The Letter (13 page)

Li was sobbing into her hands at the end of the hall.

“
I sorry, I sorry.” Li kept sobbing in repetition before running up the stairs and escaping behind a slammed door.

“
Li gave my friend some powder. What was it?” The swelling rage almost consumed William. God only knew what Li would think would make his sweet Victoria “feel good.”

“
Do not worry, Will, it is okay. Li would only give her something mild. There are many drugs to make people feel good, you know that. Most of the time they are harmless.”

“
Damn it, Lotus, they are not harmless…never, ever are they harmless!” Losing his tenuous grip on control, William sent her a raging glare. To think that Victoria could be harmed pushed him to a blind fury.

“
I have told you the drugs are bad, they make people very sick. People want them again and again and take them until the drugs destroy their minds and bodies.” William’s voice dropped low. “You know this Lotus.”

Lotus paused then said; “Now I know why you not let me service your needs. You love this American girl. I can see it. Soon I not see you anymore.”

“
Lotus, you go too far,” William said harshly. “And you presume too much.”

“
I would give anything to have love from such a man,” Lotus whispered, then fell silent.

“
Do you know anything about this drug?” William asked.

“
When she has a rest she will feel normal again, as long as she doesn’t have the drug again. She will have the craving, but it will pass. I will speak with Li. Do you wish for me to punish her?”

“
No more drugs in this house, Lotus. The next time you will all be punished because I will see this place closed down.”

“
I understand.” Lotus bowed her head slightly. “I will not disappoint you again.”

“
Come on sweet, let me take you home,” William said to Victoria in a low gentle voice.

Victoria looked up at him with silent vacant eyes. He had never been frightened in his life, but he was right now.

It was well known that people frequently perished from drug use. As soon as the thought occurred to him, it was extinguished. It was unlikely that Li had given Victoria anything that would kill her.

The first order of business would be to summon his doctor.

“
Go get my driver and assistant,” he barked to Lotus.

Lotus hurried outside to the waiting carriage. A minute later Chester, his driver, and Mac, his personal assistant, were inside. Mac had been his friend since childhood. They had grown up together. His father, Chester, had started driving for William’s father many years ago. Now, Mac took care of personal business for William and acted as a personal bodyguard when necessary.

“
We saw her come in sir, but I didn’t know she was your...
friend
...thought she was new to Lotus’ business, so we didn’t give her much mind when she came past us.”

“
Mac, go get Dr. Stevens and send him to my house,” William commanded, without further explanation.

“
Yes sir,” Mac answered, moving swiftly out of the door.

“
Get me a blanket.” William threw the command to Lotus, who hurried away to fulfill the request.

When Lotus returned with the blanket and handed it to him, William let Victoria go long enough to wrap her in the blanket, before picking up her shivering body. Her ashen face peeked bleakly out of the top, causing William’s heart to thud faster and harder.

She was so fragile and so innocent. He should never have left her to her own devices. Not in this town. Not in his jaded kingdom.

Chester opened the door allowing William to pass then followed him to the waiting carriage. When they got to the carriage, Chester hastily opened the carriage door and William ducked inside holding tight his precious bundle.

When he had settled himself into the carriage with Victoria on his lap, William hastily pulled the curtains together. The last thing he needed was the newspaper people to see this scene unfolding. They were constantly looking for tidbits on the wealthy families in San Francisco and his own family was often the prime target. If seen in a situation like this, Victoria’s presence in his life would be cause for great speculation and gossip. They would hound Victoria wherever she went, not to mention the scandal to his family and Faith.

As soon as William settled into the carriage holding Victoria close, Chester jumped up into the seat and started the horses moving.

Lotus hovered in the doorway for a moment, but William never looked back at her. As she watched the Worthington carriage roll down the street, Lotus knew it would be a very long time before she saw William again. If ever.

Lotus shivered. She fervently hoped the young woman would be all right because if the girl came to harm, William would be furious. She would certainly pray very hard for the young woman to return to good health.

Even with six fine mahogany and black Morgan horses to pull it, William’s carriage still struggled frustratingly slow up the steep Nob Hill to William’s house.

“
Victoria, can you say something?” He was cradling her in his lap like a baby. Her beautiful sapphire eyes were now glazed over with thoughts trapped in a private world. Tonight her eyes didn’t flash at him in anger, nor did she blush.

He touched her face and her eyes moved slowly to his. Her soft lips parted.

“
I will do those things that you want,” she said, her voice a husky whisper. To his utter horror and despite the crises at hand, her words were enough to arouse him.

“
Is that why you came to see me?” he asked calmly.

Although he had never tried the drug himself, he knew it could do dramatic things to a person’s mind. Probably somewhere in her fogged, befuddled brain, she knew something was wrong. She could very well be quite frightened even though she looked at peace.

“
I wanted to find you. I had to tell you,” she said with slow, soft words, her glazed eyes looking but not quite focusing on him.

“
I will give you what you want,” she repeated.

“
Yes, I am so happy to hear this news, but darling but why didn’t you wait to see me? Why did you follow me when you could have come to my office?” he asked in a gentle voice, smoothing back a loose tendril of hair that had curled about her face with a loving finger.

“
I had to see you, I need to give things to Mandy, I must do this thing, I must do this thing . . .” Her hesitant words, calmly spoken, tore into William like a jagged knife pulled through his flesh.

