“You’re not?”
She uncrossed her arms and made as if to close the door. “No, now get lost.”
Will slapped his hand to the door. “Wait. I need to speak to her. It’s important.”
“Laura’s busy. Now get out of here.”
“I’ll wait.”
The seconds ticked by as the standoff took root.
“Laura ain’t at nobody’s beck and call.” She fisted her hands on her hips. “Not even a handsome bastard like you. What’s your name?”
“I’d much rather introduce myself to her.”
“She ain’t gonna let you get within fifty feet of her without a name or knowing how you learned hers, so if I was you—”
Footsteps sounded behind her and her mouth snapped shut. She turned and a man dressed in the attire of a gentleman pushed past her. He briefly met Will’s eyes and Will touched his hat. The man nodded before hurrying on his way.
Will faced her once more. “I assume Laura is alone now?”
She shrugged. “That doesn’t mean I’m letting you by.”
He reached into his pocket. Extracting a shilling, he held it in front of her. “I want ten minutes with her, that’s all.”
She smiled. “Ten minutes? You certainly ain’t no lover who lasts, are you?”
With the confidence of a man who knew the extreme opposite was true, Will smiled and tilted his head toward the coin. “Why don’t you go and ask Laura if she can spare me ten minutes, eh?”
“Fine.” She snatched the coin from his hand. “I’ll need to know on whose recommendation you’re here. She don’t see no one who ain’t here by word of mouth.”
Will pulled back his shoulders. “I’m here on the recommendation of Mr. Nicholas Milne.”
Her rosy cheeks paled and her blue eyes grew wide. “No, you’re not.” She glanced behind her, before narrowing her eyes. “Who the hell are you?”
Will’s gut knotted with adrenaline. What was going on here? “Why couldn’t I be here on Milne’s recommendation? I know he’s a . . . friend of Laura’s.”
“He ain’t no friend. The man’s a piece of . . .” She pursed her lips together and leaned out of the doorway to look up and down the street. “Just get lost. Now!”
“No. I need to see her. I’m not leaving until I do.”
She snapped her gaze to his. “Mr. Milne likes his visits kept quiet and I can’t imagine him telling the likes of you anything.”
“Look, whether you believe it or not, I am here with Laura’s best interests in mind. I am here to help her, not hurt her.”
Her gaze darted over his face and her hands curled into fists. “Help her in what way? Is someone threatening her? ’Cause if they are, I’ll smash their damn faces in.”
The door was opened wide by someone inside. “Bette, that’s enough.”
The woman who came to the threshold was a little younger than her protector and beautiful. Her burnished brown hair was curled and teased into the latest style but lacked the gleam of moneyed care. Her chemise was clean yet yellowed with age and her red satin wrap had lost its sheen. Will’s stomach tightened. So this was the second of Milne’s lovers. This beautiful woman might not have been as stunning as Emily, but she damn well deserved to be on the arm of a man who loved her. Not languishing in a backstreet apartment taking in paying visitors like Milne.
Like his mother had before her.
Will removed his hat and swept into a low bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss.” He straightened and beamed his widest smile. “Laura, is it?”
She looked him straight in the eye. “Who wants to know?”
“I’m an associate of Mr. Nicholas Milne’s. I need to speak to you.”
She looked from him to her door guard and back again. “You know Nicholas?”
“Yes.”
She pulled back her shoulders. “Then I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”
His smile dissolved. “Even if what I have to say saves your life?” She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I just need five minutes.”
Her door guard stepped forward. “She said no, now sling your hook.”
Laura touched her arm, her gaze locked on Will’s. “It’s all right, Bette. Go on inside and stick the kettle on. I’ll soon have this gentleman on his way.”
“But—”
“Now, Bette.”
The formidable Bette threw Will a look loaded with warning and disappeared inside the tiny “two up, two down” house.
He smiled. It was nice to know Laura had someone looking out for her. He turned and met Laura’s gaze.
