Mastering a Sinner (19 page)

He bowed again. “I’ll look forward to it.”

All he could think as he walked back to his office was that she still didn’t trust him completely and that hurt. How had he allowed himself to become so emotionally vulnerable to her? It was all very well trusting her in bed, but with the rest of his life? That was terrifying when he already knew you couldn’t even trust your own family. . . .

His steps slowed. There had been something in her eyes that made him want to gather her in his arms and protect her from whatever was worrying her. She’d hate that. Why was she so unsure? What had Charlotte told her? Had she seen Nicodemus?

A thousand questions and no answers. He flung open the door of his office and went inside. A note sealed with a familiar crest lay on his blotter and he broke the seal to read it.

Alistair shook his head. “That’s impossible, I would’ve—” With a curse, he found the copy he’d made of the list and started to read.

“Devil take it, did he inherit his cousin’s title after all?” He found the name he sought and stared down at it uncomprehendingly for far too long. “Why didn’t I see it earlier?”

With a groan, he rolled up the list and faced the inevitable. Whatever else happened, he wouldn’t be dining with Diana at the Sinners or attempting to make his peace with her. He’d be spending his evening at the Demon Club....

 

Diana stayed at her desk until she had completed all her work and then lingered staring into space. Maddon had confirmed that the earl would be returning on the following day. From everything she’d learned about him she had to assume he had been informed of her recent employment and had perhaps drawn certain conclusions about who and what she was. It wouldn’t pay to underestimate the man. He was the head of a spy ring after all . . .

Despite her promise to Nico to wait and see if he could find any more proof of her parentage, she reckoned she would broach the matter with the earl at the earliest opportunity. It was a shame that she’d then lose the most enjoyable employment opportunity she’d ever had and Mr. Maclean. . . .

She groaned. The job could go hang itself. She’d find another. But Mr. Maclean was irreplaceable, and she was so close in gaining his complete trust....

But in order to do that she’d have to trust him in return. Despite what most people thought of the relationships she formed, not all the power was on her side. If Mr. Maclean didn’t choose to submit to her, or allow her to give him the sexual pleasure he craved, she’d have nothing. She needed him just as much as he needed her.

And that was the sticking point. She
needed
him. She’d never felt like this before and it was rather frightening. If she told him, would he change? Would it ruin the delicate balance of their relationship or make it even stronger? For the first time in her life, she wanted to find out. She wanted to be able to tell him when she didn’t feel strong, or needed his help, and know that it wouldn’t change the way he perceived her in the bedroom.

But didn’t he already understand that? Hadn’t he insisted that just because he needed to be dominated sexually didn’t mean he wasn’t a strong, capable man in all the other areas of his life? Perhaps he would understand that the reverse might be true for her. That sometimes, just occasionally, she needed to be held and loved and
cossetted
.

And now she’d upset him by withholding information that he deemed valuable to the nation, but was really about her lack of trust.

She stretched out her cramped fingers. Charlotte had asked her to accompany her to the Demon Club. She insisted it was important, and that only Diana could help her. She’d practically begged, which was most unlike Charlotte. It had something to do with Harry Maclean, which meant that Diana was reluctant to be involved at all. But she couldn’t let Charlotte down, and she didn’t have to participate in anything at the Demons; watching was quite bad enough.

Dinner with Mr. Maclean would have to wait, as would any attempt to mend her fences with him. She’d make sure Adam Fisher knew where she was going and hope that he would conjure up some kind of plan to entrap Harry if he turned up. She had every confidence in the Sinners’ ability to secure Harry before Charlotte or her mysterious client got to him.

And then, tomorrow, once Harry was safe, perhaps she’d be able to have that conversation with
her
Mr. Maclean. Diana started to smile and then froze. She wouldn’t be talking to Mr. Maclean on Sunday. The earl was returning, and she would be talking to him instead, meaning her relationship with Alistair would be at an end.

“Oh, damnation!” She marched over to her door, opened it, and slammed it hard behind her. “Why does everything have to get so complicated?”

