Verity

by Liese Anning

  'It was not until Emerald, the woman who came in earlier took me to one side and explained, that to survive, I had to resign myself to my fate. She taught me many things about how to be a success in a place like this, and one of them was to take control and make the best of my situation. She gave me laudanum mixed with brandy, and my education began. Within weeks, under her tutelage, I was more confident with what I had to do. It was not long until I truly became La Rosa d'Oro, and one of the most sort after courtesans in this place.'

  'I paid a high price for that confidence,' Cassie said, quietly, her eyes still closed, 'it is highly addictive, and I cannot go a day without it.'

  There was a knock on the door and a woman, dressed like the women in the salon, entered. 'I have a message for you,’ she said, quietly, as she handed Cassie a note.

  Cassie read the note and got up quickly, taking one more puff on the cheroot. 'I will come directly.'

  As Cassie got up to leave, the woman glanced nervously at Verity and Maisie. While Cassie was looking at herself in the mirror on the dressing table, the woman quickly picked up the note, that Cassie had discarded, and placed it on the side table.

  'Well,' Cassie said, impatiently to the girl, 'help me get ready.'

  Chapter 16

  As Ellington walked back into the salon, he caught Emerald's eye. She placed her hand on the arm of the gentleman she was with and whispered something in his ear. She then smiled and looked over to Ellington.

  Just two years ago, Ellington had been a poor soldier living beyond his means in Spain. He had to regularly follow orders, however ridiculous he thought they were, putting his life in danger, on the whim of some politician back in London. Now, he stood in another country, a different man. Gone was the rather worn uniform and overly long unruly hair. He had transformed himself into a gentleman of the highest rank. He no longer needed to worry about money. Not only had he married a wealthy woman, but he had also invested much of his wife's dowry into his cousin's empire. They had formed a partnership and were now considered to be two of the most influential men in London.

  Ellington was an impressive figure, who stood a few inches above most men. He was always impeccably dressed in the most elegant, fashionable clothes, that had been made by London's most exclusive tailors. Tonight, he wore a well-cut superfine navy blue wool tailcoat, over a simply designed cream silk waistcoat, with thin burgundy and navy stripes. Around his neck, he wore a snow-white cravat that his experienced valet, had intricately tied around his neck. He wore buff coloured trousers and on his feet, he wore a pair of highly polished Hessian boots. His thick black hair suited the fashionably tousled style that many gentlemen of the nobility wore. He was clean-shaven, apart from his well-groomed sideburns, which had been carefully sculpted to match the contour of his chin. Even though he was thirty years old, he only had a few grey hairs, and those he had, gave him an air of respectability and gravitas. On his finger, he wore a large, ostentatious ruby signet ring that had been specially designed by his father-in-law, and had been given to him as a wedding present. His dress was finished off, with a smart black ebony walking cane, that had a plain silver head. Despite his injury, he did not need it for walking. Instead, he often leant against it, making him look relaxed and confident. It was no wonder that all the young men in the room looked up at him in awe. Many tried to emulate his dress and demeanour, but few came close to replicating it.

  He had now been married for nearly eighteen months, and his wife's vast fortune was now all his. Before her marriage, she had been spoilt and used to having her way, but Ellington soon taught her that he would not tolerate any temper tantrums or manipulative behaviour. She was now part of his property, and she had to do as she was told. Soon after the marriage, he had packed her off to one of his more remote estates in the North of England. She sent numerous begging letters to him and her father, but Ellington had managed to convince his father-in-law that this banishment was in his family's best interest.

  Ellington leant against his cane as he watched the beautiful Emerald walk slowly towards him. When she reached him, she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and a big smile. 'Major,' she said in a low husky voice, 'I am glad you came back. There is something I think you should hear.'

  'What is it, my dear,' he said, leaning his head down to her level.

  'It is Rosa,' she said, looking around to make certain no one was listening, 'she has had a couple of visitors.'

  'Has she?' he replied, 'have you seen them?'

  Emerald nodded, 'yes, they are both women I did not recognise.'

  'Can you describe them to me?' Ellington asked her.

