Worlds Apart

by Stein Willard

  “Gentlemen, welcome. How can I make your evening here the most memorable night of your lives?” She spoke in a soft, accented voice and Tia felt the hair on her nape tingle. This woman was a master manipulator. It was evident from her silky tone and the way she had sashayed over to greet Pope and Caleb.

  “Well,” Caleb began. “I heard you throw the best parties in town. We’ve decided to come see for ourselves.”

  There was a slight silence, before a soft melodic laugh filled the space. “Of course. No one can beat my parties. I’ll have the girls get a room ready for you. In the meantime, you can make yourselves comfortable at the bar. You are just in time for our evening parade.” Out of the corner of her eye, Tia saw the woman throw a quick glance at her. “The untried might not always have the stamina required for a night such as the one you gentlemen are planning.”

  Tia heard the woman hurrying away and lifted her head. She saw her own disgust and anger at the woman reflected in the two men’s eyes. “Parade? Is that what I think it is?”

  Caleb lit a cigarette and handed it to Pope who took a long drag before handing it back to him. “Yes.”

  “I need a drink,” Caleb said curtly and walked over to the bar. Tia was surprised to find that the bar was almost overcrowded and that most of the men in attendance were well-known figures in society.

  Looking at the men drinking, smoking and chatting totally unfazed by where they were and why they were there, Tia felt like she was caught in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean with only one oar. She was making headway, but it was difficult to prove just how much of an impact her intervention made to curb the depravity of the peerage.

  ***

  Oasis struggled to appear unaffected, when all she wanted to do was grab Tia and take her away from this place. She didn’t belong in such a corrupt environment. Hell, none of the poor boys who would be paraded like livestock in a few moments, deserved to be here. But most of all, he didn’t want Tia to witness such barbarism. He turned to look at her only to find her already looking at him, a peculiar look in her sapphire eyes. She could hide everything else that screamed ‘Tia’, except for her beautiful eyes. And those beautiful eyes were trying to look into his soul at that very moment.

  “You’re acting strange. Do you want me to take you home?”

  She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

  Oasis took Tia’s arm and led her away from the closest group of people. “Then why do I feel like an insect under a looking glass?” She saw a flush climbing up Tia’s neck. “What are you keeping from me?”

  “Nothing,” Tia said with utter exasperation, but that made Oasis more suspicious. Tia rarely showed elevated emotions such as anger or irritation. She was too refined for that. Oasis hated that there was something relating to herself, that Tia was hiding from her.

  “You should know that this is not over. I won’t rest until I’ve found out what it is. So, you might…” Her senses screamed at her, but it was too late. She felt the sharp prick of a blade in her side.

  “Madam Jant-ze wants to talk to you,” a heavily accented voice said behind her. She watched as Tia’s eye grew wide with alarm. “You come peacefully or the boy dies.” Oasis’ eyes quickly scanned the room. The assassin should be nearby. They would not risk a gunshot scaring away their esteemed clientele. A slight movement behind the shadowy curtain leading down another hallway, revealed the would-be-assassin.

  “I will come willingly as long as the boy doesn’t get hurt.”

  “Boy will be safe while you speak with Madam Jant-ze.”

  Oasis spun around and stared down at the man before him. “No. The boy comes with me, or I make sure that everyone here knows what’s happening right now.”

  The man’s dark eyes held Oasis’ stubborn gaze. “No. Madam say only you. Boy stay with us.”

  “Then I’m not going.”

  The man signalled something with his free hand and the next moment Tia collapsed in the arms of her captor, a small red-feathered dart protruding from her neck. With a dark roar, Oasis turned back to the man in front of her. “You’re going to die for this.” A gunshot went off at that moment, startling everyone, including her captor. Oasis used the diversion to act. Her fist shot out and she punched the man hard in the face. With grim satisfaction she felt his jawbone shatter under her knuckles. She turned to the man who had Tia and growled when she saw him dragging her down the hallway. With the pandemonium caused by the shot, she struggled to push past the men who were all running down the hallway to safety.

