Reforming the Duke

by Keira Montclair

  Sara stared at her in horror. She’d always thought prostitutes sought out their profession. That it was their choice. How could she have been so wrong? This poor girl had been forced into this by her own father? How would she have felt if her own father had done the same to her?

  “They cannot do this to young women,” she said. “They should be arrested. This is illegal.” She tugged at her bindings again, frustrated and powerless.

  The girl just shook her head sadly. “Don’t fight them, or they will beat you even worse. He beats everyone into submission. Please, don’t fight Candie either. She loves to use her whip.”

  There was no possibility that Sara could accept such a situation, although she didn’t see the sense in saying so. Instead, she asked for another sip of tea. She had to keep her strength up. If she was going to fight, she had to be strong. “What’s your name?” she asked as she sipped from the cup.

  “Well, my real name is Alyssa, but they wouldn’t let me keep that name. Here, I am Kitty. I hate it. I am no cat. You can call me Alyssa if you want. Just don’t let anybody hear you. I think we could be friends. Most of the other girls here are mean.” She smiled at Sara as she brushed the hair off her forehead.

  “Alyssa, I am so sorry for what happened to you. But I can help you. I promise to help get you away if you help me. You don’t want to stay here, do you?”

  The girl shook her head. “I hate being here, but who would take me away? My own father turned his back on me. Some customers aren’t so bad. And if you are real nice to the good ones, they come back to you regular and you don’t have so many bad ones. Where would I go, anyway? I have no other family. And no man would ever marry me.”

  “You could work for me. I am a dressmaker. Someday, I will need someone to help me sew. I can teach you to sew if you don’t know how. Just get me away from here, and I will help you.”

  Her eyes pleaded with Alyssa, but the girl jumped up, her eyes full of terror. “They are coming back. I have to go. I will think about it.” With that, she turned and ran out the door.

  A few minutes later, the door flew open and Stinky strode into the room mumbling.

  “Ah, you’re awake I see, you stupid bitch! You have caused me nothing but trouble. I will make you pay before this is over.” He sneered with his stubby teeth showing as he groped her breast.

  She screamed and tried to bite him, but he was too quick for her. He slapped her hard. “Shut up! You just had to talk to the duke in public, didn’t ya? Well, if you think your friend is going to save you, yer wrong. Wait and see. I’ll still get a prime price for you, even if I have to send you across the ocean. See if I don’t. A little more medicine to put you to sleep is what you need. Who knows where you will be when you wake up.” Stinky cackled as he grabbed a cup from the chest.

  He pinched her nose in an attempt to force her mouth open for the medication. She tossed her head back and forth to prevent him from grabbing her face, but his hold was too strong, and he managed to pour a foul-tasting concoction down her throat. She tried to spit it out, but choked instead and had no choice but to swallow the bitter liquid. Her eyes filled with tears as her world blurred.

  Powerless again.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Philip could not stop pacing in his library. Gone? How could she be gone? Where the hell was she? He had to find her, he just had to. She was to be his wife, the mother of his children. He wanted her on his arm every day and in his bed every night so he could make slow passionate love to her, or maybe mad passionate love. He’d planned to propose to her, buy her a beautiful emerald ring.

  This had turned into a nightmare.

  “Brentwood, are you listening?” the Earl of Ardleigh yelled at him. “We’ve spoken with your mother and Frederick, but they are of no help. We must persist. Pay attention.”

  “What? Yes, of course I am listening. What was it you said?” He realized his thoughts had been far away. He chastised himself for not paying attention when it was most necessary. He would find her. London was about to be torn apart, brothel by brothel, game hell by game hell, until he found the woman he loved. It was almost dark and they hadn’t started yet.

  “I said I was outside the shop when she went in, Your Grace. I didn’t follow her inside because Frederick was there. I never saw anyone go inside but the lady. When she didn’t come out, I went around back in time to see a cart turning at the end of the road. I was on foot, so I could not catch them. But I managed to see where they were headed. I think he took her down near the brothels.” The investigator nodded his head to let him know how proud he was of himself.

  Philip wished to throttle the man.

  “Near the brothels, is that all you have?” He stared at Ridley in disbelief. What, exactly, had he been paying him for? “You were supposed to protect her. I paid you money to watch the place. Did you not see him enter the building? Ridley, I had no idea you were so inept, and I’ll see to it that you never get any work again.”

  The investigator opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it, his cheeks turning red.

  “Brentwood, at least we have something to go on. This is a huge help to us.” Ardleigh handed several coins over to the investigator.

  “And do you recall, Ardleigh, how many brothels there are in London? It will take us days to search them all. They all have plenty of bully-boys to throw us out as well. I don’t imagine too many of them will allow us to search the premises. The day is getting late. We need to make a plan and make haste.” He ran a hand through his hair for the tenth time.

  “I’ll stay and help. I feel responsible,” Ridley said, shuffling from one foot to the other with his hands in his pockets. “I…I didn’t think anything could happen with Frederick in there with her. How could I have guessed someone would spirit her away like that? I’ll go to the brothels with you.”