She stomped up the stairs to get dressed for the Demons. Something black and skimpy should do. God help anyone who got in her way at the club. She was in no mood to play nicely with
anyone.

19

A
listair made no effort to change into his evening dress for his appointment with Harry. He did remember to leave a message with Maddon for Mr. Fisher as to his whereabouts, although he didn’t mention the complications that had brought him to that point. There would be time enough to explain his actions when Harry was under lock and key.

He took a hackney cab to the modest building where the Demon Club had its headquarters. It had once been housed in the far grander surroundings of an aristocratic mansion, but was now on King Street, quite close to the far more famous private club of Almack’s. A footman in an old-fashioned white wig and black and red livery answered his knock on the front door. He studied Alistair’s invitation through his black mask and then invited him to step into a waiting room to the left of the entranceway. There was no one else present, but Alistair could hear the sounds of revelry already reverberating throughout the house.

After a lengthy wait, the footman returned, followed by another man in immaculate dinner dress whom Alistair immediately recognized.

“Mr. Maclean. How kind of you to join us. I thought you were going to be stubborn about your responsibility for the debt your brother incurred, but I see I misjudged you.”

“Lord Blaydon Kenrick.” Alistair inclined his head a less-than-civil inch. “I didn’t come because you ordered me to do so. I came to find my brother and remove him from this place. Do you know where he is?”

Blaydon Kenrick smiled. “Harry always said you were the worst kind of fool, blinded by your perceived obligations and your sense of honor.” He took a step closer. “He wanted you to be punished in his stead. Don’t you know that?”

“No one will be punished if Harry repays his debts.”

His companion laughed outright. “That will not happen.”

“Now who is being naïve? If I am here, perhaps I’ve brought the money to pay off the debt myself.”

“I do hope not.” All the amusement was wiped off Kenrick’s face. “I’ll take you to your brother.”

“Thank you.”

The footman fell into place behind Alistair as if he feared he might bolt. As they moved toward the back of the house, the noise intensified, punctuated by shrill screams and roars of laughter. A man came toward them carrying a woman over his shoulder. Her skirts were rucked up to her waist covering her upper body and head and the man was fondling her naked bottom.

The crowd intensified as they moved forward into a much larger space. Alistair could barely see anything but the backs of people’s heads, and the hands that reached out to grab him as he passed.

“Here you are, Maclean.”

Before he quite realized what was happening, the footman behind him shoved him hard in the back, and he was sent sprawling into a golden cage-like structure large enough to hold a dozen. The cage was almost full and none of the occupants looked happy. By the time he stumbled to his feet and turned around, the cage door was locked by a smiling Kenrick.

Alistair strode over to him and grabbed the bars. “Why am I in here? You said you would take me to my brother.”

“He’ll be here in a moment.”

“And then you’ll release me?”

“Oh no, Maclean. That will be entirely up to the membership.”

“What?”

“The Devils preside over everything. They are seated on their thrones on the platform over there.” Kenrick blew him a kiss. “Enjoy your evening, Maclean. I’ll be betting on you for sure.”

Furious with himself for being so easily entrapped, Alistair swung around to view the other occupants of the cage. Some of them were society ladies of various ages, and others appeared to be gentlemen. But that wasn’t all. There were a few lower class individuals from the city proper.

“Mr. Maclean?”

One of the bearded older gentlemen sidled over whispering Alistair’s name. He looked like the sort of man one would find in a shipping office or a lowly governmental department rather than a gilded cage.

“Yes?”

“You’re not the Mr. Maclean I expected.” He glanced down at Alistair. “I’m Dobbs. Mr. Fisher sent me.”

“Much good you’ll do locked up in here.”

“I’ll be out soon enough, sir. I was one of the first in.”

“How do you get out of this cage?” Alistair asked.

“It depends what you did.”

Alistair set his jaw as he tried to see past the crowds hanging around the cage. “Can you be more specific, Mr. Dobbs?”

“Aye, sir. The club members play cards and accumulate points. When someone reaches the level of one of our debts, that person is let out of the cage and has to do what the winner of his debt demands.”