All his life he had taken what he wanted. And all his life so many people had tried to take advantage of him and of his wealth. Somewhere during his cloyed life he had stopped feeling compassion for those he manipulated. He had stopped caring.

Victoria would give him what he wanted because she had to and because he had forced her by eliminating all her options…just as he had done many times in his life. It had never bothered him before, but now the notion was deeply troubling.

Why did it matter to him if she was willing, or what her reasons were for giving into him? He should not and would not be disappointed that she didn’t care for him. After all, what did he expect of her? She was desperate, which had been his precise goal. How could he imagine she might care for him when he would tempt her and take advantage of her dire circumstances?

Perhaps his discomfort was because his opponents had always been equals in business. But not this time. This time it was personal and she was an innocent, sweet, country girl.

With a firm, mental push he discarded his absurd sentimental musings by taking up his pragmatic, comfortable and familiar business approach. He truly wanted her and he truly cared for her. She was still better off with him than some cowpoke in Fort Worth! He would make sure of that…. therefore, he was doing her a favor.

“
You will do this because of Mandy, because you want the store,” he reasoned. “I know it is too much to expect that you would do what I want for any other reason than out of financial need.”

She was silent.

No one had ever wanted him for himself. It was always what he could give. Some deep part of him wanted Victoria to come to him for more than that. Of course, it was a notion of a silly, love- struck boy to say the least.

“
I want to help Mandy, I want the store and I want to be with you, I want to do those things . . . those things I saw . . .in the show.”

Surprised and stunned with immediate pleasure and joy that suffused his entire being, William stared down at her while warmth spread through him like honey on warm bread. She wanted to do the things she saw in the room
with him
. William could have whooped with joy.

“
I want to be with you too, Victoria, more than you know,” he said knowing, but not caring that she would never remember their whispered words. What mattered was that she desired him despite the circumstances.

“
I . . . it is wrong to want this I know, to do those things, but I . . .” She broke off and her eyes started to close.

He said, “It is not wrong darling, nothing could be more right…nothing.”

He was not sure how or when she had come to matter so much, but she had.

“
Don’t sleep, sweetheart.” He shook her gently. “You must stay awake.” Her eyes opened. She stared at him with beautiful, shimmering blank eyes. He wanted her to stay awake for a while because he was afraid if she slept she might not ever wake up.

Her hair, free of its pins, tumbled over his arms to the velvet seat in glossy silk locks.

“
Tell me about your mother,” he suggested as he gently ran his fingers through her long, dark tresses plucking out the dangling hairpins.

“
Mother?” she asked, her eyes taking on an even more distant look.

“
Mother would not like what happened in that room,” she said absently.

He chuckled low at her uncomplicated statement. “I imagine she wouldn’t.”

“
William, do you want me to do those things then?” Her words were slow and husky as she focused her soft, blue gaze on him.

“
What things? Tell me of them,” he softly impelled.

His blood pounded through him as an eternity passed.

This carnal desire to hear her describe the sexual scene in the room was perverse and reprehensible. He should be ashamed for asking her to reveal her feelings and hunger her salacious words, but he was not in the least disconcerted. He was undoubtedly a depraved man when it came to this woman.

When she started her recounting of what happened in that room, leaving out no detail, her low and husky voice was more potent than any drug. Even when she struggled over some of her descriptions with enchanting innocence, his lust almost overwhelmed him.

“
I never knew . . . about those things . . .” she finished, her voice low and rasping. “I knew I wanted to do those things with you.”

He clutched her tightly. “Oh God, Victoria, if only you knew how much I want those things darling,” he confessed.

She smiled a dreamy, child-like smile that stole the air from his lungs.

“
I am going to take care of you, sweetheart,” William promised as he searched her eyes for a glimmer of coherent thought. Possessiveness swept through him like a relentless tide. He wanted her. She would belong to him and he would take care of her.

“
I know you will,” she whispered, smiling an open, trusting smile. “You know, I don’t know very much about being with a man. I mean, I know what goes on, but I know very little.”

He gently touched her cheek. “I will show you everything darling and you will know all there is to know about giving and receiving pleasure with a man.”

Her focus fixed on him.

“
But I don’t want anyone looking at us from behind a glass wall,” she amended, her forehead wrinkled with grave thoughts.

William laughed low, hugging her close. “Don’t worry, sweeting, we will not be entertainment for others.”

When he was a younger man, still wild and curious, he had once watched a “show,” but it held no appeal for him, then, or now.

However, it concerned him a great deal that Victoria had seen the show. Even drugged her description was too vivid for one so young and innocent of the world. When she was herself again he wondered how much she would recall.

“
You shouldn’t have followed me,” he told her firmly pulling aside the curtain to peer outside. “You have landed yourself into a lot of trouble.”

It was nearly dark now and the streets were almost empty which would give him plenty of cover to bring Victoria into his house undetected.

“
I needed to talk to you about our deal, I didn’t want to wait,” she answered softly. “But why did you go to that place?” She lifted her head from his shoulder to stare up at him with wide dark cobalt eyes.

“
I wanted you so badly Victoria.” His voice dropped as he searched her eyes. “I needed you, but I didn’t want to seduce or coerce you. I wanted you to have a choice and to decide on your own,” he sighed searching for the right words, if there were any such thing.

“
The need became so great. I know you don’t understand about men, but I can tell you that I wanted you and thought I could find relief with Lotus.”