A Regency Christmas My Love (3 page)

     Creighton was beside himself.  He could find no one at the Bow Street Runners that was handy and brave enough to help him.  He was forced to wait on Constable Harris.  He paced the office and asked for the tenth time.  “When will he be back?”

     He was told for the tenth time. “He is on his way my Lord.”  Creighton checked his gun again and the knife in his boot.  If the man didn’t come in the next hour, he would go by himself to get Victoria home.  When had he started thinking of her in her first name?  He did not like that name it was a little formal.  He liked Vicky, yes, that was his favorite name but what if he had lost her already.  He did not know if he could live with that.  By the time it was almost dark again Creighton was a nervous wreck.  He had tousled his hair till it stood out on end.  His cravat was an untied mess and his boots were dusty from all the pacing.  Constable Harris strolled into his office in a leisurely way and infuriated the Earl more.

     “Just how long were you planning on staying away from your duties?  I will have you know I have waited on you for hours while a young woman may be meeting her death.  I could get no cooperation from the famous Bow Street Runners and I will report this to the Regency at White Hall.”

     “What…oh…well…what of it?  Who the devil do you think you are?”

      “I am Creighton Brewster, the Sixth Earl of Brawley and the son of the Duke of Chelsea.  I will have you brought before the crown.  My lady, Miss Victoria Grace has been kidnapped by a horrible man called Mister Crawley.  He has taken her to Cheapside to his gambling establishment with mischief in mind and if anything has happened to her person?  I will see that you are hanged or in Newgate for the remainder of your pitiful existence. I do not appreciate having to wait with only cowards in your employ.” Creighton’s face was a mask of unadulterated rage.  His eyes glared at the rotund Constable. “No one was brave enough to help me rescue the Lady.”

      “I am...I am…at your disposal. I will get some men involved immediately.  Roger, Heflin, Michael, Connery, come here now.”  The office was immediately filled with the four men.  Constable Harris put his finger between his cravat and his Adam’s apple and tried to swallow but it was difficult.  He paced the office and measured his words. 

     “We seem to have a situation in hand.  Mister Crawley has taken this woman, the Earl’s lady to Cheapside with lascivious intentions.  We must recover her immediately.  Is there any of you that knows his establishment and the best way to get inside and find the poor young lady? I also want to know why no one would help the Earl before now?” 

     “We all thought he was bonkers Constable.  He was raving like a crazy man.”

  Creighton grabbed the man. “I beg your pardon?”  Creighton had the man by his shirt and off the floor. Constable Harris raised his hands in a peace offering.

  “Gentlemen, gentlemen, we can solve nothing like this.  Please control yourself my Lord.  Please tell us Michael what can we do?” The Constable ran his fingers through his hair and sat. “Please my Lord have a seat.” Creighton shifted into a chair by the window. 

      “Well, I used to gamble there before I was a runner, Constable.  It is a fortress with thugs on every plank.  We needs more men if we be going there. He has a great many people that owes him money and he makes them pay dearly.”

      “Can you get us in Michael without being discovered so we can at least have an element of surprise?”  Michael shook his shaggy head and then nodded, “I can try.”

      “I could get Connery since he is part gypsy to get his gypsy friends to help us and maybe we could get some of the guards to help.  I know there is a bunch of soldiers that aren’t working that might go with us if there was a bit of money involved.” Heflin volunteered.  Creighton sat up straighter and eyed the men, appraising them.

      “I am the Earl of Brawley and I will pay you each a gold crown to rescue this lady.  She is a complete innocent and he has taken advantage of a lady.”

     “I knows some peoples in Cheapside Constable that owes me.  I know they would be happy to help a lady for a crown.”  Roger shifted his weight and straightened. He was chewing tobacco and he spit into a spittoon by the door.

     “Thank you Roger.  Maybe your friends in Cheapside will come in handy this night.  Please Heflin jump in with another suggestion.  We need all the help we can get.  This is a dangerous mission.”  Heflin was the smaller of the men and his eyes brightened.

      “I know Constable, I was thinking maybe someone ought to sneak in and carry the lady out before all manner of hell breaks loose.  There is no telling what will happen if they smell the law in there.”   He paced to the door and folded his brawny arms.

     “I know…I know but we must try.  I met the young Lady when I told her about her parents’ deaths.  She is a beautiful and sweet young lady.  Let us remember that this is what we are trying to do.  Protect the innocent and bring law and order to London.” 

     Creighton paced in among the men.  He turned to them. “I must see this lady safe.  I will do anything I can to help you.  What if I go into the establishment and start gambling to find out where she is.  I could be a distraction while they try to steal all my money.”

      “They will probably do that and more.  You would not be safe my Lord.  We don’t want to be responsible for your demise.  What would the Prince say if we got you killed?”  They were all shaking their heads no.

     “You can’t mean to keep me out of it.  I must help her.  I am about to lose my mind.  Please let me do something.  I can’t be that bad in there.”  All the men looked at each other and then at him in astonishment.   Then they all whistled.

      “Yes, my Lord it is.  It is literally a den of thieves.  If her father had anything to do with this man, then his money was stolen and maybe his life, and that of his wife as well.  It is not a safe place for man or beast.” The Constable rose from his chair.

      “Well, I don’t give a tinker’s damn.  I am going and you bloody well, better let me.” 

      “Yes, my Lord.” The Constable raised a hand and nodded.  “I understand.”

   They continued to plan for a few more hours until Creighton shouted.  “Bloody Hell! Please let us go and rescue the lady before it is too late.”

      “All right, you go with Heflin and my other man Adam.  You will go into the place and start gambling.  I hope you have some knowledge about how to handle yourself.  You serve in the war?”  He raised his eyebrows at Creighton.

