His Lordship Possessed (7 page)

bedded them, too.” She helped me step out of my skirts.

“Let’s talk about something happier, please. Like that

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clerk from your building who stood up for you in court.

He sounds promising.”

“Fourth?” I chuckled as I stripped out of my drawers

and held up the knickers. “He’s just a lad. Besides, I

practically have him married off already. Do I put both

feet through the holes here?”

“One in each.” She held my elbow to keep me from

toppling over. “You’ve not lost your head over that

towheaded copper, I hope. He’s pretty enough until you

see all that disgusting truth and justice gleaming in his

eyes.”

“Inspector Doyle’s a good sort.” I hauled the knickers

up until they covered my front and back bits. “He spoke

up for me in court, you know. He didn’t have to do that.”

Rina held out the nudies. “Step into them. Th at’s

it.” As I braced my hands against her shoulders, she

pulled the fl esh-colored garment up my legs and over the

knickers. “Maybe he fancies you. He’ll want marriage and

a baby every year, you know. His sort always do.”

“I am not having babies; Tom Doyle’s or anyone

else’s.” While Rina laced up the back, I pulled over

my shoulders the short penders and buttoned them to

the edge of the corset, which kept the fl imsy, skintight

contraption in place. “Marriage is also not in the cards.”

“Cards can be shuffl ed, love.” She came round to

inspect the front. “Once this thing with Walsh goes away,

you can move on, start over. Maybe go up to Settle.”

“All it does there is rain.” I plucked at the fabric

clinging to my breasts. “Th is is too small.”

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“It’s perfect. Stop fussing.” She brought a sheer gown

made of diagonal strips of black net and deep gray satin

over from the armoire. “Th is one will do.”

I refused to allow the colors to remind me of

Dredmore. “Can’t I wear something with a bit more

cheer to it?”

“I’ve a lovely little pink thing,” Rina said. “Th at and a

switch with ribbons and tails, and you can play Daddy’s

Despair.”

I shuddered. “I’ll wear the black and gray.”

“Coward.” A knock sounded on the door, making

Rina glance at her pin watch. “It’s past time I got

downstairs to manage the gels. Finish dressing and then

go to the Amber Room on two. And unless you want to

earn your keep the hard way, Kit, keep the damned door

locked.”

Draping myself in the black and gray gown didn’t

make me feel any less naked, but I didn’t see anything

showing through when I checked the full-length glass.

Wearing the garments of a working strumpet had to be

my most scandalous disguise yet, but after I made a few

rounds of the room I began to appreciate the lightness of

the nudie and the unrestricted movements I could make

in the loose gown.

Comfortable as I was, it still required a fair amount of

nerve to step out into the hall and make my way to the

stairs. Th ere I froze halfway to the second fl oor as a blond gel with an older gent passed by me.

“You’ve a decent fi re built?” the man was asking her.

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“My feet are ice blocks.”

“No worries, dearie.” Th e strumpet dropped me a

wink. “I’ll have you thawed in no time.”

Th e man hadn’t even glanced at me, I realized, and I

chuckled as I continued down. My costume was as good

as a cloak of invisibility.

A few gels had already brought up their fi rst clients

of the night, judging by the noise coming from behind

the closed entries I passed. I heard one shrill voice

demanding to be spanked harder, and cringed as the gel

in the room obliged, making him shriek all the louder.

“Hey, Birdie’s been holding out on us,” a sodden

voice said behind me, and a damp hand turned me round

to face three gents and the gels they’d hired. Th e one

holding my arm grinned and stepped closer. “Oh, I do

like gingers, I do. What’s your name, ducks?”

“‘At’s Prudence.” Th e busty blonde clinging to his arm

tried to pull him back and gave me a hard look. “Her’s

been hired out for an all-nighter, ‘aven’t you, dearie?”

I nodded and tried to hurry off , but the blonde’s gent

wouldn’t release me.

“Must be good,” the drunk told his mates. To me

he said, “Whatever he’s paid, I’ll double it.” He tried to

shove me into the blonde. “I want to see the two of you

have a go at it.”

“I don’t entertain ladies,” I said without thinking,

which made all three men burst into laughter.

“Gel’s got a sense of humor, too. Capital.” Th e drunk

cuff ed my shoulder. “Tell you what, Pru. Since you’re so

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shy, you can play the maid.”

“No,” a voice I had never wanted to hear again said.

“She cannot.”

I looked between the drunk and the blonde and saw

the dark fi gure standing just beyond the group. He’d

donned a heavier cloak and a mask that covered every

feature above his mouth, but the voice was unmistakable.

I glanced at the blonde. If I went with her and her

client, I’d have to perform an illegal sexual act with

another woman for which the Church said I would be

damned for all eternity. Or I could go to Dredmore.

I really had to think about it.

“Milord.” I didn’t smile or natter on about how

happy I was to see him; I had a few shreds of pride left. I

gestured in the direction of the Amber Room. “Th is way.”

“Oh, don’t go running off to do the dirty right away,

ducks,” the drunk said, and wheeled round to give

Dredmore a foolish grin. “Come and have a drink with

us fi rst.”

I waited for Dredmore to refuse the off er. Instead he

came and put an arm round me.

“We’d be delighted,” he told the drunk.

I felt no shame in playacting the strumpet. My garms may

not have been to my personal taste, but I didn’t consider

myself superior to Rina or her gels. Had fate been only a

fraction more unkind to me, I might have sold myself on

the streets of Middy.

