Love Sneaked In (Montgomery Family Trilogy)

by Vikki Vaught

  Once she was dressed, Madame handed her a glass of red wine and told her to drink all of it. Helen knew that it probably had something in it, but she realized that if she didn’t drink it voluntarily, she would be forced to. Just as soon as she finished the wine, Helen grew very hot. Her nether region began to throb, and her nipples grew taut. She wondered what could have possibly been in that wine for it to make her react like this.

  Madame smiled knowingly at Helen. “Ah…I can see you’re very sensitive to the aphrodisiac that was in your wine. By the time the auction is over, you’ll be so sexually aroused you’ll respond passionately to whoever wins the wager.”

  Helen flinched when she heard this.

  Oh God, please let Henry be there to save her!

  “Bernard will bring you downstairs when it’s time for the auction,” Madame continued, “I don’t want anyone seeing you ahead of time. I’ve worked very hard on building the anticipation in these men, and if anyone gets a peak at you before the auction, it could keep me from making a lot of money. You should be pleased that I have chosen to auction you off instead of just giving you to just anyone. Your first time will be with a peer of the realm, and that will be to your advantage. Who knows, you may even attract a protector who will be willing to pay a great deal of money to have exclusive rights to your person.”

  When Madame turned to leave the room, she said to Bernard, “I haven’t forgotten what I promised you. Once the gentleman that wins her is through, you will get your turn.”

  Hearing Madame tell Bernard this caused nausea to roll in her belly. The thought of what Bernard had said he would do to her terrified her.

  Helen was appalled at how she was reacting to the drug she’d been given. She’d never felt desire so keenly before, and it worried her. The last thing she wanted was to be sexually aroused while some strange man was raping her.

  Oh God, please let Henry and Matthew be there tonight.

  Matthew could have found out that she’d been taken to London.

  Oh, she hoped Matthew was in town.

  Sanderford House

  The evening of the auction

  Matthew was getting ready for the evening. The auction was supposed to start at midnight, and they wanted to be there well before that time. He was still having trouble with not being the one to bid for Helen. Even though he knew Sanderford was right, it still bothered him terribly that he wouldn’t be able to save Helen himself. He just prayed that Helen was all right, and that they got her back tonight unharmed. Once he was ready, he went downstairs to join the others.

  Sanderford and Peter were already downstairs in the drawing room with. They went in to dinner, but Matthew was entirely too nervous to even think about eating. He did drink several glasses of wine to try to calm his nerves. When dinner was over, it was still too early to leave, so they went and joined the ladies instead of lingering over port and cigars. Mary went to the pianoforte and began to play. It helped to sooth his nerves even better than the wine had. Finally, it was ten o’clock, and they could leave to go to the brothel.

  Matthew had a hard time staying still on the carriage ride over. He felt as if his skin was crawling, he was so anxious about how this would all play out tonight. Just the thought of having Helen in his arms again was exciting him terribly. He tried to contain the feeling, but it was very difficult because he loved her so much. He felt the carriage begin to slow down. So, at last, they had arrived.

  The man at the door let them in, and they walked into the main room. There were scantily dressed woman everywhere, but Matthew paid no attention to them, and neither did Sanderford. Weston, Hayden, and Harrington had already arrived and had found them seats up front near the platform that had been set up for the auction.

  Weston leaned forward and lowered his voice. “From what I can gather, there will be four women auctioned off tonight, but the main attraction will be last, and that’s probably your sister. I’ve talked to several gentlemen here, and all of them are planning on bidding and winning the prize. No one is allowed to see any of the women until they’re on the platform, so it will probably be closer to one o’clock before she’s brought out. I hope you brought plenty of money with you. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”

  While they sat there, several of the women approached and offered themselves to them. Weston and Harrington acted interested and even allowed two of them to sit on their lap so they would be less conspicuous. At midnight, the first woman was brought out. She was very young, probably around sixteen, but she was very beautiful. She had long, pale blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was very slender and small. There was a childlike quality about her, and it turned Matthew’s stomach to think of her being used in this way. He wondered if she were here voluntarily or if she was being forced.