She crossed her arms. “Well? Let’s hear it.”
Will locked his gaze on hers, willing her to trust him. His heart picked up speed and when he spoke, the words came out in a seamless rush. “Milne is a dangerous man. A violent man who beat and raped my mother, leaving her for dead on her apartment floor. I don’t want you to be his next victim.”
The noises from the street at the end of the alleyway filtered toward them, louder than before. Will’s blood pulsed as he waited for her response. Two spots of color stained her cheeks but her eyes gave nothing away.
“You could be lying, for all I know.”
His stomach knotted. “I’m telling the truth. I don’t think for one minute he hasn’t raised his hand to you. Am I right? The man’s a violent woman-beater who enjoys inflicting his power when there is no chance of reciprocation.”
She turned and looked along the alleyway. “I take risks every single day with one faceless jock after another, but Nicholas is a different kettle of fish entirely.” She faced him. “Nothing is worth upsetting him. If you don’t have proof he hurt your mother, don’t expect me to put my neck on the line by talking about him.”
Will realized his stupidity. Laura had hardened necessity running through her veins instead of blood. She could easily be a mother, a sister . . . a wife . . . yet something had brought her to this and she was surviving. Will had more respect for her than she’d ever know.
“She named him. That’s enough for me.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s not enough for me.”
Will squeezed his eyes shut as frustration scorched his insides. “When she died, I promised I wouldn’t go after Milne but I can’t rest until I know he’s either dead or locked up.” He opened his eyes and met her steady violet gaze. “His poison has seeped into my veins, Laura. Please. You have to believe me. Don’t take the risk you’ll be his next victim.”
She studied him through narrowed eyes. “I suppose your mother was a whore like me was she, handsome stranger?” Skepticism dripped from her words onto the cracked doorstep beneath her feet. “You must think I’m an idiot. What is it you really want?”
Anger bit at Will’s conscience like sharpened teeth. “Milne knew her when she was working, yes.”
She smiled. “You don’t like to call her a whore.” It was a statement rather than a question.
“My mother will never be a whore to me. She was a lady. A mother doing her best to make sure I was clothed and fed.”
She stared at him for a moment before her eyes softened and her shoulders slumped. She blew out a breath. “Look, I’m sorry for your mother, I am, but I’m different than her. I’m not a mother but I’m doing what I can. I don’t need any trouble. I’m sorry.”
She moved to shut the door and Will slapped his palm against it a second time. “I know what Milne is capable of. I want to save it from happening to you or anyone else. You can either work with me or I’ll work alone. Either way, Milne will pay. It will just be quicker if I have an ally.”
A tear tipped over her lashes as she stared. She swiped her cheek, a soft smile forming. “Who named you our righteous hero?”
Will returned her smile as premature optimism threatened. “I did. That means I have you, his mistress, and his fiancée to look out for. Three women he could kill today or tomorrow. If not physically, then emotionally and s
piritually until all three of you resemble living breathing ghosts of who you once were. I will not stand by and let that happen. That man will not hurt another woman while I still have breath in my body.”
His heart slammed against his chest as he waited. He daren’t breathe nor move and risk interrupting her internal debate. Her eyes flitted over his face and back to his eyes. He needed her. She had the inside information on Milne. She knew him at his most vulnerable. As a man wanting sex—a man out of control.
Women like Laura and his mother did not go with men for the hell of it. They were proud and strong. Street savvy and brave.
She put a hand up and let it linger about her throat. “How can I help pay him back for what he did to your mother? I don’t know anything.”