  'Of course,' she replied, 'I had a good look at them before I left. One was short with dark brown hair, and the other was tall with light red hair. The tall one looked familiar, but I could not place where I had last seen her.'

  Ellington smiled, 'Thank you, Emerald, you are a good girl.' He looked over at the gentleman she had left behind, 'did Rosa ask you to entertain the Earl?'

  'Yes, she did. I thought I would keep him company until she came back. I do believe he likes me,' she said, smiling at him and giving him a wave. 'He must be very important.'

  'He is,' he replied. 'Rosa will be busy this evening, so you better go back to the Earl. Find out as much as you can about him.'

  Emerald nodded, 'you can always rely on me, Major,' she said as she looked up into his eyes. 'My loyalty is always to you.' Emerald walked back to the Earl, leaving Ellington standing by himself to contemplate the intelligence he had been given.

  Emerald was the most trustworthy and reliable of all his girls, and she made sure that Ellington was told every secret divulged to her in confidence. Over the years, since she had been there, she had cultivated relationships with the other girls she worked with, and they trusted her implicitly. She was kind to them and listened patiently to all their grievances, and sympathised with them when they felt wronged. Little did the others know, that she reported back everything they told her to Ellington.

  Ellington, in turn, used the information Emerald had given him to control those in his employ. He demanded obedience from everyone, and he expected his orders to be carried out to the letter, without any questions being asked. If he even just suspected that someone was disloyal, he would punish them publicly.

  Less than an hour ago, he had been informed, by one of the footmen, that the back door had been broken into, and there were intruders in the building. He had examined the door and concluded that it had been recently forced open. He retraced the steps that the intruders would have taken. None of the young lads, cleaning boots, had seen anything suspicious, but, under the stairs, he had found two rolled up lady’s cloaks. When he made his way to the salon, he had met two officers, who had given him an excellent description of two women. This description matched Emerald's precisely.

  As he stood in the salon, looking out across the room, he smiled again. This was indeed an excellent turn of events, he thought to himself. He was now in no doubt about the identity of one of the women; it was the other Stanford sister.

  Even though Melrose had never talked to him about it, Ellington knew that he was still angry about how she managed to escape. She was, after all, his favourite. Ellington now saw his opportunity to get her back. If he was careful, he could entrap her.

  He looked around the room towards the gaming tables and began to smile. He could see the familiar blond hair of young Stanford. Ellington knew that her younger brother was the key to making her comply with his will. If she thought that her precious brother, and his worthless estate, were in danger, she would agree to anything.

  He motioned to a footman and asked him to bring him a pencil and paper. Leaning the piece of paper against the wall, he jotted down a few words. 'Deliver this to Rosa,' he said to one of the young girls, who happened to be passing, 'and make certain everyone in the room reads the note. Have I made myself clear?' He said harshly, digging his fingers into her arm.

  'Yes sir,' she replied lo
oking a little frightened. All the young woman were in awe of the Major and were terrified of him.

  She scurried off, and all he had to do was wait.

  'Reggie's here,' she said after she read the note her sister had discarded. Verity passed it to Maisie. 'Come on,' she said, standing up, 'let us go and find him.'

  'Do you think that is wise?' Maisie said, 'you heard what your sister told us; stay here!'

  'I have to go. You can stay here if you like.' Before Maisie could reply, Verity had walked out of the room.

  The salon was still crowded when they entered it again, and it was hard to see either Cassie or Reggie. 'He is probably at the gaming tables,' Verity said to her friend, who had followed her.

  There was a crowd gathering around one of the gaming tables. They had been drawn to it by the spectacle of an exciting game. Once Verity had pushed passed the tightly packed bodies, she saw the familiar figure of her sister standing behind a chair. And, sitting in that chair was her brother; Reggie.

  Verity froze when she felt a man's arm go around her waist and pull her towards him, 'good evening, my little beauty,' he whispered in her ear. 'Now be a good girl, and do not make a scene,' he said menacingly. He put his hand on her hip and guided her forwards so that she had a good view of the table. 'Now, my dear,' he whispered again in her ear, 'I want you to watch this little tableau. I think you will enjoy the performance of the main players, and find it all very enlightening.' He then placed his hand on the base of her neck. 'Keep looking, my dear, I do not want you to miss a thing.'