  The young girl went to the couch in the center of the platform and stretched out on it. It was obvious that she was under the influence of a powerful aphrodisiac because she was writhing and rubbing her breasts as she looked out at all the men. Matthew noticed several of the men rubbing their cocks in excitement. He realized that before Helen, he would have been acting the same way, and he felt ashamed.

  Madame came out onto the platform and smiled. “Thank you for coming to my auction tonight. You will have an opportunity to bid on four of my new shining stars. I know you’ll find all of them to be delightfully sensual and arousing. Allow me to introduce my first star in my gallery tonight. Gentlemen, this is Simone. She comes from the north of England and has been trained in all the arts of pleasuring a gentleman. As you can see, she is very passionate, and is just waiting for one of you fine gentlemen to give her what she needs. The bidding will start at one hundred pounds. Who will open the bidding?”

  Several of the men started bidding and soon the top bidder, Viscount Wellford, won his prize for five hundred pounds. After paying Madame, he led the girl off the platform and took her upstairs.

  Then the second girl came out and walked to the platform. “This is Melissa from Kent. She will delight you in ways that are beyond your wildest imagination. The bidding will start at two hundred pounds.”

  The second young girl was also very pretty with curly black hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was slightly plump with voluptuous breasts, a well-rounded derriere, and a tiny waist. Soon the bidding went up to seven hundred pounds. A merchant named Harford won the auction. He paid Madame, and Melissa led him upstairs.

  By this time, Matthew was getting impatient for the one they thought would be Helen, but they still had one more to go until it would be Helen’s turn. The third woman came out. This one was a little older than the first two. She looked to be in her early twenties and had long, light brown hair and pale green eyes. She was quite tall, had curvaceous hips, and was well endowed.

  Again, Madame opened the bidding at two hundred pounds, and there were quite a few men bidding for the pleasure of her company. The bidding for her went up to nine hundred pounds, and the winner, the Earl of Graceland, paid Madame and led his prize off the platform and up the stairs. Finally, it was Helen’s turn.

  Madame stepped up onto the platform. “Our last star of the night will dazzle all of you beyond what you could ever imagine, so be ready to open your pocketbooks. The bidding for this rare gem will start at five hundred pounds. May I present Helena from Devonshire. She has just arrived from the country, and while she isn’t a virgin, she’s still very innocent. She’s only been with one man, but she’s more than ready to have one of you fine gentlemen train her for your pleasure.”

  When the last woman walked out onto the platform, Matthew’s heart stopped.

  It was indeed Helen.

  She had obviously been given a powerful aphrodisiac, because her brilliant blue eyes were glazed over, and she went to the couch and started rubbing herself as she sat there. His Helen would never do such a thing.

  A man in the back of the room opened the bid at five hundred pounds. Henry upped the bid to six hundred, then another man bid seven. Sanderfor
d held back and soon the bidding was up to one thousand pounds. There were quite a few men bidding for Helen, but the man in the back kept raising his bid. Sanderford stood up, looked around the room and stared the other men down, then upped the bid to twelve hundred.

  The other men backed down, but the fellow in the back raised his bid to fifteen hundred. Sanderford gave the man his best impression of an arrogant duke, and as he stared the man down, he bid two thousand. The man in the back again raised his bid to three thousand pounds. It was beginning to look as if this man was as determined to win as they were.

  This time Sanderford turned around, looked directly at the man in back, and saw that it was the Earl of Bradshaw. Sanderford whispered to Matthew, “That man is the most lecherous rogue in the world. There’s no way I’ll let him get his hands on Helen.”

  Matthew grew very worried because the earl didn’t seem to be intimidated by Sanderford. Matthew watched as Sanderford took a deep breath and said, “I bid five…thousand…pounds.” Everyone in the room gasped in astonishment. No one had ever seen anyone bid so much before. This time, Lord Bradshaw shrugged his shoulders, bowed to Sanderford, and sat down. He won the bid.