Quivers of possible victory stirred low in Will’s abdomen. He needed something to add to his growing arsenal of information that would ultimately ensure Milne lived the rest of his scrawny life behind bars. He swallowed his hunger for Milne’s blood, concentrated on steadying the tone of his voice. The last thing he wanted was for her to sense how close to the edge he really was. “I need one or two women willing to testify in court that Milne has beaten them, raped them, or—”
“Raped them?” She tipped her head back and laughed. “You seriously think any judge in the country will look at the likes of me or any of the girls I know and give them sympathy? What would they care if Milne or any other bastard took a piece without our consent?” She shook her head. “I appreciate your sentiment but your head is so far in the clouds, I might as well ask you what heaven looks like.”
Frustration rolled like a storm in Will’s gut. Doubt edged into his mind on a whisper. Maybe he should just kill Milne. Was that what she was saying? The justice system would fail him? Fail her? Their eyes locked, hers reflecting the hope he’d tell her she was wrong, mixed with the silent triumph of knowing she was right.
Will grappled for something more to say. Something to convince her they could do this. Emily. Adrenaline burst inside of him like a breaking dam.
“I have a friend.” He stared. “She is as strong and determined as she is beautiful and kind. If he marries her, he will kill her in one way or another eventually.”
She smiled. “You love this friend, right?”
Will nodded. “Please, Laura. Take a risk to ensure Milne never hurts another woman again. Whatever is holding you to him, making you risk his murderous temper every day, can be vanquished. You could be in a position to change your life.”
Her cheeks flushed and her eyes glistened. “He’s a man with money and position. We couldn’t win.”
He grasped her hand. She didn’t pull away. “How do we know unless we try? Fight with me. Fight for a better life.”
Her breaking smile lit his blood. “I guess not many women say no to you, do they?”
Will stood outside the milliner’s on Milsom Street. Katherine served her next customer, oblivious to him watching through the latticed window. He took the unobserved moment to study her. She, too, deserved a man better than Milne in her life. The boy he met in the back street said Katherine had known Milne since childhood. He understood Emily’s tie to him, but what was Katherine’s? Did she love him?
He rubbed his hand over his jaw. The man “owned” three women. Three. His gut clenched around his resentment, squeezing it smaller and smaller until it was a manageable heat rather than a blazing inferno. There were questions to be answered. The biggest of which was how Milne managed to get this much control over them. No doubt threats, violence, and a whole lot more played a part.
His mother’s face filled his mind’s eye. How did Milne come to know her? Was he a regular visitor to their patch of Bristol for business reasons? Social reasons? He started when the shop door opened. Two women walked out, talking and laughing. He touched his hat to them and quickly swept into the shop before the bell above the door announced his entrance.
“Good afternoon, Miss Carter.”
Katherine spun around from the hat stand. Her wide smile dissolved with almost comical rapidity. “Mr. . . .”
Will stepped forward and bowed. “Samson. How are you today?”
She glanced over his shoulder toward the door, as though debating whether to make a dash through it. “I am quite well. How . . . how are you?”
“Very well.”
A flush colored her cheeks and her gaze left his. She turned to the various velvet-lined trays lying on the counter. Her fingers trembled as she laid ribbons and feathers back in their allocated spaces. She slid the trays back onto the shelves beneath the glass-topped counter.
“I need your help, Katherine.” Will softened his tone in the hope she’d detect he meant her no harm.
She met his eyes and her gaze deepened with concern. “It’s not Emily, is it?”
Will arched an eyebrow. “What makes you ask that?”
Her gaze darted to the door and back again. “Because I know Mr. Darson is insisting you accompany her and if she isn’t with you . . . have you bad news? Has his condition worsened?”
“No. He is as well as can be expected.”
“And Emily? Is she all right? I haven’t seen her since you and Nich . . . Mr. Milne had your argument.”
“She is well, I promise you. I didn’t mean to distress you.”
She gripped the counter. “If anyone should hurt her, it would be too much to bear.”
Will’s heartbeat quickened. “Who would have cause to hurt her?”
Her manic gaze darted over his face as she pulled her lips tightly shut. The skin at her throat shifted. “Mr. Milne has been known to have a temper.” She shook her head. “Ignore me. I’m being silly.”
