Twilight with the Infamous Earl (4 page)

“Come on,” Emily said sharply. She grabbed her brother and the girl. “It is time to leave.”

Katie followed them willingly, but concern clouded her countenance. “Where will I go? What shall become of me?”

Emily’s pace slowed as she considered her choices. When she had stepped in to assist the girl, she had not thought beyond separating her from her abuser. Even the arrogant gentleman had warned her that there were few options for the girl if she left her stepfather. She could not bring her home. Or could she? While her father might understand, she doubted her mother would be pleased by her initiative.

“Do not worry,” she said, bestowing a reassuring smile on the young woman. “We will figure something out.”

Emily gasped as a firm hand clasped her on the shoulder. She whirled about to confront the person who had the audacity to put his hands on her, and was dismayed to see the dark-haired gentleman again.

“You again?”

The roguish grin he gave her was unsettling. “Aye, me again. Running off? You disappoint me, Emily. I thought you were raised properly.”

“You have no right to speak to my sister with such familiarity.” Her brother stepped protectively in front of her. “You may address her as Miss Cavell or not at all.”

The gentleman brought his hand to his chest. “You wound me. And here I thought we were becoming good friends,” he lightly mocked. “Nor have you inquired after my injuries, which I earned on your behalf.”

Guilt nibbled at her indignation. “Are you hurt?”

“Preparing to rescue me as well, sweet?” he queried, sounding amused. “Well, don’t fret. A few bruises will not force me into bed. Unless you are willing to play nursemaid.”

“I certainly will not!” she huffed. No one had ever dared to speak to her in such a manner.

“Stop speaking to my sister,” her brother ordered harshly, even though he was aware that he could not best the man in a fight.

“Or you will do what?” the gentleman replied with silky menace. Her brother held his ground, but everyone heard the audible click in his throat as he nervously swallowed. “I thought as much. Nothing but an adorable puppy. Knock on my door when you have grown some teeth.”

“Did the constable arrest my stepfather?” the girl asked, drawing the gentleman’s attention away from Emily’s brother.

The man sighed. “Yes. And he will have a few companions, so you don’t have to worry about him getting lonely.”

Emily belatedly realized that she owed this gentleman a small measure of gratitude for interfering when he had. The man would have slipped away with this stepdaughter if the stranger had not caught him. “I have been remiss in thanking you, sir. You are a hero.”

The compliment did not please him. “Not in the slightest, dear lady. And the name is Chillingsworth. Lord Chillingsworth.”

Emily smiled weakly at him. Not only a gentleman, but a titled one as well. He was exactly the type of man her mother would warmly welcome into her drawing room, which was precisely why she hoped the two would never meet. “Well, you have our gratitude regardless, Lord Chillingsworth.” She nodded to Katie. “Shall we go? The carriage isn’t far.”

“No,” Lord Chillingsworth said, halting their attempts to depart.

She raised her brows in silent query.

“Forgive my bluntness, Miss Cavell. What are your plans for this girl?” he asked. The mocking amusement he had not bothered to disguise had vanished from his voice.

“We are still making plans,” she said defensively.

“As I tried to explain earlier, while your intentions are noble, your inexperience with such matters might place this girl in a worse predicament,” he said, those intriguing turquoise-blue eyes of his pinning her in place.

“I intend to help her, Lord Chillingsworth,” she said coldly.

He nodded at her brother. “The puppy and the lamb,” he chuckled humorlessly.

“You insult us, my lord!” she said, knowing the confrontation with the stepfather could have been handled better.

“Just pointing out the obvious, Miss Cavell.” He stared at the girl, but what he was thinking was anyone’s guess. “I will take her,” he said abruptly.

This was an unexpected development. “What? Uh, no, I cannot allow you—”

He brushed her protests aside and spoke directly to Katie. “I am acquainted with people who are familiar with your circumstances. With their assistance, you will have food, a place to sleep, and prospects.”

The wary hope in her eyes diminished as she considered his generous offer. “You are taking me to a brothel.”

Before Emily could express her indignation over the suggestion, Lord Chillingsworth was shaking his head.

“No. If that was my intention, I would have left you in your father’s care. It would have been simpler, do you not agree?” At her nod, he explained. “You are not the first girl my friends have helped. However, I recommend that you make your decision swiftly. We have drawn too much attention and I would prefer not to linger.”

“I’m ready,” Katie said. With only an ill-fitting dress that likely belonged to her dead mother, she was willing to put her trust in a man she had just met.

Emily glanced at the girl, mentally debating if she should be upset or relieved that Lord Chillingsworth was prepared to take responsibility for Katie. She was also a tad embarrassed that she had been so ill-prepared to help.

Noting her discomfort, he said, “I promise, my friends are respectable people. She will be in good hands, Miss Cavell. More capable ones than you or I are equipped with.”

Emily nodded, fighting down her resentment. She embraced the girl. “You recall the address that I told you? Yes? Excellent. I will be residing in London for a few months. Send me a note when you are settled.”

The girl pulled away. “I will. Thank you, Miss Cavell.”

She nodded and stepped back. It was silly, but she felt like weeping. “My brother and I—we should be going.”