  Helen was so drugged she didn’t even seem to recognize Sanderford as he approached her. He gently led her down from the platform and up the stairs. Madame Lucille accepted Henry’s voucher, then led them to a room at the end of the hall and opened the door.

  As they entered the room, Madame smiled. “Your Grace, I’ve given you the best room in the house. I’m honored by your patronage, and I wish you a pleasure-filled evening. If there is anything that I can do for you, just let me know. I’ll leave the two of you alone. Goodnight.”

  Sanderford glanced around the dimly lit room. “I know that some of your rooms have peepholes. If this is one of them, I want a different room. I’m a very private man, and I refuse to be watched!”

  Madame curtsied. “Oh no, Your Grace, I promise you’ll have complete privacy. You’re welcome to check the room, but you won’t find anything.”

  Sanderford arrogantly walked around the room checking behind all the pictures, and when he was satisfied, he said, “Madame you may leave us alone. I do not want to be disturbed for any reason for the rest of the night.”

  “Then I bid you good night.” She fell into another deep curtsey and left the room.

  Once the Madame had closed the door, Sanderford pulled Helen into his arms and whispered, “You’re safe, sweetheart. I’ll get you out of here tomorrow. Why don’t you lie down here and sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake up in the morning.”

  Helen was dazed. She started rubbing herself up against him and moaning. Sanderford gently pushed her back. “Helen, I need you to lie down and go to sleep.”

  Sanderford picked her up and laid her down on the bed. He tried to pull the covers up over her, but she kicked them away. “I’m so hot, I don’t need any covers. In fact, I don’t need this dress on either, so I’m going to take it off.”

  Sanderford gently pushed her back down on the bed, pulled the covers over her and said with more force, “Helen, it’s me, Henry, your brother. Please just lie down and try to go to sleep. You need to allow whatever they gave you to wear off. Come on, sweetheart, go to sleep.”

  “Henry? Where…where’s Matthew? I need him. Please go get him for me. I want my husband. Is he here? Why didn’t he bid for me? Please find Matthew for me.” Helen started crying and rubbing herself all over the bed. She again kicked off the covers as she writhed in agony.

  Sanderford ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Matthew’s downstairs. I’ll see if I can sneak him up here, but it won’t be easy. I’m sure that Madame Lucille is having this room watched.”

  Sanderford went to the door and opened it. As he looked around, he saw a huge, roughly dressed man standing at the end of the hall with his back turned. He sneaked up on him, took a wall sconce off the wall, and knocked him out. He carefully made his way back downstairs. He caught Matthew’s eyes and motioned for him to come upstairs.

  Matthew casually made his way around to the stairs and slipped up them without being seen. Sanderford led him to the room where Helen was and opened the door. They both entered the room, and when Helen saw Matthew, she started to cry even harder. She jumped out of bed and ran into his arms.

  Helen looked at Matthew and cried, “Matthew…I’ve been so scared. Where are my babies? They took them away and told me that they were taking them to a…a baby farm. Please tell me my babies are all right!”

  Matthew held her in his arms and gently rubbed her back. “Our sons are fine. I found them before they were ever taken there. The wet nurse is taking care of them, and they’re thriving. I’ve been so worried about you. We’ve been searching for weeks trying to find you. We even hired a Bow Street Runner to help us. Are you all right? Old Maude told us that you had been beaten, but that she had treated your wounds.”

  Helen’s voice shook. “It was awful. A man named Louis abducted me. He grabbed me from my bed, and before I had a chance to scream, he knocked me out. I woke up in an abandoned cottage, and my babies were gone! He gagged me and tied me up for the entire trip. I didn’t know where he was taking me, and my breasts ached from not having the babies to feed. Now my milk has dried up, and I won’t be able to nurse our sons!” Helen buried her head against Matthew’s chest and sobbed.

  Sanderford stopped Helen before she could finish her story. “Helen, I’m sorry. I know you need to talk about what’s happened, but we need to figure out how to get you out of here right now. That man I knocked out will regain consciousness soon, so we need to act fast. Do you know of any way to get out of this building, other than the front stairs?”