  Verity could feel his fingers dig into her neck as she tried to get away from him. The more she struggled, the harder he gripped. 'I want you to see your brother and sister as the characters they have become.' He stopped and chuckled to himself, 'what do you think we should call our little drama?'

  Verity said nothing; she just stood still as he spoke once more, 'I think "The Whore and the Gambler" would be an appropriate title, do you not think?'

  She tried once more to release herself from his grip, but instead of freedom, she winced with pain as his fingernails dug into the soft skin on the base of her neck. 'Let me set the scene for you,' he said, leaning down to whisper loudly in her ear. 'There was once a Baronet, let us call him Sir Reginald Stanford, who was a gambler. He could not resist a wager. He had a neighbour; Lord Melrose. Melrose warned him, on numerous occasions, that he would lose everything if he kept gambling. And, sure enough, he eventually did. In fact, not only had he gambled away his property, but he also owed his lordship a small fortune.'

  'One night, nearly two years ago, Sir Reginald drank himself into oblivion. Melrose was incensed by his early departure from this mortal coil, as he had not attempted to repay any of the money he owed. Lord Melrose then became concerned that others, who owed him money, may also try and avoid payment, by meeting their maker prematurely. He just wanted everyone to know that it does not matter whether you are in this world or the next, a debt is a debt, and it must be repaid.'

  As Ellington spoke to Verity, the card game continued. Reggie kept pouring himself drink after drink from a decanter that was next to his glass, while Cassie continued to stand behind his chair, with her hand on her hip. She occasionally drew attention to herself by flicking her hair or smiling provocatively at one of the players.

  'This is where you make your grand entrance to the stage, my dear, and I think you are familiar with this part of the story. Lord Melrose asked you to repay the debt. He agreed, very generously, to return the deed to your family home that your father had lost, and give it to your brother. However, you managed, most unfairly, to break that agreement, and, instead of joining my exciting venture, you returned to your dull old life. Your sister, on the other hand, knew her duty and began to contribute towards the debt. To make sure that she continued to pay, we became Reggie's legal guardians. And, what a good job we have done of that! It did not take much persuasion, on our part, to turn him into the man you see before you. You would hardly believe, just by looking at him here tonight, that he was only fifteen years old.'

  The game continued. 'Ah,' Ellington said, at last, 'I believe that this is when it gets a little more interesting. Watch, my dear, watch carefully.' Verity had no option but to observe the game because Ellington's fingers were still digging painfully into her neck, making it difficult to move.

  'Stanford,' said a well-dressed man at the gaming table, 'I think you better retire. You have nothing left to play with.'

  'I do,' Reggie said, slurring his speech before drinking another glass of brandy, 'I still have some assets.'

  'What?' The gentlemen replied indignantly, 'your downtrodden estate. You have tried to get rid of that before?' he then added, 'anyway, how old are you?'

  'Old enough to make my own decisions,' Reggie replied in a slur.

  'If your guardian agrees, I will accept your marker for the money,' he then looked over to Ellington, 'do you agree, Ellington?'

  'Why would I stand in his way? The young man is old enough to know his mind,' Ellington replied nonchalantly.

  The gentleman took a deep breath and leant back in his chair, 'I cannot ruin a young pup,' he said as he placed his cards face down on the table. 'Keep your money, young Stanford,' he said as he began to stand up, 'and I will play you again in a couple of years.'

  'What about my sister?' Reggie slurred as he turned around to Cassie, 'she's an asset worth the bet.'

  'Your sister?' the smart gentleman asked curiously.

  'Yes, my sister the La Rosa d’Oro,' there was silence in the room as he spoke.

  Cassie walked over to the gentleman and stood next to him. Facing him, she placed her hand on his shoulder. She then smiled at him and whispered something in his ear. The gentleman smiled back and nodded. 'You are one of Ellington's best whores, are you not?’