  “Fine. We could use everyone’s help,” Graham said. “We need to divide up. There are six of us now. Philip, they won’t dare touch you or the earl. We can split into three groups—some of us can go in the front while the rest sneak in through the back.”

  “Adam is definitely going with me. You know the area the best. Who ever thought all your rakehelling would prove helpful one day?” Philip drawled.

  Adam grinned. “I am happy to help.”

  Philip rolled his eyes. “We need to get going. Get your pistols.”

  Stevens, his butler, stuck his head in the door. “Your Grace, Lady Downey is quite a graceful lady. Eli, Charles and I would all like to help find her. We can check the streets while you are inside.”

  Philip nodded to his butler. Sara had apparently made friends in his household, although that surprised him not at all. How could anyone not like her? She had a heart of gold and her smile lit up any room. “Thank you, Stevens, but I will need you to stay here with the women. Six of us should do it for now. We’ll take two vehicles, the phaeton and the carriage. Let’s hurry. We have no time to waste.”

  As his brothers gathered their weapons, Philip turned to Stevens. “Send a messenger to the horse patrol. We could use some extra help in the area.”

  “Yes, Your Grace. Consider it done.” Stevens held the door as the group left.

  The dowager duchess stood in the doorway as they exited. “Do be quick about it, Philip. The longer she is out there, the worse her chances are.”

  ***

  Sara awoke in a carriage, gagged, with her feet bound together. Her good hand was bound to her broken one in front. Every jarring bounce sent a jolt of unbearable pain through her. Stinky had to be nearby as the stench was suffocating. After a short ride, they rolled to a stop, and Stinky jumped out without a comment.

  “I will be right back, don’t let anyone inside. You know I will pay you well for keeping your yap shut,” Stinky said to his driver before she heard the sharp click of his heels on the cobblestones.

  Philip, where are you? Please find me. I will never put myself at risk again. I thought he was in Newgate. A single tear ran
down the side of her face. How could she have known he was free?

  Ultimately, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Stinky had her right where he wanted her. The smallest movement caused excruciating pain in her injured fingers and arm. Exhaustion threatened to overtake her. How much more could she endure?

  Just like before, she heard her father’s voice.

  Stay strong, my Sara.

  Stinky had given her a strong medicine, and she struggled to stay awake. A strange sound met her ears, a lulling sound, and after a time she realized what she was hearing. Waves slapping against wood. She heard men shouting, too, along with loud banging noises as if they were moving things or stacking large objects. Could she be near the harbor? Were they loading a large ship?

  The door jerked open, and two men entered the carriage. Sara lifted her gaze in the hopes of seeing a familiar face. Unfortunately, the only face she recognized was Stinky’s. The other man was a stranger.

  “She is a beauty, my lord, and she is feisty, too. She will give you a good ride, I think. You won’t find many better than this one.”

  “Shut up, fool, and take yourself outside while I inspect the merchandise. I cannot tolerate your stench.” The man’s fingers rubbed under his nostrils.

  “Fine, but not a sterling under three hundred pounds for her. She is prime flesh. Yes, sir, she is. Check out that skin of hers.”

  “Get out, I said!” The man practically shoved Stinky out the door, slamming it behind him.

  Sara stared up into a pair of cruel eyes. His hair was blond, rather long, but it was immaculately styled, not a single hair astray. He had on a ruffled shirt with a plum velvet jacket. Numerous large jewels adorned his fingers. A dandy? Isn’t that what they called men like this?

  He ran his finger down her cheek. She pulled back in revulsion. His touch roiled her insides.

  “Oh, you are a spirited thing, aren’t you?” He tugged her gag off.

  “I want to see your teeth, smile for me.” He held her face on both sides. His hands were soft and smelled like raw fish.

  She attempted to bite him.

  He grabbed her broken finger and twisted it, his expression not changing with the act of cruelty. “Here now, we shan’t act like that again, shall we?”

  She shrieked but stilled instantly as the pain ricocheted to her shoulder and her head at the same time. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see the pleasure he gained from tormenting her.

  “Ah, lovey, you are a pretty one. I might just have to have you, in every way I can think of.” He chuckled as he ran his hand up under her skirt to her bottom. “Oh, such long slender legs, too. Imagine what I could do with those.”

  Sara bucked in revulsion.

  He leaned into her with a rabid grin. “You think you are too good for me? We will see about that. You will learn to never look at me like that again.”

  He reached down and twisted her breast. “Nice tits, too. I will so enjoy breaking you.” He tied the gag back on her before he reached down and twisted her nipple. She groaned in pain.

  “Don’t worry, my dear. It won’t be long before you will feel my cock inside you, in so many places.” He licked the side of her face before he departed. Her bound hands prevented her from wiping her face, but wiping it would not be enough. She would have to wash a hundred times to feel clean.

  “One hundred pounds, my friend. I will have to beat her to get her to do my bidding.”

  Stinky’s agitated voice reached her ears. “She is not going for anything under two hundred pounds. She’s prime, she is.”

  “Where did you find her?”

  “She’s a widow, a dressmaker. She has no family. Gel was fool enough to live in her shop alone at night. No one will come for her. You won’t find one that beautiful inside a brothel and you know it.”

