An Inconvenient Trilogy Part 18

"Will you send me to the Baron?" she asked in a frightened whisper.

Stephen paused before he responded. He probably should do, there was obviously something going on here that did not involve him and he should extricate himself before he added further complications to the situation. There was something about this girl though, and he was sure she was a girl. He wanted to get some light into the room, but he did not want her to become more frightened and do something that would put her at risk. He could not shake the feeling that she was in danger.

He moved his hands down her arms and took her hands in his. "I will not send you to the Baron, I am not really a gambling man, but I would be willing to wager that you are not his niece," Stephen said gently.

"I am no relation to him!" came the fiery reply.

Stephen smiled in the darkness, she may be frightened, but she obviously had some spark within her. Doing what she had done to approach him in the manner she had, proved that. "We need to speak, but I do not want to carry on this conversation in the dark. Call me old fas.h.i.+oned, but I do like to see the people I am communicating with," Stephen said lightly. "If I light some candles, can I have your word that you will not bolt?"

"I have nowhere to run to," came the honest response.

Stephen slowly let go of her hands. He believed her when she said she would not leave, she would only risk running into the Baron or one of his cronies. He fumbled in the room until he found a candelabrum and lit the candles. As soon as there was light, he walked across to the window and closed the curtains, the night was dark, and any light would reflect far into the garden. He did not want anyone seeing into the room. He saw another candelabrum and lit those candles also, before turning to look at the stranger.

He took a deep breath as she stood there, proud and defiant; looking him directly in the eye, but there was fear and uncertainty in her gaze too. He had never been the one for gallant gestures, but the look in her eyes had him ready to fight for her if necessary. He was glad that their first kiss had been in the dark, he was not sure if he could have responded if he had seen her age before kissing her. Why was he thinking first kiss? He should not be touching her ever again if he guessed her age correctly, she could only just be out of the schoolroom. She was beautiful though. Even in the dim light of the room, it was plain to him that she was a real beauty. She had golden blonde hair that was deliciously disarrayed because of his handiwork. Her eyes were not the pale blue that usually came with such blonde hair, but a deep emerald green. The colour was mesmerising. Her frame was slender, but not pet.i.te and she stood upright and held her head high.

"Let's start with introductions shall we? I'm Lord Halkyn, Stephen to friends and I think after the last ten minutes we can consider ourselves friends, don't you?" Stephen responded with a slight bow and his usual easy smile.

"I know who you are, the girls advised me that I should seek help from you," she replied, watching him warily. She may have sought him out, but it was clear she still did not know whether to trust him or not.

"Really? My reputation is obviously better than I thought," Stephen responded mockingly.

"They said you were kind," she said quietly.

Stephen paused; he had never considered himself kind before. He was more likely to be accused of being selfish, self-centred, slightly cold and completely self-indulgent, but never kind. His curiosity was piqued. "Let us be seated and you can explain yourself more fully. You can start by an introduction."

"You don't need to know my name," she said as he led her to sit on a two seated sofa. Its position was such that if the door opened, both occupants would not be seen from the doorway. He sat next to her, but positioned himself on the side nearest the doorway. If they were interrupted again, he would need to cover her with his body to s.h.i.+eld her from view.

Stephen sighed at her words. "Let me be clear about one thing, if you want my help you will have the decency to tell me the truth. If I find you are using me as a fool, I walk out of this room and leave you to your fate. I'm not wasting my time on someone who cannot be honest with me."

His words had the desired effect; she took a sharp intake of breath and paused. She let out the breath in a rush. "I will be honest with you my Lord, if you promise to help me."

"I have already helped, so I think my promise would not add anything to the situation, and as I have already said, my given name is Stephen."

"My name is Charlotte, Charlotte Webster," she replied.

Chapter 2.

Charlotte had known that she would have to trust Lord Halkyn, there was no one else who any of the girls thought would provide her with help. They were not even totally convinced of Halkyn, but he was described as her only option. She had been grateful for their advice, if she had been left alone; she had no idea what she would have done. This was something completely out of her experience. She had not seen many of the men who visited Baron Kersal's abode, but the ones she had laid eyes on were of the same level as the Baron, lecherous and lacking in morals. They had described Lord Halkyn as kind and considerate in his dealings with them, although he was obviously a rake. Most of the other men had a tendency to inflict pain on the women they used; the girls had said that Lord Halkyn had never done such a thing. She had little choice, so had taken the risk with him.