  It only took a few seconds, but by the time most of the men had cleared the hallway, Tia and her captor were gone. Caleb joined her as she looked at the number of closed doors on both sides of the hallway.

  “That one.” He pointed to a door on the right at the end of the hallway. “I saw him go in there.” She gave him a doubtful look. “While you were busy taking the man’s head off, I was keeping my eye on Lady Tia.” He cocked his gun. “Now let’s go get her.”

  ***

  Tia was terrified.

  She tried to move her head and found that she couldn’t. Whatever they had used on her had some sort of an immobilising effect. She was wide awake, but her body was completely numb and unmoving. She heard a whispered conversation nearby, but didn’t understand what was being said. The sound of a chair scrapping against the floor could be heard and Madam Jant-ze stepped into view. From where she was dumped on the floor, Tia watched as the woman lowered herself into a crouch.

  “You have a lot of hair for a teenage boy,” she said in clipped tones. “Since your companions refused to be interrogated, I believe you will have to do.” She grabbed a lump of Tia’s hair and pulled hard on it. “Now tell me why a beautiful woman like you would disguise yourself as a boy to come here?” The woman’s eyes were glowing menacingly. “I must warn you that I’m not a very patient woman, so I won’t be repeating myself.”

  From the look in the woman’s eyes, it was clear to Tia that it wasn’t an idle threat. But she knew that since they had not left the building, Pope and Caleb would eventually find her. She only had to wait it out a little. If only she could look away from the woman, but her body didn’t want to cooperate. So instead, she closed her eyes, earning herself a stinging slap for her trouble.

  “Just know that you’ve been warned,” the woman snapped as she moved out of sight only to return with a glass filled with a dark liquid. “I have ways to make people talk.” She grabbed Tia’s jaw and pried it open. Tia sputtered as the bitter brew was tossed down her throat. Madam Jant-ze spoke in rapid Chinese and the man who dragged her here, came into view. He looked at her with a sly smile on his face before his hands went to his trousers. To her horror Tia felt her body begin to react as the man pulled his pants down.

  “No!”

  “Quit being such a prude. You came here with two men, after all.” Madam Jant-ze peered at the man’s erection as she handed him a glass with the same dark liquid. He downed the glass quickly and smiled as her as he began to fondle himself.

  Pope, where are you?

  ***

  “Careful, now.” Caleb gently pulled Oasis away from the door. “You don’t want to walk into a rain of bullets now.” Oasis pulled away from him. She understood what he was saying, but at that moment, all that mattered was Tia.

  “You’re wasting time.”

  “No, I’m not. What we’ll do, is you open the door and I go in low. It won’t help Lady Tia if you are killed trying to save her.”

  “Fine.” She grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open then stepped to the side. Caleb rolled inside; when there were no immediate gunshots, Oasis entered the room. Her heart sank when she found it empty. She cursed out loud. The longer Tia was missing, the greater the chance of her getting harmed. She took in the office. If Caleb said Tia was brought in here then there must be a clue as to where she had been taken. The room served as some kind of an office. A large desk took up the centre of the room, with a few bookshelves carrying some Engli
sh books and Chinese scrolls. A cup of tea sat on the table and Caleb walked over to feel it.

  “Still hot. Someone was here not very long ago.”

  “Then we turn this room upside down until we find them,” Oasis snarled as she walked to the window. It was locked from the inside and there were no stairs outside that led from this level to the ground below. They were around here somewhere and even if Oasis had to burn down this place, she wasn’t going to allow that Chinese witch to harm Tia. She blinked. That’s it! She looked at the lantern on the table and grabbed it. “Go wait outside in the hallway, Caleb. If they come out, shoot them.”

  “What do you…?” Caleb’s voice trailed off when his eyes fell on the lantern in Oasis’s hand. “Ok, make sure you get out, too.” He left immediately and Oasis went to stand in the middle of the room.

