“I wanted to ask you about Charlotte. Is she well?” she asked, keeping her voice low.
“She is well and safe, and will never be at risk from Kersal again. It was a kind thing you did to help her,” Stephen said.
“She was so young and so scared in the carriage, but she tried to hide it and gave Kersal a right tongue lashing. He looked as if he wanted to gag her, but I wouldn’t let him. It was my job to make sure she was returned here unharmed and I did,” Laura whispered. “I know it’s happened before, but I’ve never been involved. It has always felt wrong, but once I’d seen the child, I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. We do this but we get paid and agree to it to a certain extent; she wasn’t given any choice, or a way out.”
Child. Stephen had almost flinched when Laura had said the word, how could he have proposed marriage to a child? He was as bad as Kersal. He tried to dismiss his thoughts and focus on the matter at hand. “Her friends thank you, and want to stop Kersal,” he said quietly.
As the conversation progressed, Stephen came to the conclusion that it had to be the most surreal conversation he had ever experienced. It consisted of whispers that were interrupted by noises from Laura, Alfred and himself. There was also a lot of movement around the bed by the three of them, all without actually touching each other. They had to give the impression of having an enjoyable experience.
Laura had confirmed what Alfred had said, that there were peep holes in all the rooms. It had sickened Stephen further, but she had also suspected that once the people who had chosen to watch their session realised there was nothing to see, they would be left alone. They continued with the farce purely to be on the safe side. Laura’s safety was vital.
She had a lot of information to give, most of which Stephen could not hear as it was whispered to Peters. He fired questions at her on regular intervals. She seemed relieved to be able to speak to someone in authority about the goings on. Even though she was a working girl who would never be accepted into civilised society, she had standards and morals. Kersal it seemed was turning most of his girls against him, but Laura was not sure if anyone else would be prepared to give them more information to help the case.
“We will gather what we need, your information is just setting me on the right track,” Alfred assured her. “It will save me a lot of time.”
“So you can then return to your own world, well away from this hell,” Laura had whispered to him, sounding a little bitter.
Alfred had looked a little surprised at her words, but soon regained his usual calm expression and leant in to answer her. “We are both involved in different types of hell,” he said calmly. “Mine isn’t any better or worse than yours, but it is every bit as much a hell, believe me.”
Laura did believe him and did not know really why she had snapped at him. She could see the horrors he had seen in his eyes. She was attuned to people, she had to be in her profession and she could see that the gentleman before her had been involved in far more than any reasonable human being should have been. She trusted this man and would help him in any way she could. The kiss he had given her at the start of the evening, she would remember for a long time to come. It would help when she had to blank her mind to everything that was happening to her, for if she did not close her mind to what she did, she would have gone insane a long time ago. The memory of his kiss would provide a place in her mind which her sanity could retreat to while her body was being abused.
Alfred’s questions seemed to last forever; Stephen was becoming bored with the situation. He was relieved when Alfred thanked Laura for her help. She nodded her head and began to take off her dress.
“What are you doing?” Stephen asked in disbelief.
“They won’t expect me, or you to climb off the bed fully dressed,” she said simply. “Don’t take them for fools, they aren’t. They may be a little drunk, but they aren’t stupid.”
Stephen sighed in resignation. He was not embarrassed about getting undressed, but it was a damned inconvenience. Laura pulled the pins from her hair and ruffled her curls. As the three continued to undress Alfred reached inside his pocket. He brought out a small pouch.
“Here, this is yours,” he said quietly to Laura.
“What is it?” she asked, not reaching out to take it.
“It is your reward for your work this evening,” Alfred said simply.
“Reward? I’m a working girl Alfred, I shall get my pennies after the evening has finished. Don’t feel obliged to pay twice, I’m sure you’ve already had to pay handsomely,” she responded a little tartly.
“You would receive a reward for the information you have supplied. I won’t be able to give it to you in the future, so you may as well have it now,” Alfred said, throwing the pouch on the bed.
“So you won’t be back?” Laura asked, for some reason the thought left her with a dead weight in her chest.
“No, we won’t be back to this place ever again,” Stephen responded with venom. “Take the money Laura, you’ve earned it.” He got out of the bed covers, dragging his clothing behind him. “Well my dear, that was a bloody good time, even if I do say so myself!” he said arrogantly, moving over to the table containing the wine and having a large glass. He appeared as if he was quite happy with the evening’s entertainment. After having his fill of wine, he sat down on the chair and started to dress himself. “Come Alfred!” he shouted. “Even you must have had your fill by now.”
Laura picked up the pouch and emptied it quietly into her hand. She looked questioningly at Alfred. “This is too much; a reward is usually a few pounds. I couldn’t earn this much in three years, even if I worked every night,” she said simply.
“I won most of it tonight,” Alfred said with a shrug.
“And the rest?” Laura asked, looking into Alfred’s eyes.
“We all need help sometimes, use it well and get away from this business,” he said gently.
Laura knelt up on the bed and wrapped her arms around Alfred’s neck. She had no corset on and she pressed her breasts into his shirt front. “Thank you,” she whispered, before leaning in and kissing him fully on the mouth.