“I see. How much do you owe?”

“Five guineas, sir. Mr. Fisher wanted me out of the cage and punished before you, I mean, before Mr. Harry Maclean was released. I’m supposed to report back to him if Mr. Harry is here.”

There was a roar and sudden movement around the entrance to their prison. The footman beckoned to Alistair’s companion.

“You.”

“Good luck,” Alistair said softly.

 

Diana forced herself to smile as Matthew Partington, one of the current leaders of the Demon Club, slowly backed her against the wall. He looked relatively harmless, but there was a coldness to his eyes that told a different story—one that Diana had learned to recognize and fear in the occasional client at the pleasure house.

“I don’t wish to participate, thank you.”

“Then why come to the Demon Club?”

“I was invited.” Diana looked around for Charlotte, but there was no sign of her friend. “If something or someone takes my fancy, I’ll certainly reconsider my decision. It is kind of you to think about my amusement, Mr. Partington.”

“I’ve heard you make an exceptional mistress, Lady Theale.”

She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Not anymore, sir. I fear I had to give up such things when I married.”

His smile was colder this time. “I don’t think that’s quite true, is it?”

She raised her chin and continued to meet his skeptical gaze. “Whatever do you mean?” She hoped to God he knew nothing about her relationship with Alistair.

“Theale married you so that you could continue to minister to his particular needs in the comfort of his own home.”

“That is true, sir.” She sighed beguilingly. “But since his death, I haven’t had the heart to return to the pleasure house. That’s one of the reasons why my friend insisted I come with her tonight. She hoped to arouse my . . . interests again.”

He bowed. “Then I hope we amuse you this evening, my lady.”

“I’m
sure
you will.”

“I can guarantee it. Please come and find me if I can be of any assistance, Lady Theale.”

She curtsied low enough for him to get an excellent view of her bosom. “Thank you, Mr. Partington.”

He walked away and she let out her breath. He was as charming as a snake about to strike and not to be trifled with. She wondered why he’d sought her out at all. It wasn’t reassuring. She spied Charlotte coming back into the main salon with an all-too-familiar figure close behind her. What was Charlotte doing talking to Sir Ronald Fairbanks and why were they looking so pleased with each other?

Just as Diana moved toward her friend, there was a roar from the gaming tables followed by another shout as a man was released from the golden cage and led toward the unknown nobleman who had won his debt at cards. The bearded man looked somewhat familiar. . . .

She couldn’t hear the question he was asked, but the vehement shaking of his head and the howls of laughter from the inebriated crowd around him didn’t bode well. One of the footmen shoved the man down onto his knees and the aristocrat moved closer, his hand unbuttoning his trousers to reveal the beginnings of his erection.

Whether he wanted to suck cock or not, the debtor was going to have to do it in front of the crowd while the footman behind him held his head in a stranglehold. Diana briefly closed her eyes as the man’s muffled shout was silenced by six inches of cock filling his mouth.

While all eyes were on the pair in the center of the room, Diana made her way around the edge of the salon and came up behind Charlotte.

“What’s going on?” she whispered. “Why are you talking to Sir Ronald?”

“Why do you think?”

Diana spun her friend around to face her. “Don’t tell me that you are working for him now?”

“He is one of my clients.” Charlotte’s gray eyes were clear and steady. “I told you, Di, I’ll do whatever it takes to get Harry Maclean, and that includes consorting with scum like Sir Ronald. He wants to find Harry too, so I helped him get Maclean to this place for punishment.”

“What did you do?”

“What was necessary.” Charlotte shrugged. “Please don’t worry. I promised I would do my best to keep you and Alistair Maclean out of it and I have. I just wanted you to see Harry brought to justice tonight.”

“I suspect it is the only justice he might understand.”

“But, Charlotte, the Sinners want him too.”

“Then they can have him after he’s paid off that thousand-pound debt in the most excruciatingly embarrassing way Sir Ronald and I can devise.” Charlotte touched Diana’s cheek. “Don’t deny me this. Harry will live to face the Sinners, I promise you that. I just want to see his face when he realizes who I am.”