  “I know you’re hiding somewhere in this room. I want you to bring the boy to me unharmed, or I’ll burn this place down with you in it.” Her eyes swept over the floor, looking for a trap door and then scanned the walls. The ornate wallpaper made it difficult to find any hidden doors. “You have two minutes to come out and then I burn this place to the ground. Any valuables stashed in here will go up in flames. Everything that you’ve worked so hard to acquire will be gone in one night.” Oasis walked over to the chair and dragged to it the door. She calmly took a seat, ready to wait out the woman and her henchmen.

  ***

  Tia’s eyes shot full of fresh tears at the sound of Pope’s voice. The man had been ready to mount her when Pope’s voice had filtered through the wall. Madam Jant-ze issued a curt order. The man gave Tia a pained looked before he drew away from her and pulled up his trousers. The two of them continued to converse in rapid Chinese before the man walked over to the wall to open a hidden door.

  Madam Jant-ze was tense as she watched her man walk through the door. A gunshot rang out and the man fell, a bullet hole in his forehead. Tia whimpered in horror. She had thought that they had spoken about killing people. She looked at the Chinese woman and saw her pull a long, thin rapier from her knee-length boot. She came to kneel next to Tia, her eyes glittering with hatred in the dimly lit room.

  “He’s going to take everything from me, but before he does that, I’ll make sure I take something from him, too.” She lifted the blade, ready to plunge it into Tia’s chest. Unable to move, Tia could only close her eyes, waiting for the pain. In that moment a myriad of emotions and thoughts raced through her mind. Burton was first and foremost on her mind. What would happen to him when she wasn’t there anymore? At least she had made provisions for him in her will. He could leave England and start somewhere new. But would he want to? What of Janine? They were talking of starting a family. Forgive me, Burton! This had been your biggest fear. I’m so incredibly sorry for leaving you behind. Fresh tears slipped down her cheeks. Besides leaving Burton and the guilt she felt about that, she was also filled with regret. Regret that she never had the chance to find someone to love her, the way Janine loved Burton. Pope had been an interesting diversion from her loneliness and even though her preference didn’t rest with the male sex, there had been a few moments where she had been willing to disregard that. To add insult to injury, whatever concoction the other woman forced her to drink, had set off her libido and now she was going to die unfulfilled. If only… An unexpected, loud bang filled the room, causing her ears to ring. She lay with her eyes closed, hearing nothing else, but the ringing. It took a long moment for the other sounds in the room to filter through. She heard a loud wailing nearby and then she felt warm hands cupping her cheeks. She opened her eyes and immediately fell into the dark, concerned gaze of Benedict Pope. Her saviour. He always came through for her and at that moment she desperately wanted to embrace him, if only her limbs would cooperate. Pope began to run his hands down her body, making Tia swallow hard at the raw lust his touch left in its wake. With a vicious curse on his lips, he pulled up her breeches. She stared at his full lips, fascinated by the flash of white teeth as he spoke.

  “…if you are hurt somewhere.” A sliver of panic flashed over Pope’s face. “Tia? Can you hear me? Nod if you can hear me.” He waited for her to respond and when she didn’t, he looked away from her. “What did you do to her?” His voice sounded dark and lethal.

  “Henbane and pine pollen tea.” The voice was low, but Tia recognized it as Madam Jant-ze’s. “Henbane should clear in an hour.”

  There was a short silence and Tia saw Pope’s jaw hardened. “Did your man touch her?” Pope’s voice was so cold that it even made Tia terrified of him at that moment.

  “No. You interrupted us.”

  He moved so fast and before she could register what was happening, another gunshot went off.

  Pope turned back to her, and this time she saw him studying her eyes intently. “You’ll be fine, Tia. I’m going to take you home now.” He carefully lifted her in his arms. Caleb stepped closer to pull her hat over her hair.

  “Are you ready?”

  Pope nodded and Caleb walked out ahead of them. Tia didn’t see much, but from the gunshots that rang out, she knew that they were shooting their way out of the opium den. All the while, Pope held her tightly against his broad chest. She lay in his arms and watched his facial expressions as he ducked behind Caleb.