Alfred should not have allowed such a kiss to take place. He was on duty and she was a working girl. If he was found out, he could lose his job, but the amount of feeling that was given with that kiss almost took his breath away. He responded like a starving man being offered a banquet, pulling Laura to him and kissing her fully in return. They separated, both gasping for breath, wide eyed and flushed.
“I won’t ever see you again will I?” Laura said.
“It would be best if you didn’t, in my line of work there is a high casualty rate,” Alfred said matter of fact.
Laura cupped his cheek in her hand. “In another life I would have taken care of you,” she said simply.
Alfred turned his head and kissed her hand. “In another life I would have let you,” he replied and got off the bed without looking back.
Both men dressed without speaking and left the room. Laura hid the pouch and dressed slowly, tears running down her face. She shook herself once she was presentable again, there was no point repining over something she could not change. She had been given the opportunity to leave this establishment and she would pick her moment and go without looking back. She had done enough here.
*
Stephen and Alfred returned to Stephen’s house. Both travelled in silence, thinking about the night’s events. The carriage arrived at the house and Walter opened the door. It might be the middle of the night, but the butler looked no different than if he had opened it during the afternoon.
“Walter, go to bed!” Stephen said gruffly, but not unkindly.
Walter bowed his head slightly. “Do you require anything else, my Lord?”
“Strong brandy,” came the usual response of late.
“Already in your study my Lord. If there is nothing else, I shall bid you gentlemen good night.”
Stephen led the way into his study and poured
two large glasses of brandy. He took a large drink and slumped into one of the chairs that were placed in front of the fire. “Thank God that the evening is over.”
“It was worth it,” Alfred said, sitting opposite Stephen, when invited to sit down. “She knew a lot more than I expected. My colleague Corless has been working on the outside, following the Baron, noting who he meets with and building a picture of his activities. With the work that Corless has been doing we should have enough to move in quickly.”
“Good, I would hate to think that he was left to roam the streets for much longer. I didn’t realise just how much I hated him until tonight.”
“I realise it was difficult, but at least you have returned. When all this comes out there will be speculation as to who informed on him. Your appearance tonight will probably mean that you are excluded from that suspicion,” Alfred explained.
Stephen looked Alfred squarely in the eye. “What about Laura? Will she be safe?”
“I don’t know,” came the honest reply. Alfred appeared to have his usual control, but a slight gritting of his teeth betrayed some emotion he was hiding. “I gave her enough money to enable her to get away and support herself for a time, but she will have to pick her moment, or she will put herself in danger. She is intelligent and has survived in that world until now. I am sure she will be fine.”
“I hope so, I would hate to think that in stopping Kersal, we have put someone in harm’s way,” Stephen said. “So what happens now?”
“You leave the rest to us,” Alfred said with authority. “Mr Frost will inform you when there is something to report. But until then, be assured that work will be going on to stop this ring.” He rose. “It is time I returned to my lodgings. Thank you for your assistance my Lord.”
Stephen stood and shook the officer’s hand. He had gained respect for the calm Alfred, even in such a short period of time. “Well I can’t say it was a pleasure, but I hope we’ve done enough to help you. Good luck.”
Alfred left Stephen alone. Stephen sat back down with his brandy. His duty was done; he had done everything he could so that another girl such as Charlotte would not face the same horror. Charlotte. He should be celebrating, he told himself. He no longer had to think about her, there were no further ties between them, he could forget her.
He poured himself another brandy; it was going to be a long night.
Chapter 15
Charlotte awoke with a headache. It was no surprise; after all, she had drunk four glasses of wine! She got out of bed quickly; it was a late hour and she wanted to get the interview with Michael over as soon as possible. She dressed and went directly to the dining room. The relief that filled her when she realised that Michael and Elizabeth were still resting flooded through her so much that she greeted Mr Dawson with a large smile.
“Good morning Miss Webster,” Mr Dawson said, standing as she entered.
“Good morning,” she replied. “I feel I could eat the whole of the breakfast spread out on this table!” Charlotte said.
“Be careful Miss Webster, many more nights drinking lots of wine and then eating large breakfasts and you shall no longer be the belle of the ball,” Mr Dawson teased.
“Good,” Charlotte said firmly. “After a fiasco like last night, I don’t know how anyone comes through a season without getting into trouble. I don’t think I could.”
“You will soon be able to keep the likes of Mr O’Hara in check, I’m sure,” Mr Dawson said reassuringly.
“I’ve had so little experience of Society,” Charlotte said honestly, feeling that if she had a full season, she would feel constantly out of her depth.
“You remind me of Elizabeth; and she managed to get through, just. I’m sure you will be fine,” Mr Dawson said, amused.
“If Lord Dunham doesn’t force me into a marriage first,” Charlotte muttered darkly.
“He’s a fair man,” Mr Dawson said in defence of his friend, but his tone was gentle. He could see that Charlotte was remorseful and worried.
