, reaching toward her. Suddenly she could feel warmth and smell food. Katherine felt light-headed with hunger—she hadn’t been able to eat her gristle-filled gruel today. The sight of the sour bits floating on top of the watery soup, along with her worries about this meeting, had turned her stomach.
“Lady to see you, sir!” Turnkey called into the room, with some humour, and a wink at Katherine. He waited until she took an awkward step over the threshold, and then another, before swinging the heavy door shut again behind her. She heard it lock.
Her blue eyes grew wide and she looked wildly about her.
This wasn’t a cell, surely?
With soft thick rugs on the floor and rich tapestries to hide the damp stone walls it had all the appearance of a wealthy gentleman’s residence. And there were furnishings! A comfortable divan set with cushions, a table groaning with platters of food, and candles in silver sconces blazing from every surface. And amid all this luxury… Her gaze came to rest upon the man at its centre.
The Honourable Gervais Hawley, standing with a glass of red wine in his hand, watching her with a half smile curving his sensual mouth.
She stared back. With his dark hair and eyes, his narrow face and aristocratic nose, he was so handsome she felt as though she was frozen to the spot, afraid to move in case he vanished in a puff of smoke. Newgate was not a place for beauty, but Gervais was tall and well made, his white shirt open at his throat to show a swathe of brown masculine skin. The snug fit of his trousers delineated his strong muscled thighs and long legs, ending in highly polished boots.
Gervais was every inch a toff. How on earth had he come to be in this awful place?
“Sit down, Katherine.” His voice was deep and warm, and it seemed to delve inside her so that its echoes tingled, fizzing through her blood.
The first time she’d seen him was in the courtroom of the Old Bailey next door, where she had been sentenced to prison for Edward’s unpaid debts. Gervais Hawley had been passing, surrounded by guards and admirers, but when he’d seen her tear-streaked face he’d stopped and produced a snowy white handkerchief.
“Dry your tears, sweetheart,” he’d murmured. “Things are never as bad as you think them.”
They had been every bit as bad, but still Katherine had treasured the moment. And the handkerchief.
The second time she saw him was when she was being taken back to her cell from the doctor’s rooms—she had been ill with gaol fever—and he had passed her in the corridor, perhaps also having visited the physician. He had caught her eye and smiled, just a twitch of his lips, and then he’d bowed.
Katherine still remembered the heat of her cheeks afterwards, the bewildering sense that he admired her. She, the teacher’s daughter, the innkeeper’s mistress, the girl who never quite fit in anywhere.
The third time…well, this was the third time. They had met briefly only twice and yet incredibly he’d thought of her tonight, his last night. He’d chosen Katherine to be his final wish.
“You know you must do as I tell you, Katherine.” That deep voice again, making her tingle, bringing her back to the here and now. “This is to be my last night. My last wish. Do you promise to obey my commands?”
She’d already made her decision. Her voice was firm and sure.
“I promise, sir.”
“Good. Then I command you to sit down.”
She took a step forward and then another, aware of her ill-fitting clothing, her clogs almost falling from her otherwise bare feet, and her wet hair dripping down her back. It was so luxuriously warm in here. There was a fire in the grate and she wanted to run to it and hold out her hands. Instead she sat on the divan he’d pointed to and watched him the way a mouse watches a large cat.
He was watching her too, candlelight reflected in his dark eyes, a faint curve at each corner of his sensual mouth. He was the sort of man who could have anyone he wanted, she knew that. Women must be begging for him to spend the night with them.
And yet he’d chosen her.
Well that was a good thing, surely? She rallied herself. For after tonight she would be free of the filth and misery of Newgate, free to take up her life again, free from her lover’s debts. She would make a new life for herself…somewhere.
But that was tomorrow and there was still tonight stretching ahead of her. To her own surprise she felt a tingle of excitement and it was stronger than any doubts or fears she might have. Like a yearning. Or a promise of things to come.
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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
A Matter of Sin
Copyright © 2014 by Jess Michaels
ISBN: 978-1-61921-996-0
Edited by Amy Sherwood
Cover by Cora Graphics
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: July 2014
www.samhainpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
“At the most unexpected times, our lives can change. Most ladies are encouraged to run from it, but why can’t we embrace it?”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Two
“For a lady to understand the nature of her pleasure, first she must understand her body. In the privacy of her own rooms, why shouldn’t she touch herself?”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Three
“So often we hide our true natures, but what do we fear? The judgment of others? Or the revelation of our true selves?”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Four
“Never underestimate the power of a kiss.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Five
“Sometimes we are under the illusion of control.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Six
“Secret rendezvous are so very thrilling. It is recommended to have them as often as possible.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Seven
“Ladies are often encouraged not to think of their happiness, nor their pleasure. But when one takes care of oneself, one can be more present for all those she must tend to.” —The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Eight
“A man’s hands are telling instruments.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Nine
“Allow yourself to be opened, like a flower toward the sun.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Ten
“Desire, like a fire, can very quickly explode.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Eleven
“Study what you desire, acknowledge it and ask for it.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Twelve
“Do not fear the look of your lover’s body. Explore and revel in his differences, for they will be most pleasurable.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Thirteen
“It may seem an odd thing, to want a man’s mouth on you intimately, but to be feasted upon is one of life’s greatest pleasures.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Fourteen
“Be careful who you share your passions with. An ill-placed word could lead to impossible consequences.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Fifteen
“On the other hand, a true confidante is never to be underestimated.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Sixteen
“Outside the bedroom, a man is expected to claim control time after time. But behind closed doors, many like it when a woman exerts herself. And many a woman has discovered she likes it just as much.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Seventeen
“There is nothing more terrifying…or arousing…than the idea of being caught at something scandalous.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Eighteen
“The best qualities in a lover are often found outside the bedroom. Watch how your intended interacts with others, how he dances, how he speaks.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Nineteen
“There is nothing more erotic than watching and being watched.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Twenty
“When a lady is put into a bad situation, she must hold her head high and never let the world see her pain.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Twenty-One
“A great deal can happen in a carriage.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Twenty-Two
“If one is going to indulge in an affair in public, one must be aware of her surroundings…or risk scandal.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Twenty-Three
“So often we are told to do our duty, to think of others. But duty without pleasure, without hope, is not a recipe for happiness.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Be careful, though, dear reader. You just might fall in love.”—The Ladies Book of Pleasures
About the Author
Look for these titles by Jess Michaels