  Tia knew they were outside when the cool night breeze touched her face. Caleb turned to look at Tia and winked.

  “Time to take you home. Don’t want the coppers finding us here.”

  XII

  ‘Launching a robust Offence’

  Oasis looked at the man before her. He was livid, but doing an admiral job of keeping it contained. She took a long sip of her brandy, but didn’t take her eyes off him. The moment she had carried Tia into the house, Burton had pounced on them and took Tia from her arms. With a darkly possessive look, he had carried her upstairs, followed by a gaggle of servant girls. Within a few minutes he was back and led them to the study. There he offered them each a brandy.

  “What happened?” He asked calmly, his carriage stiff as he stood by the fire. “I thought she would be safe with the two of you.” When he turned around to face them, Oasis was stunned to find his cheeks wet with tears. She noticed that Caleb was also affected by the large man’s open display of emotions. He was looking at the carpet at his feet. “To people outside this household, I’m regarded as simply the help,” Burton started. He took a long drink from his glass. “But I’ll have you know that is not the case. The woman up there, means more to me than anyone could ever imagine. Her father didn’t buy me to be a playmate or bodyguard to his daughter. Lord Bellingham asked me if I wanted to be his son and a big brother to Tia. At that point in time, my village had been destroyed by slave traders and I was chained to a tree, a long way from home. I didn’t trust him, but his was a better offer than what was facing me.”

  Oasis felt her throat swell with emotion. Burton didn’t strike her as the emotional type, but what had happened to Tia must have rattled him a great deal. She also doubted that talking about his past was pleasant for him. She watched as Burton walked over to fill his glass stopping by her and Caleb to do the same.

  “When I arrived at Bellingham Estate, I was confronted by a tiny slip of a girl with big blue eyes. She accepted me as her brother almost immediately. I fought with everything in me not to like her, not to trust her. But I failed. For someone so small, she had a heart that was as big as the ocean I had crossed to meet her. When the nightmares preyed on me during the night, she would crawl into my bed and hold me. No self-respecting Ikuvu warrior would allow a woman to see him at his weakest, but Tia was different. Her strong will and bravery rivalled that of any of my tribe’s most celebrated warriors. I felt I was in the presence of an equal.” Burton inhaled deeply, his eyes dark and dangerous as they swept over them. “It hurts beyond words when I see her harmed in anyway.”

  Oasis drained her glass and stood. It was time for her to earn the man’s trust too. “I take full responsibility for what happ
ened tonight, Burton. I shouldn’t have taken her with me. I’ll admit that I thought of abandoning the evening’s plans.”

  Burton snorted. “You would’ve been in grave danger had you done that. She was excited about going out with you.”

  Caleb chuckled and Oasis blushed. It made her feel wonderful to think that Tia was excited to be in her company.

  “I only wished the night had turned out differently.” She looked at Burton. “I…I care about her, Burton. I don’t have the strong connection the two of you have, but what she means to me is ...” Is what? Indescribable, perhaps?

  Burton nodded. “I know, milord. I also know that you love her.”

  Oasis felt the heat of a blush climbing up her neck and she cleared her throat. She threw a glance at Caleb and found him smiling broadly. She turned back to Burton, who was watching her intently. “Well, we need to go. You know where to find me, if you need me.” With a curt nod she made for the door. Behind her she could hear Caleb saying his goodbyes to Burton. She was already striding down the pavement away from Alcott House when Caleb caught up to her.

  “Love, hey?” He threw his hands up. “And here I thought you only wanted to sniff her drawers.” He jumped back when Oasis spun around to him, her eyes burning in her face. “Then love it is.”

  Oasis glared at Caleb. Was Caleb only playing along not to her hurt her feelings or did he really not feel anything for Tia? Could it be that they had already been intimate and… Oasis couldn’t complete the thought? If she did, she was sure she would shoot Caleb. She shook her head and continued down the street.

  “Why aren’t you happy, Ben? A beautiful woman seems to like you enough to follow you towards her death, yet you look like you are facing a firing squad.”