She had never behaved so much like a doxy in her life and was relieved that the darkness had covered her blushes. If there had been any light she could not have gone through with the charade. Lord Halkyn had been pointed out to her; luckily he had visited the establishment on two concurrent nights, an unusual occurrence apparently. It was a blessing for Charlotte though, her time was limited and she had to act quickly, frightened she most certainly was, but she had to try for freedom.

She a.s.sessed the man sat in front of her. Lord Halkyn may be considered a rake, but he was a handsome one. He had wavy blonde her, not a dissimilar colour to her own and deep blue eyes. His mouth was striking, it reminded her of a rosebud and could have looked feminine, but there was hardness around the mouth, as if the person it belonged to was bitter. She blushed when she thought what a shame that was; the mouth had brought her so much pleasure for those few moments. It had sent her to a place that did not hold anything but warmth and pa.s.sion. The problem was, now that she had tasted what a real pa.s.sionate kiss was, she was even more convinced that she could not go to her fate without a fight.

He was obviously in an unexpectedly strange situation, but he appeared calm, just watching her closely. He seemed amused as a range of emotions pa.s.sed across her face. Charlotte did not know where to start, but as she tried to gather her thoughts Stephen broke the silence.

"So, Charlotte Webster, shall we start with how old you are, or how you came to be in this den of iniquity?" Stephen asked, after giving the girl a few moments. He had enjoyed watching the different expressions flitter across her face, but then he focused his attention. They had limited time and he needed answers.

Charlotte blushed, "I'm nearly eighteen and I'm here because of my own foolishness."

Stephen flinched, nearly eighteen was still seventeen. He was over seven years her senior and probably over a hundred years her senior in experience, if the blushes that kept reddening her cheeks were anything to go by. He cursed silently to himself, this was not good. "Your family?" he asked sharply.

"I have an uncle, who has probably disowned me by now. Lord Halkyn, Stephen," she hurried to use his given name at Stephen's raised eyebrows. "I need to leave this place urgently. Every moment I stay here, I am at risk of being discovered and I can't let that happen."

"So, you need my help, but why should I trust your word? I have known Baron Kersal for a few years, why should I trust you over him?"

Charlotte closed her eyes, if he did not help her she would be lost, but there was not enough time to explain. While she was still in the house she could not relax. "You have no reason to believe whatever I tell you, but I think you will believe me, just as I trust you. I hope you can tell that I am no lightskirt, I am respectable, or I was. Baron Kersal is involved in something that must be illegal; but the girls that work here didn't think you were involved. That was one of the reasons they suggested you might be willing to help. Please can we leave and then I will tell you everything?"

"Why would the girls help you?" Stephen asked. "I've never known loyalty amongst their kind."

"I don't know, perhaps it was because I was so young, perhaps it's because what they've seen happening is beyond what normally goes on in places like this. I don't know!" Charlotte replied, desperation sounding in her voice.

Stephen's mind raced, she had hinted that she was no longer respectable, but she had kissed like an innocent. For some reason the thought of her being touched by one of Baron Kersal's cronies made his blood boil. That was, until he realised that he was one of those cronies himself. His mouth twisted in a bitter smile, he was probably exactly like one of his immoral a.s.sociates that she was trying to escape from.

He stirred from his musings. "Have you any belongings?"

"Nothing of note, I have my cloak here, that is all," she replied.

"We can only leave if we do so separately."

"No!" came the panicked response. She was sure that if he left her they would search the room.

"I'm not going to desert you, but I can hardly walk out through the hallway with you," Stephen said drily.

"They will find me if you leave me alone!" Charlotte said, panic in her voice.

Stephen sighed, "I will get you out of this building, trust me." He stood and walked to the door, he opened it slightly, but his demeanour changed. As he opened the door he called out, slurring his words and seeming to need the door jamb for support. "Hey, my man! I need my coach, now!"

"Yes, sir," came the distant reply.

"Kersal always has lots of obliging staff," Halkyn said, smiling at Charlotte over his shoulder.

"At least you aren't on horseback!" Charlotte said with feeling. She had not relished a gallop across country on a cold night.