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But to be marched along and obliged to behave like

Dredmore’s whore made me feel as if I’d poured several

gallons of lamp oil over my head while standing next to

a bonfi re. It wouldn’t take much of a spark to set me off .

Why had he come? Furthermore, how had he known

that I’d be here?

You’ve been spending too much time in the company of

strumpets.

I held my tongue until we reached the large party

chamber the gents had rented for their revelries. I

couldn’t make myself cross the threshold, not until I felt

Dredmore’s hand at the small of my back.

“Afraid?” he murmured.

“Bored.” I wondered how I might get rid of him in

front of six witnesses. Perhaps when he lit one of his

infernal cigars I would accidentally tip an oil lamp in his

lap.At fi rst glance Rina’s party room resembled a parlour,

with settees and lamps and elegant drapes. Th en I

noticed how wide the settees were, and some baskets that

contained unmarked bottles of golden liquid, lengths of

satin ribbon, and, of all things—

“Peacock feathers?” One of the gents reeled over to a

basket and plucked out a long plume. “Now what can you

do with one of these beauties, love?”

His strumpet, a leggy brunette who had thin lips

beneath too much tint, whispered something in his ear,

making him roar with laughter.

Dredmore steered me round the others to a settee by

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the crackling fi re in the hearth. Rather than sit I leaned

against one arm and held out my hands as if to warm

them.

He hovered, not quite touching me but close enough

to keep the others from hearing him. “You shouldn’t have

run from me.”

“I didn’t run.” I turned my hands over and wriggled

my fi ngers. “I rode.”

He grunted. “I suppose I should be grateful that you

left Velvet at a decent stable.”

“Velvet.” Of course, because he was black.

“I didn’t name him.” He came to stand beside me.

“You could have killed yourself, riding alone in the dark.”

I glanced up at him. “Disappointed?”

His mouth twisted. “I came to court today for you.”

“I saw,” I acknowledged. “Yet you never made it into

the courtroom.”

“I was waiting by the prisoner’s gate,” he said. “When

they brought you out, I was going to take you from them.

Th en I had to deal with that snuff mage.”

“For which I am grateful, Lucien.” I had to say that

much.

He regarded me for a long moment. “No, you’re not.”

“You two bickering already?” Th e drunk thrust a

tumbler of gin in Dredmore’s hand and then presented

me with a much smaller measure in a fi nger glass. He

lifted his own drink, sloshing a bit over the brim as he

toasted me. “Here’s to all the gels with ginger curls, be

they east or west, they shag you best.”

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“To the compliments of discriminating, fi ne young

gentlemen.” I pretended to take a sip and watched

Dredmore do the same.

“Come on, you two.” Th e drunk gave me a playful

push that almost knocked me over. “Have a sit and get

acquainted.”

To avoid another shove, I went and sat on the end

of the settee furthest away from Dredmore. Naturally

he followed and boxed me in by seating himself directly

beside me.

“Th at’s more like it.” Th e drunk patted my head with

a clumsy hand before stumbling back over to the blonde.

I felt Dredmore’s arm snake along my shoulders as

I watched the others cavorting. “Madam Eagle will not

allow you to remove me from the premises.”

“Ging doesn’t seem to fancy you as much as me,

mate,” the drunk called out, and slapped the blonde on

the hip. “Th is one’s more than willing, if you want a

swap.”

“Oh, I fancy him, sir.” Before Dredmore could accept

the off er, I turned and linked my arms round his neck. “I

just take a little while to warm up.”

I swung a leg over his, straddling him much as he had

done to me last night, which allowed me to hide the hand

I slipped between our bodies. I slid my fi ngers between

his legs, taking secure hold of his testicles before I put my lips next to his ear.

“Tell him you’re pleased with me,” I warned, “or I’ll

squeeze until your eyes pop out your ears.”

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Th e grip I had on him demanded immediate

obedience, but Dredmore only turned his head to brush

his mouth across mine.

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I couldn’t believe Dredmore was kissing me while I had

my fi st round his stones, and he took advantage of my

shock by seizing my wrist and dragging my hand up so

that I was gripping his shaft. When I jerked he held me

fast and looked over my shoulder.

“Tonight I must hold on to my Prudence,” he told the

drunk. He looked into my eyes. “Whatever it costs me.”

His play on words brought another round of laughter

from the men, but I dug my nails into him.

“We should perhaps go to our room,” I suggested

through my teeth, “so that you can begin to pay for your

pleasures.”

“An excellent suggestion.” He released my wrist,

clamped his hands on my waist, and stood with me still

on him. Th e unexpected movement forced me to cling to

him as he strode out of the room and into the hall, where

he did not put me down but continued on to the Amber

Room.

“Don’t you think you’re carrying this a little too far?” I

asked as he entered and kicked the door shut behind us.

“I mean, I’m not a native. Saving my life doesn’t mean

you now own me.”

“Walsh has men out searching for you.” He set me

down and went to the window to check the street. “If I

could fi nd you, so can they. We have to go, now.”

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“I am not—”

He came to me, seized my shoulders, and shook me

hard. “For once in your life, you daft twit, listen to me.

Th at snuff mage wasn’t the only one sent after you. And

what Walsh’s men did to your fl at is what they were told

to do to
you
. When they learn that you’re here—and they will—they’ll come for you.”