  Sara’s stomach churned as the bartering continued between the two men.

  “All right, get her to my cabin before the ship sails, and I will give you one hundred and fifty pounds. Take it or leave it.”

  A ship! She was going to be put on a ship! Philip could never save her if it set sail. How many countries could he possibly search?

  Hot tears burned her eyes. The futility of her situation overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t stop thinking about what Stinky had said. He’d been able to do this simply because she’d lived alone. How could that be? A woman could just be kidnapped and sold into slavery? Her dreams of a wonderful life with Philip St. James had just turned to a complete nightmare.

  Oh, Philip! Please don’t give up. Search for me. I love you.

  ***

  Philip’s nerves were about to totally unravel. How many courtesans had he talked to? Adam had searched dozens of rooms, and they had questioned many, many women, but to no avail. He hoped Ardleigh was having better luck.

  This was the last one on this street. He and Adam strode in through the front door. The madam greeted him quickly.

  “Why, Your Grace. How pleased we are to have you. How can I help you? Come see all my lovely girls.”

  Philip and Adam followed the woman into a bawdy tavern room where several courtesans consorted with a few customers. He searched the room for rich, chestnut locks, but his love was not there. He shook his head.

  “None you like here? Follow me and see our specials in the back.” The woman leaned toward him to give him an ample view of her bosom, nipples included. “This is where I keep all my new ones, all the young ones, the little touched, the most beautiful. I am sure you will find one that meets your needs in this room.”

  If he’d had any food in his stomach, he would have lost it. At the same time, he hoped Sara sat in the room of “specials,” although the thought of any other man touching her made him see red. If he found her on the lap of another man, he would surely kill the scum, but not before putting his fist in his face.

  Adam and Philip stepped into the room. Six women of varying sizes and ages lounged inside. No Sara. His heart fell again. They were running out of options. The madam droned on as he rubbed his hand on his forehead, overcome with despair. Adam quickly sauntered over to a petite blonde. Before Philip could open his mouth, Adam disappeared behind a curtain with her. He turned to give Philip a wink before exiting the room. With any luck, his brother intended to question the girl rather than sample her wares.

  “Surely one of these lovelies is to your liking, Your Grace?”

  Philip shook his head and turned to leave, but then turned back to the madam. He should at least ask her. “The woman I am looking for is not here. My fiancée was kidnapped. I beg you.” He described Sara. “I will pay you a large sum of money if you have any information about her.”

  “She is a lucky woman, Your Grace. Clearly, you are in love with her. I wish I could help you, but I don’t know anything about such a woman.”

  Philip left the establishment, his shoulders sagging. Adam could catch up with him, he could not bear to be inside for a moment longer. Especially not with the proprietress, Candie, staring at him as if he were the sweet treat.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Philip was about to climb into the carriage when he saw Ardleigh and Graham headed toward him. He strode over to their phaeton to hear the bad news. The fact that they were alone spoke for itself.

  “Any luck, gentlemen?” he kept his voice low so as not to alert anyone within listening range.

  “No, sorry,” Graham said. “We searched many a room and talked to several of the patrons. We even bribed a couple of footpads in the street. No one has seen anything. She has simply disappeared.”

  “I take it you haven’t had any luck either?” Ardleigh asked.

  “Nothing. I can’t believe it. There is no sign of her or Stinky anywhere.” He dug his boot into the dirt in the ground. What else could they do? Desperation clawed at him, but he would not give up. He would find her. Whatever it took.

  “What’s next, Brentwood? Any suggestions?” Ardleigh sounded as hopeless as he felt.

  “We’ll
reconvene at my house and decide on our next steps. Perhaps the others have found something.” Philip turned around slowly and headed back to his carriage. He opened the door and climbed in.

  He found himself staring at Adam and the petite blonde, cuddled up in the back.

  “Bloody hell, Adam! Can’t you keep it in your pants at all?”

  Adam’s face broke into a huge grin. “Tell him, Alyssa.”

  The petite blonde looked up at Philip and said, “I know where your lady is, Your Grace.”

  ***

  Sara’s head banged against the inside of the trunk she was in. Every inch of her body would be bruised if she ever escaped her plight. Stinky had helped her out of the carriage, briefly, so that she might relieve herself. Her bladder had been ready to burst after all the bouncing in the carriage. He’d insisted on holding her while she squatted, which had disgusted her, but she’d decided to be agreeable. Thank goodness for pantalets. It was better than lying in her own urine.

  The moment she’d stood up, he had stuffed her into this trunk. She was on the move again and in an extremely painful position.

  Hurry, Philip. Hurry.

  ***

  Once Philip changed their plans, he sent a message to Ben and Ridley to meet them at the docks.

  “Well, you see, whenever Stubby kidnaps somebody they don’t like or a girl who might be too much trouble, they send Stubby down to the docks with ’em. I guess there are some men who pay lots of coin for a sweet-faced girl. They bring them across the seas to be sold in other countries in the Far East.” Alyssa’s curls bounced as they rode toward the docks. “They always threaten to take us there if we are bad.” Her gaze dropped to the floor.