"Perish the thought," Stephen shuddered exaggeratedly. "I like my comforts my dear."

"I'm not surprised!" Charlotte said primly.

Stephen chuckled, he liked this girl. "We need to get you to a safe place." He walked to the window, after blowing out most of the candles. Pulling the curtains slightly, he unhooked the latch and opened the French window. He shushed Charlotte's sharp intake of breath. "You are probably right about not being safe in this house once I leave, so you will have to leave it ahead of me."

Charlotte's heart began to pound. She had felt safe with Stephen and now she was going to be alone again. She stood, hugging her arms around her shoulders, trying to give herself courage. "Is anyone about?" she asked in a whisper.

"Not a soul in sight. Everyone will soon have tired of Kersal's search and returned to the festivities." Get your cloak and come here," Stephen instructed.

Charlotte did as ordered and moved silently to the window. She was sure that her pounding heart would give away how frightened she was.

Stephen glanced at her face and smiled slightly; even in the darkness he could see she was pale with fear. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. For some reason he wanted to rea.s.sure her. She looked at him warily at the action, but he just smiled down at her. "Keep close to the wall and move towards the front of the house. You chose well in this room, we are almost at the corner of the building. Stay in the shadow of the wall. Wait until my carriage turns this corner and stay in place until I give you a signal."

"What are you going to do?"

"I wouldn't normally go past this part of the house when leaving, so I need to create a bit of a show. Be ready to move when I give the signal."

Charlotte nodded her understanding and stood wrapped in the warmth of the arm that draped over her shoulders. Neither moved until they heard the wheels of a carriage stopping at the front of the house. Charlotte shuddered; this was it, her best chance.

Stephen felt the shudder and squeezed her tighter. "If this fails, I will return to the house and get you out, by force if necessary." His words earned him a smile that stirred sensations in his groin that were totally inappropriate for the situation. He bent down and gently kissed her lips. "Good luck, now go."

Stephen watched as Charlotte moved along the outside of the building, there was no sound of anyone close by. He closed the window and replaced the curtain, careful to ensure that it did not draw attention to the window. He blew the candle out and walked to the door, preparing to give an excellent performance.

He opened the door as the footman approached. He staggered out of the room and bounced into the footman, making them both stumble slightly. "Sorry, my man, a little too much wine and women I think. I need time to sleep it off," he slurred.

The footman grinned and helped Stephen to the door. "This way sir, I'm sure you will feel more the thing in the morning."

"b.l.o.o.d.y head will hurt though, Kersal never serves us his best wine," Stephen said, stumbling to the door, almost colliding with a marble plinth and a vase balanced on top. The footman moved quickly and steadied the vase, but still managed to help Stephen along. "He's always been cheap," Stephen muttered as if talking to himself.

The footman choked back a laugh, but wisely did not respond to the slur on his master's character. "Here we are, sir."

Stephen paused at the entrance portico, he acted as if the thought of climbing into his carriage was too much, but it was to make sure that he was not going to be challenged. He turned to the footman, "My man will help me, here, have this." He handed him a large coin from his pocket.

The footman accepted it with round eyes. Stephen thought it was probably more than the man earned in a month, but it would help with his silence if anything was seen. He reached out his hand to indicate he wanted help from his staff. A footman left the side of the carriage and took his arm. He helped Stephen wobble over to the carriage, when Stephen reached it, he pretended he was going to vomit, but dragged the footman down with him. In the confusion, he whispered urgently to his staff member and when he received a nod of understanding, he let him go. The footman jumped up next to the driver, an unusual occurrence, but necessary.

Stephen stood on the top step of the carriage and hung on with one hand as the carriage started to move. The house footman looked concerned, but Stephen waved at him with his free hand. "Tell Kersal, his women are getting as leathery as his wine!"

The words seemed to distract the footman from the fact that the carriage was travelling in the wrong direction. Stephen maintained the pretence until the carriage turned the corner. He waited until he was just out of sight of the doorway and then beckoned Charlotte to the carriage. He hauled her up while the vehicle was still in motion and then fell inside with her, closing the door and pulling down the curtain. The steps would have to remain in position until they stopped.

Chapter 3.

"Easy!" Stephen smiled with self satisfaction, while Charlotte sat huddled in the corner.