Diana sighed. “Do you really think it will make a difference, love? Mary-Louise will still be dead. Nothing can bring her back to you.”

“I know that. But I like to imagine she is looking down on us and will enjoy watching her seducer reduced to servicing others and begging—I hope he begs. I hope he cries too.” Charlotte smiled. “As Harry’s debt is the highest, I suspect it will take a while for him to emerge from the cage.”

“He’s in there already?” Diana craned her head to see through the throng of people and caught a glimpse of auburn hair behind the gold bars. “Ah, I see him.”

“Sir Ronald has guaranteed the money necessary to claim Harry’s debt.”

“Why does he hate him so much?”

“Because that is the effect Harry Maclean eventually has on everybody. He bleeds people dry. He takes everything and demands more until his lover either loses themselves entirely or breaks free in the most painful way possible.” Charlotte’s eyes glittered with unshed tears. “He needs to be stopped, Diana.”

Another roar from the crowd announced that the entertainment was over for a while. The bearded man staggered to his feet, his hand rubbing frantically at his mouth, and ran toward the retiring rooms at the back of the house. Much laughter and ribald commentary followed his path, but he had paid off his debt, and as far as Diana understood it, he was free to go.

The gaming started up again and the noise level decreased. Diana found her way through to the supper room and helped herself to a glass of wine and some grapes. She wished she could leave, but loyalty to Charlotte and to Alistair kept her there. Did she have time to slip out and send a message to Adam Fisher confirming Harry Maclean’s presence?

Adam had assured her that he had a plan in place to trap Harry if necessary, and she had to have faith in him. If he hadn’t succeeded in placing his men in the Demon Club, would Charlotte and Sir Ronald take their vengeance too far? She couldn’t allow that. If it came down to it, she would intervene herself and hope that Charlotte would forgive her.

 

Alistair made his way to the back corner of the cage and sat down, his knees drawn up and his gaze fixed on the locked door. He was so furious his whole body was shaking with it. He hoped no one thought he was afraid. Several occupants of the cage were openly weeping and not all of them were women. After watching Dobbs being forced to suck cock, the wailing had decreased as stark terror took its place.

One had to admire the Demon Club in some ways. Maybe enduring such a horrific way of repaying a gambling debt was an effective method of making sure the debt wasn’t repeated. He suspected very few occupants of the cage would wish to return to it. If they did he had to suspect either foul play at the tables, or that the debtor was incurable.

One of the bewigged footmen strolled over and leaned against the corner of the cage, his back to Alistair.

“And how are you this evening, brother mine?”

At the sound of Harry’s voice, Alistair stiffened and looked up.

“No, don’t turn around. If you do, I’ll simply walk away and leave you to your fate.”

“
My
fate?” Alistair said evenly. “The debt was yours, Harry.”

“And the payment for me returning the list to the Sinners is your being here in my place.”

“We have a copy. I don’t need yours.”

“But I went out of my way to warn you about your father-in-law’s presence on the list. You still owe me something.”

“I expected better of you.”

“That was a mistake.” Harry chuckled. “I hate trying to live up to your impossibly high standards, I always have.”

“Asking you not to steal, cheat, and lie to your own family is too much to ask?”

“There you go again, making everything my fault.” A sulky note entered Harry’s voice. “If you’d simply lent me the money I asked for, you wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

“Harry, I don’t have a thousand pounds.”

“You could easily get it for me if you wanted to though. You just chose not to.”

“I chose to stop saving your neck.”

“And abandoned me to my fate.”

Alistair stared straight ahead as one of the women was dragged out of the cage screaming. An unusual sense of hopelessness fell over him.

“Did you bring the money?” Harry asked.

Alistair closed his eyes. “No. I don’t have it.”

“You told Blaydon you did.”

“To ensure that I was allowed to see you. I didn’t expect to be cast into a cage and offered up as some kind of sexual treat to a room full of drunken gamblers.” He rose to his feet and turned toward his brother. “In fact, I think I’ll ask to be released right now and suggest you take my place.”