Charlotte’s anxiety increased when she found out later that Michael was in his study with Mr O’Hara. She returned to her bed chamber, not wishing to have to make conversation with anyone and spent her time pacing the room, dreading the time when she would be forced to face Mr O’Hara and potentially forced into a marriage she did not want.
She was eventually asked to go and join Michael in his study. She entered, looking every bit the scared, very young woman that she was. Michael had to suppress a smile at the fear in her face; it was slightly flattering to be able to instil such emotion in someone, since his wife would be more likely to laugh at him than be scared.
“Come in Charlotte, please be seated,” Michael said, kindly, his compassion overwhelming his amusement.
“Thank you,” Charlotte replied quietly. She sat facing Michael, the emotions she was feeling clearly being expressed on her face. Michael waited while she composed herself. She sighed and took a breath. “I need to know, are you going to force me to marry him?” she said in a rush.
Michael laughed loudly. “No talk about the weather first?”
Charlotte smiled, despite her fears. “If I am going to be condemned, I’d rather know now. Idle chit-chat about the weather can wait.”
Michael admired her direct way. “I have spoken to Mr O’Hara this morning.”
“I know, it took such a long time!” Charlotte said with feeling.
Michael suppressed a smile. “Maybe so, but I needed to give him a piece of my mind about his behaviour last night.”
Charlotte flushed at the memory. “I was foolish. I should have asked him to leave.”
“Why didn’t you?” Michael asked. He certainly had given the young gentleman a setdown that he would not forget in a hurry, but if Charlotte did like him, he would not discourage the match.
Charlotte thought for a moment, wondering whether or not to be honest with Michael. She would have been if it was Elizabeth asking the same question, so decided to trust her host, even though most of the time she was a little bit in awe of him.
“At first I didn’t know what to do. I’ve never been in that situation before.” She flushed a little, that was not exactly true and Michael knew it. When her uncle had arrived, she had been found in the library kissing Stephen. That seemed different somehow, she was not afraid of Stephen, she had been a little afraid of Mr O’Hara. With Stephen she had only ever felt protected.
Michael correctly interpreted the blush, but did not think there was any use going over old ground. He had said his piece at the time. “Go on,” he encouraged.
“When he started to say that he wanted to marry me I thought about everything everyone had been saying about Stephen,” Charlotte said candidly. “I know enough of his reputation to understand why everyone has been telling me to forget him.”
“You turned down an offer of marriage from him,” Michael gently reminded her. If she was longing for Stephen, she could have had him weeks ago.
“I know and as silly as this may sound, I still think that it was the right decision. I want to be loved; I want to be married for me, not just for convenience. Does that make sense?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes it does, but how does Mr O’Hara fit in?” Michael coaxed.
“He is a nice gentleman, he is perfectly eligible, I do see that,” Charlotte admitted. “I have listened to everyone about how unsuitable Stephen is, so I thought that perhaps I should give it a chance.”
Michael’s heart sank a little, he would have to ask, but really did not wish to know. “What happened?”
Charlotte really flushed this time. “I didn’t encourage him, honestly, but all at once he was kissing me. My first reaction was to push him away, I would have done if I hadn’t had everyone’s voices in my head, telling me to forget Stephen and meet a respectable young man.”
“And?” Michael asked.
“So I kissed him back,” Charlotte said in a rush.
Michael inwardly groaned, he should appreciate this
as practice before he hopefully had a houseful of daughters, but he wished his wife was having this conversation instead of him. He could imagine how she would laugh later when he relayed the story, not about Charlotte’s embarrassment, but of his own.
“Has it convinced you that Mr O’Hara is the man for you?” he asked.
“Goodness no!” Charlotte exclaimed. “The kiss was nice-well, it was not bad, but it was nothing like.....it wasn’t.......have you ever kissed someone and wondered how you could ever want to kiss anyone else because that kiss was like an explosion of everything good?” Charlotte asked, her intensity making her overcome her bashfulness.
It was now Michael’s turn to flush slightly, but his reply was honest, “Yes I have.”
“Well, you will know exactly how I feel about Mr O’Hara then. He is nice, but he’s not him!”
“I do understand, but Charlotte, there is no guarantee that Lord Halkyn will ever cross your path again. I am sorry to be blunt, but I doubt that you will ever hear him renew an offer of marriage, even if your paths do cross.” Michael said the words gently, but he needed to make Charlotte realise that if she was hankering after Halkyn, she had already had her chance.
Charlotte looked crushed. “I know the decision I made was the correct one, but it doesn’t mean to say that I don’t know what I have lost. I’m trying to be pragmatic by thinking that I didn’t have the chance of a life with him before, so I shouldn’t be upset now.”
“Is it working?” Michael asked with a twinkle of amusement.
“Not a tiny bit!” Charlotte said with a groan, but she smiled at Michael. “Thank you for not forcing me into a marriage I would not have been happy in. I refused Stephen because I would not be happy, so I could not agree to marriage to someone who I didn’t care for. I do like Mr O’Hara, but I need to be loved and to love, no matter how out of the ordinary I may sound.”
An Inconvenient Trilogy - Three Regency Romances: Inconvenient Ward, Wife, Companion - all published separately on Kindle and paperback Page 32