Will stared at her bowed head. She knew of Milne’s temper yet continued to fornicate with him behind her friend’s back. The guilt he had for upsetting her promptly vanished. “I’m confused.”
She looked up. “Pardon?”
“If you know about Milne’s temper, why would you invite him to share your bed?”
Her mouth dropped open and her gasp sounded loud in the empty shop. “Shame on you, Mr. Samson. How dare you suggest such a thing.”
“Do I not speak the truth? You and Milne are lovers, are you not?”
Closing her eyes, she covered her ears with her hands. “I will not have this conversation with you, Mr. Samson. I would like you to leave.”
The seconds passed like heartbeats. He hated having to do this to her but his motivation lingered far too deep for any other choice. He reached forward and gently lowered her hands from her ears.
He held them as he stared deep into her eyes. “Talk to me, Katherine. Please. I want to help you—and Emily. Tell me about your relationship with Milne. Why on earth would you want to be with someone like that? A violent man. A man engaged to someone else. Your friend. Are you not worthy of more?”
For a long moment, she said nothing and then snatched her hands from his. “Why do you care? What is your interest in Nicholas? Or does your interest really lie in Emily?”
He shook his head and huffed out a breath. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Apportion blame to me for your misdeeds. You are having relations with a man who belongs with someone else. Why?”
Her chest rose and fell until she looked away and a tear slipped from beneath her lashes. “You are a horrible man.”
Guilt pressed down on Will’s chest and he fought it with all he had. “You know that’s not true. I want to help you. Is Emily not a good friend to you?”
She whipped her head around. “Of course she is. I love her.”
“Then why would you sleep with her fiancé?”
She closed her eyes. “Nicholas and I have known each other forever. We were friends before I met Emily.”
“Friendship is one thing, but your relationship with Milne far surpasses—”
She glowered. “When Nicholas wants something, he takes it.”
Nausea struck at Will’s gut. “Are you te
lling me he forces himself on you?”
She stared at him, her eyes wide with fear and her cheeks flushed. She lifted her hands to her mouth and they trembled.
“Katherine, please. Think of Aimee.”
She shook her head. “Don’t. Don’t bring my baby into this.”
“She is the most important person here, isn’t she?” The trembling became more ardent and Will took one of her hands in his. He held it tight. “Help me to help you.”
“He wouldn’t hurt Aimee.”
Will gripped her fingers tighter. “Can you guarantee that? Forever?”
Snatching her hand from his, she crossed her arms. “Why are you doing this? Do you love Emily? Is that it?”
He tightened his jaw, struggled to maintain eye contact. All too soon his feelings surpassed redemption, attraction, and the need to see Milne suffer. He now loved the woman he had only intended to tempt away from his target. He swallowed and met her gaze.
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
She studied him. Her brown eyes intense and unwavering. After the longest moment, she sighed and her shoulders slumped. Dropping her arms, she gripped the counter once more. “Nicholas is a man you do not argue with. I learned that a long time ago. The first time was forced. After . . . afterwards, Nicholas made it clear he would make sure everyone knew I was ruined unless I maintained my relationship with him. So I did. I didn’t want to be a social outcast. I was willing to pay the price. That, Mr. Samson, is the sort of woman I am. Why would you want to help me? There is no reason. Now go. Leave me to wallow in my own mistakes.”
Will tightened his jaw. “You were fifteen or sixteen?”
“Yes, and now it’s too late to do anything about it. You’re right. I have Aimee. She is all I have. Nicholas owns every other aspect of my life.” She gave a wry smile, a spark of malice showing in her eyes. “Children are of no importance to him, so he leaves Aimee to me. That’s the way I want it. Always.”
Will balled his hands into fists. “He’s an animal.”
She nodded. “Yes, I believe he is.”
“What of Emily? What will happen to her?”
Her eyes glazed with tears. “If there was something I could do or say—”
The Seduction of Emily Page 16