      “Yes, I was in the forward guard.  I was a Colonial.  I think I can handle my sword, gun and knife to satisfaction too.” Creighton stood a little straighter.

  “They won’t let you in with a sword but if you hide a knife and gun that would be good.”  “I have my gun and my knife on me now.”  Creighton smiled at them.

   Constable Harris laughed a hardy laugh at Creighton.

    “Then let’s get started before it gets any later.”  They all rose and left by the door.

****

Chapter Four

       Vicky was brought a hot bath and some of the flimsiest clothes she had ever seen to wear.  She was not about to put the garment on when a rather large woman came in and literally dressed her.  Her heart was beating so hard with fright she could hardly breathe.  It had been hours and now they were escorting her to the middle of some kind of saloon.  She was so embarrassed she hid her head in shame.

      They took her and lifted her onto a dais in the middle of the room where all the men could stare at her in her see through dress.  She began to shake.  What were they going to do to her?  Why did she open her door?  She should have waited for Creighton to come back, called his name, something.  She was such an idiot.  She cried and shook her head.

     “Please leave me alone.  Let me go home.  She started wiping her tears away with the backs of her hands.  Her sobbing seemed to inflame the men more. 

“What are you doing?”  Mister Crawley strolled about the room like a peacock and said,

       “We are having a virgin auction.  We examined you while you was unconscious and found you intact so you should fetch a nice sum of money to pay your father’s debt to me.”  Vicky almost retched when she heard that and then she turned in astonishment.

      “Oh my God, you can’t be serious.  What will they do with me?  Oh, no, please, stop this.”  All the men were laughing and talking and paying no attention to her cries. She tried to look into their faces but all she saw was rabid lust.  Her heart broke.

     Suddenly everyone got very quiet as Mister Crawley took the stage.

      “Gentlemen!  Please let me have your attention.  We have a delightful treat tonight.  I have a pure as the driven snow virgin to offer to the highest bidder.  She owes me her Father’s debt and has consented to pay with the only thing she has left, her virtue.”  His laughter echoed off the walls and ended on an ugly note.  He was red faced and gloating in his prize. 

     “How do we know she is a virgin, Crawley?”  Some men shouted at him.

“We checked her out.” Crawley smirked and it is attested to by the doctor himself.”  More laughs erupted. Some men nodded in satisfaction.  Vicky turned to look at them.

      “I have not consented.  I will have you know.  I was kidnapped and the law will come for all of you.”  The laughter increased and the men guffawed at her naivety.  Some men started to whistle and the talking grew louder.  They were paying no attention to her but laying money on tables in record numbers.  Crawley rubbed his hands together in glee.  He was having a wonderful time. 

     Lady Victoria Grace was not.  Her face was streaked with tears and she had her arms wrapped about herself to hide her embarrassment.  Her body shook with fright and she thought she might feint but struggled on. She tried to leave but arms pushed her back.

      There had to be a way to run out of this building and get away, especially with all the men concentrating on the money instead of her.  She edged closer to the stairs and looked for an opening.  Her eye caught the back door and it was cracked open with onlookers from outside trying to get a look at the prize.  Vicky lunged for the door and fought her way through the crowd.  Her feet flew to the door and she threw her weight onto the door with her shoulder scattering the onlookers.  Crawley’s men were outside as well and soon had her in hand.  They lifted her bodily with her feet dangling and brought her back to the dais.  Her screams only excited the crowd in the room. She looked about her and screamed again.  Someone would hear her, surely. 

     Then it dawned on her.  They didn’t care.  She was in a den of thieves that had their own laws and she was nothing but an object to be sold.  Crawley laughed at her again and peered into her face.  She spit in his face full on.  His anger got the better of him and he slapped her.  Someone yelled,

     “Don’t go damaging the merchandise Governor.  We needs her to look pretty.  In fairness, we need to see more of her.  Can’t you take that stupid dress off of her?”  Crawley stopped glaring at her and wiped the spittle from his face.  He wanted to kill her.  She could see it in his eyes.  What had she ever done to him to deserve this?

      “Please let me go.  I won’t tell anyone.  Please.”  Vicky struggled but two men had her wrists and there was nothing a tiny woman could do against the towering brutes that held her.  She slumped her shoulders in defeat.  Crawley gloated over her and took out a knife.  “I think they do need to see the merchandise better, so they can see what their money will buy them.”  He cut the straps to the gown and the front of it fell to her waist.  Vicky shuddered and held her arms around her chest in humiliation the likes of which she had never known.

   A man in front spit tobacco into a spittoon and glared at Crawley.  “I want to see all of it.  I got a right to see, don’t I?  She might not look so good under them skirts.”  Crawley turned the knife around and pointed it at the man.  He looked like he might attack him but he thought better of it.  He turned back to the audience. 

     “Now gentlemen, there is no way I am going to show all the delicate attributes of the lady. Suffice it to know that they are myriad and beautiful.  She has no blemish on her.  Her skin is creamy white and she is too innocent for words.  Who will open the bidding?  I will start the bidding at 1000 pounds.  Thank you to the gentleman in the back for his bid.  Now who will go to 2000…now 3, give me 4, 5? Do I hear 6, 7, 10,000 pounds.  Do I hear 11,000? Are we done?  Do I hear 11,000…maybe 10,500?  So we have 10,000 going once…twice…sold to the gentleman in the back for 10,000 pounds.  You made a very good purchase.  I will have my guards take you to her quarters where you can collect your prize.”

       “I want to take her to my place.”

     “No, you will have her here, for when you are done with her, well, she is mine.  I will keep her then for my business.”