  “Yes, we can go down the back stairs and out the servant’s entrance,” Helen explained. “That’s how they brought me in.”

  Sanderford nodded. “I saw the back stairs. Let me just check to see if the coast is clear.”

  Just as soon as he left the room, Helen started rubbing herself all over Matthew. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. “Please, Matthew, I need you so badly. My body’s on fire, and it’s painful. Please make love to me.”

  Matthew tried to calm her down. “My darling, you’ll need to wait just a little while. I’ll give you relief soon. Just bear with me a little while longer, and I’ll take care of you.”

  Sanderford came back into the room and motioned for Matthew and Helen to follow him. He looked so embarrassed when he saw Helen rubbing herself all over Matthew. Matthew gave him a strained look, but nodded his head in agreement that they would follow. Sanderford led them down the back stairs and tried the door. It was locked.

  Turning to Matthew, Sanderford said, “We need to find something to pry this door open. Collingswood, go down that hall and see if you can find anything. I’ll protect Helen.”

  Matthew went down the hall until he came to a closed door. He slowly opened it and saw that it was a storage closet. Rummaging around, he found a long metal pipe that had a sharp point on the end. He picked it up hurried back down the hall. Before he turned the corner, someone grabbed him from behind and started choking him.

  Matthew swung the pipe, hitting the man on the side of his head. The blow took his assailant by surprise, and Matthew was able to break loose. He turned around and hit the man squarely on the jaw, and he fell to the floor. Matthew checked to make sure the man was unconscious before hurrying back to Sanderford and Helen. When he got back to them, he went to work on the door. Once they had the door open, they slipped out into an alley that ran beside the building. They cautiously made their way toward the street.

  Just as they were getting ready to turn the corner that would lead them to the carriage, a man burst out of the door and started running toward them. Matthew still had the pipe in his hand, so he swung it at the man. This time the man was ready and blocked it. He grabbed Matthew by the neck and started choking him. Bringing his arms up between the man’s arms, Matthew broke his hold
. He punched the man in the gut. His blow was answered by a solid punch to his jaw.

  Matthew saw stars and felt sure he was going to pass out. He held on and took another swing at the man. This time his fist connected with the man’s jaw. He heard something crack, so he knew he had broken it. The man fell down, and this time Matthew didn’t check to see if the man was unconscious or not, he just took off running toward the carriage.

  Sanderford already had Helen inside, so Matthew jumped in. He told the coachman to take off. “Sanderford, wait! Peter’s still in there. I’ve got to go back and get him. That man isn’t going to stay down long. Madame knows Peter and the others were with us and may try to detain them.”

  Sanderford had the coachman stop once they turned the corner. “You can’t go back in there looking like that. We’ll get the door attendant to get him and the others for us. I gave him enough of a bribe that I’m sure he’ll do it. Wait right here, and I’ll take care of it. If anyone starts to come at you, tell the coachman to go on, and I’ll find my own way back to Sanderford House.”

  Matthew pulled Helen close and gently kissed her forehead. “Darling, I was so scared you were lost to me forever. I’m never going to let you out of my sight again!”

  Lifting her face, Matthew kissed her, and Helen passionately returned his kiss. She couldn’t get close enough. She was still rubbing herself against him at every opportunity. “Please, Matthew. I need you so badly! My body aches with desire!”

  Matthew did his best to sooth her. He gently stroked her back and shoulders as he rained kisses all over her face. “My love, we have to stop. Your brother will be back with Peter any minute. We’ll be home soon. I’ll take care of you when we get there.”

  The door opened, and Sanderford and Peter got into the carriage. Sanderford told the coachman to take them back to Sanderford House. Matthew held Helen in his arms. whispering softly in Helen’s ear to try to calm her. Soon they arrived back at the house. Looking pleadingly at Sanderford, seeking his understanding, Matthew swept Helen up in his arms and carried her up the stairs to their rooms. Just as soon as he got the door closed, Helen grabbed him and started tearing off his clothing.