"I'm glad you think so, I think I've aged ten years in the last hour!" Charlotte replied fiercely. She was a little annoyed that Stephen seemed to be enjoying the escapade, while she had been terrified.

"I can a.s.sure you, you haven't," Stephen responded teasingly. "Any woman, who can behave so like a spoiled miss, must be just out of the schoolroom."

Charlotte glared at her rescuer, "You aren't very gallant."

Stephen laughed loudly. "Perish the thought my dear. Half my friends would suffer apoplexy if they thought I'd started being gallant."

Charlotte harrumphed and muttered to herself.

Stephen took pity on her, she had been through an ordeal and in reality it was far from over. "Don't mind me; I don't like people much, so I tend to be very dismissive and cynical. I would try and stop it, only I quite enjoy it," he smiled, but he used his winning smile, the one that usually melted his way into any bedroom he chose.

His words piqued Charlotte's attention. "You don't like people? Why ever not?"

"That my dear is a story for another day." Stephen may be willing to tease her out of her annoyance, but he never really pandered to anyone. He was not prepared to sit discussing his lifestyle or opinions. He had far bigger problems to deal with. "Do you have anyone in London who could offer you a.s.sistance?"

"I don't know a soul. I have never been to London before," Charlotte said, regretting that this was obviously the moment that she would have to reveal just what a fool she had been.

"Well, where the devil have you come from?" Stephen demanded.

"Miss Humphrey's school for young ladies," Charlotte said meekly.

"Dear G.o.d, it gets worse! You are still in the schoolroom! I thought you'd have made your debut at least!" Stephen exploded. He was angry partly because of the effect the kiss had had on him, and the fact that she was an unreachable school miss. He wanted to continue the kisses they had shared, but he was not about to a.n.a.lyse the source of his feelings, or why he felt such anger at knowing her age and the level of her innocence.

"I was due to leave in the next month!" Charlotte responded defensively. "Stop acting as if I'm a child!"

Stephen smiled cynically, "But that is exactly what you are and you should be a hundred miles from here."

"You do say the most ridiculous things," Charlotte responded in exasperation. "What the devil do you think I am trying to do?"

"What the devil?" Stephen responded in disbelief. "You will mind your language when you are with me young lady."

"Oh don't come the prude now," Charlotte said defiantly. "I'm sure you are used to being with women who use far worse language than that!"

Stephen blinked, a little impressed at her spirit, she was still very young to be engaging in a verbal tirade with him, but she was proving that she could match him. He soon recovered enough to respond in his usual manner. "Yes, but I usually pay them for spending time with me. I'm sure you don't want to be in that situation, do you?"

Charlotte blushed, beaten in the game of words. She sat quietly for a few moments, Stephen watching her closely all the time. She sighed and looked at him in what he was rapidly realising was her usual direct way. "I need to tell you everything don't I?"

"Yes, you do my dear," Stephen said, a little gentler than his previous words had been.

"I know I have to, but I have been so stupid that I'm ashamed to say the words out loud," Charlotte said with genuine remorse.

"We have all done things that are stupid," Stephen said with a wry smile.

"Oh, I would love to hear your stories one day, I'm sure you have had real fun along the way!" Charlotte said, surprising Stephen at her genuine tone of interest in him. She groaned and carried on speaking. "As I've said, the only family I have is an uncle in Lincolns.h.i.+re. I don't remember my parents, they died when I was very young, from some outbreak of fever in the village. My uncle took me in, even though he was not married."

"That was kind of him," Stephen said with a shudder.

Charlotte smiled at his reaction. "It was. He couldn't really cope with a young child though, it was not his fault, even though he did his best. I had to grow up quickly; he could only cope with me if he treated me like an adult. We both decided it was best if I went to boarding school."

"You both decided? How old were you?" Stephen asked in disbelief. If she had been treated like an adult from a young age, it explained why she appeared older, with her words at least. He tried to ignore the memories of her tentative response to his kisses.

"About the age of ten," Charlotte said simply. "I wanted friends my own age, I wasn't stupid. I knew uncle was struggling with me."

Stephen raised an eyebrow, "Too clever for your own good if you ask me."

Charlotte ignored the remark and carried on. "I enjoyed school. The girls who were there had similar standard of living to my own, not rich, but not poor, so it was happy overall."

"Sounds delightful," Stephen said unconvincingly.