  She nodded and said, 'the best.'

  'I accept the offer if Ellington agrees,' he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

  Ellington nodded and shrugged his shoulders and said, 'why not?'

  The gentleman sat back down at the card table, and Cassie sat on his lap. She draped one of her arms around his shoulder and nuzzled her face against his neck. She then began to caress the folds of his cravat and toyed with the buttons of his tailcoat.

  'Cassie,' Verity whispered, 'please, no!' Verity then felt Ellington's fingers dig painfully into her neck, and she cried out. Cassie looked over at her. But, Verity did not recognise the woman that stared back. Her eyes, the window to her soul, seemed unnaturally bright like two polished beads of glass. Verity examined her thoroughly, but she could not find the familiar person, who she loved, behind them. Her sister, her sweet loving little sister, was gone.

  'Good,' said Reggie, who seemed unperturbed by his sister's wanton behaviour, 'let us continue with the game.'

  'Watch this,' Ellington said, leaning forward and whispering in Verity's ear once more, 'your brother is a worse player than your father. And, he is playing the most ruthless and brilliant player here.'

  Within minutes, the game was over, and, as predicted, Reggie lost. The gentleman and Cassie stood up. She leant into him, her head resting on his shoulder, with one arm around his back and the other still caressing his cravat. He placed his arm around her waist and rested his hand on her hip. 'I am a generous man, Stanford, and your sister is a delightful companion, and if she is true to her word, she will make me very happy over the next few hours. As a gesture of goodwill, I will return to you the money from this game.' There was a gasp from the crowd around the table. The gentleman then turned to Ellington and said politely, 'good evening.'

  Ellington bowed his head in recognition. As they were leaving the room, he then turned to Verity and said, in a menacing voice, 'now, my dear, what shall I do with you?'

  Immediately, Ellington looked up. Everyone's attention had been drawn to a commotion by the entrance. 'What the hell!' He growled, through gritted teeth, as an officer walked over to them, accompanied by two soldiers carry
ing muskets.

  Verity recognised the officer as Captain Richardson. He walked over to where Verity and Ellington were standing, 'good evening, Major Ellington,' he said, looking around the room. More soldiers had now joined the other two and were making their way to the exits to stop anyone from leaving. 'Just a quick visit,' he said, 'I will not take long.' He caught Maisie's eye but did not smile. 'I have come to collect young Stanford and these two ladies,' he said pointing to both Maisie and Verity. 'They have an appointment elsewhere and must leave immediately.'

  'Remember, your sister will pay for this intrusion,' Ellington whispered, fiercely in Verity's ear, 'a very high price.' He let go of her shoulders and pushed her forward towards Captain Richardson. As he let go of her shoulders, she felt a rush of relief. 'Please, go ahead,' Ellington said, 'take them away.' Verity detected a bitter edge to his voice.

  'Come,' Captain Richardson said, 'let us leave this place at once.'

  'What about my sister, Cassie?' Verity said, 'she must come with us.'

  Cassie was still standing with her arms around the gentleman her brother had been gambling with earlier. She turned around when she heard her name mentioned.

  'Cass,' Verity said, looking at her sister, 'please come with us,' she pleaded.

  Cassie laughed. Her eyes were still bright and her pupils unnaturally large. She had a faraway look on her face, and she looked as though she was living in a dream. Verity guessed that it was the effects of the laudanum and alcohol she had consumed earlier. 'My dear, dear Verity,' she said, swaying slightly from side to side, 'I appreciate your concern, but... I have already told you; I cannot leave; I have to stay.' Cassie looked at Verity, and for the first time, Verity saw the old Cassie in her eyes. 'I told you it was complicated. You must understand that I still love him. And, I think there is a part of me that always will,' she said, with a note of sadness in her voice.

  Then she was gone. Cassie, her sweet little sister, had been, once more, replaced by the wanton La Rosa d’Oro. She looked up at the gentleman, kissed his cheek, then took hold of his hand and said in a low husky voice 'come with me.' She lead him across the salon towards the door. Everyone in the room was silent as she walked across the floor and parted to allow them through.