Chapter Seventeen
“Come out, my dear. I promise not to hurt you.” The man’s voice was patient and coaxing as he slowly scanned the lower level of the warehouse space, his footsteps silent on the floor beneath as he walked the inside perimeter.
That bitch was hiding somewhere in the space, and he was damn well going to find her. He would not allow all of his plans to be unraveled by a stupid servant.
He stood still and listened.
A small whimper floated through the cavernous space.
Silently, he crept toward the sound. His eyes, already well accustomed to the gloom, spotted a small scrap of brown cloth only just peeking out from behind an old rotting pile of wood.
Catching them was always too easy.
He pushed against the planks and watched in satisfaction as they began to tumble down. The girl screamed while frantically trying to clamber out on all fours from the falling heap.
He was there waiting for her.
She looked up, and before she could even bother begging—it did get tedious after all—he slammed his foot into her head and watched as she crumpled to the ground.
He rolled his sleeves up and grabbed her motionless arms, pulling her out from the few planks that had fallen on her legs. He heaved her over his shoulders and carried her back up to the office. He dumped her onto the floor next to the desk and bent down, tying her limbs to the heavy oak legs.
He was now behind schedule, and he hated to be behind schedule. He could feel the rage building again, but he did not have time to unleash it here and now. Later. Later, he would let the beast have full reign on this bitch.
He looked down at her unconscious form. She had very nearly ruined all of his plans! He kicked her in the ribs, satisfied when he heard a crack.
She would pay dearly later, and he would have some fun with this one. His smile faltered when he saw the dead footman in the corner of his eye. First, he had to get rid of the body; otherwise, it would start filling the room with a foul stench, and he certainly would not be able to enjoy himself if he had to smell such a putrid thing.
He tsked… He hated to get his hands dirty, but he would do what he must. He bent down to pick up the body but twisted around when he heard the girl moan.
He saw she was slowly coming to. He walked over to her and crouched down in front of her. “There, there,” he crooned as he brushed some hair back from her face. “You have a very important role to play in this drama, my dear.”
Wiping away the tears sliding down the girl’s face, he said, “Hush, sweetheart. I was going to be gentle with you, but you made me chase you, and now I am late for the Opera.” He looked down and saw the terror in her eyes. He smiled. “Yes, you should be scared, for I have wonderful plans for us later this evening.” He grabbed a fistful of her hair and slammed her head down onto the floor.
She was silent once again. “That’s better,” he said as he bent down and kissed her softly on her lips. “You do need your rest.”
Now all he had to do was dispose of the man’s body, go to the Opera and make an appearance, and then he could return for the evening’s true entertainment. Yes, he would look forward to that.
…
Maggie regarded Sophie with a look of deep consideration on her face. “The Duke is half Irish, too, is he not?”
“Yes, I believe his mother was Irish. But what does that have to do with anything?” Sophie asked.
Maggie tapped her plump cheek with a finger, still half-lost in thought. “Irish men are known to be somewhat incorrigible when it comes to the ladies. He has not tried to seduce you yet, has he?”
“Good gracious!” she exclaimed, feeling the heat of a blush sweep up across her face as memories of Devlin’s kisses assailed her. “That is a highly inappropriate question.”
“Your mother is not here to protect you, so I feel it is my duty to do so.” Maggie appraised her from head to toe. “You’re suddenly looking flushed, lass. Which I dare say answers my question.”
“He has not seduced me,” Sophie said in a harsh whisper. Well, at least not yet, anyhow. “Besides, you are being entirely ridiculous. The agreement between myself and the Duke is a business arrangement first and foremost.”
“Yes, of course it is, lass,” Maggie replied, sounding highly dubious.
“Think what you will.” Sophie stood. “However, I have to go and visit with the other children quickly and then be off. I have a great deal to do today.”
She leaned over to give the older woman a quick peck on the cheek. “I know you only have my best interests at heart. But please trust me, all will be fine.”
“I do trust you, lass,” Maggie said. “It’s the Devil Duke that has me worried.”
“I am grateful to have such a good friend, even if you do tend to worry overly.” Smiling, she glanced across to Nicholas, who was happily showing off his wooden sword to Mr. Baker. “Actually, before I depart, I must ask you about Jane Thompson.”
Maggie gave her a questioning look. “What of her, lass?”
Where to begin? Sophie felt the now-familiar sensation of worry wrap itself around her heart. “I think she may be in trouble. You see, apparently she has disappeared.”
“Our dear Jane? Disappeared?” Maggie gasped. “How is that possible? I thought she was doing well working for the Crowleys?”
“So did I, until recently.” She went on to explain to Maggie the Earl of Abelard’s visit and the girl Tina’s.
“Jane is no thief.” Maggie glowered fiercely. “We must find out where she is and what has happened. What can I do to help?”
“I was hoping you might say that,” Sophie said. “From what I gather, Jane went missing at the Crowleys’ country estate during their last house party. They are about to host another house party, and I’ve managed to convince Devlin to take me. However, we need to gather as much information about that last party and who was in attendance.”
“Makes sense,” Maggie agreed.
“I went to Lord Crowley’s residence this morning, which met with abysmal failure.” Sophie threw her hands in the air in a show of helplessness. “The butler would not talk to me, nor let me speak with the housekeeper. So I was thinking perhaps that as they will not speak freely with someone of my rank that mayhap you might have more luck if you were to try?”
“Say no more, lass. I shall visit their London residence this very day and find out what I can.”
“Thank you. We need to know what happened at Lord Crowley’s last house party. Something that night obviously put the fear of God into Jane. Perhaps after you find out some of those details, we might have a better path to follow.”
“You can count on me, lass.”
Sophie hugged her quickly. “My thanks, as usual. Now, the time is running away from me, and I had best see the children before I have to head off.”
“Why the rush?”
She cringed slightly. “The Earl of Abelard is paying me a visit later today.”
“You do like to play with fire, don’t you?”
“He is enquiring about Jane, too, Maggie. I hope to find out some more details from him. So, you see, his visit has nothing to do with courtship of any sort; thus, there shall be no fire to play with whatsoever. Not that I was wishing to play with fire of any nature with him,” she quickly corrected. “And the Duke knows all about Abelard’s visit.”
“Have a care, for you have made a deal with the Devil now, and I fancy that he would not want you dabbling with any other fire apart from his own.”