“A moment, Miss Cavell,” Lord Chillingsworth called out to her. “Is there a reason why your name is familiar to me?”

“Perhaps you have heard of my father?”

“It is possible. Well, no matter. It will come to me eventually,” he said, shaking his head. “By the by, you’ve neglected to give me your address. I will need it if you wish for me to update you on the girl’s well-being.”

Emily bit her lower lip to hide her smile. “Reveal my residence to a stranger? That would be unwise, do you not agree, Lord Chillingsworth? Beside, Katie already knows how to find me.”

*   *   *

Frost’s mouth quirked as the redheaded Emily strolled out of his life as quickly as she had entered it. “I don’t think Miss Cavell likes me.” Granted, she was a sensible young lady. After all, he was not to be trusted.

His companion giggled. “Maybe you should ask your friends for advice on how to court a lady.”

He sighed dramatically. “A useless exercise, my dear Katie. I have no intention of courting anyone—especially a difficult lady like Miss Cavell.”

Chapter Five

“Rumor has it, you are flirting with ladies who are half your age, Frost,” Vane teased as he leaned back in his chair so he could prop up his feet on the table.

Frost grimaced, not particularly amazed that his good deed had reached his friend’s ears. “You must have called on the Sainthills recently.”

Four days had passed since he’d presented young Katie to Lady Sainthill. Although it was rarely discussed, the beautiful marchioness had lived as notoriously as the Lords of Vice under a different name—Madame Venna. Before her marriage, she had been the proprietress of the Golden Pearl, one of the most extravagant brothels in London. By using a half-mask to conceal her face and altering her voice, she had amassed a small fortune while keeping her identity a secret. The Lords of Vice had often patronized her establishment.

Those days were behind Catherine, and the less said, the happier Saint was: He was very protective of his lady. Nevertheless, she had old friends whom she trusted and influential new ones. Katie was not the first girl Catherine had found a new home for, nor would she be the last.

“So you have no plans to keep her?”

Frost crossed his arms and stared down at Vane. “What sort of miscreant do you take me for? The poor girl was in trouble and I offered my assistance. Nothing more.”

Dare and Reign entered the room. Overhearing part of his explanation, Reign clapped a hand on Frost’s shoulder as he passed by him.

“You did a good thing, gent. If not for you, that girl would have come to a bad end,” Reign said, moving to the other side of the table.

“I beg of you, no more,” Frost pleaded, uncomfortable with the praise. “Next you will be claiming that I possess a heart and insist on naming your sons after me.”

Dare chuckled and reached over to smack him on the back of the head. “I did name my son after you, you ungrateful arse!” He took the seat next to Frost.

“It only proves that you have good taste,” Frost said genially. “Bishop is a strong given name.”

“So why did Sin call this meeting?” Vane asked, yawning into his hand.

“Trouble, gents,” Hunter announced. He was not alone. Sin and Nox’s steward, Berus, followed in his wake.

“What sort of trouble?” Frost asked. “Has something happened here at Nox?”

It was Sin who replied. “Were you not paying attention last week when Berus was telling us about Halward?”

Frost shrugged. “Colin Halward. So what? The man is trying to build a nasty reputation for himself in London. He’s not the first.”

Nor would he be the last.

“Trying? Succeeding is more like it.”

Before Sin could explain why this Halward fellow had him so bothered, Saint dashed into the saloon. “Forgive my tardiness. It couldn’t be helped. What have I missed?”

“Not much. Sin was about to tell us why we should care about Colin Halward,” drawled Frost.

“Halward is a first-rate bastard. A few years ago, he caused trouble at the Golden Pearl by attacking one of the girls. It was one of the reasons why Catherine decided to close the establishment.” At Frost’s blank expression, Saint growled in frustration. “Were you even listening when we discussed the man last week?” he asked, sounding breathless as he sat down on the opposite side of the table.

Frost rolled his eyes. “I might have slept during the boring parts of Sin’s rambling lecture.”

Maybe he had been distracted during their last meeting. He had made plans to spend the evening with a pretty blonde who had caught his eye.

“Then permit me to remind you that Halward poses a problem to Nox. The bastard views the gambling hell as ripe for the picking since we have not been looking after our interests as closely as we have in the past.”

Translation: His six very married friends had preferred to spend their evenings entertaining their wives rather than ending the day at Nox. For years, night after night, they had gambled, fought, drunk brandy and wine until they were half blind, and whored until the wee hours of dawn.

Those wonderful days had begun to fade when Sin had encountered Juliana in Lady Lettlecott’s garden. Not that he blamed the lady—overly much.

“And why, I ask, have we not been looking after our interests?” Frost couldn’t resist asking.

“Here we go again,” muttered Vane, rubbing his face with his hands.

“Berus has done an upstanding job looking after Nox, Frost,” Hunter said, his brow furrowing in a manner that proved he was serious. “You insult him to imply otherwise.”

“My apologies, Berus,” Frost said, acknowledging the man who stood quietly at the door. “Your service to the Lords of Vice has been irreproachable. I have no quarrel with you, my good man.”

“Thank you, milord,” Berus said, his voice slightly gruff with emotion. “It has been a pleasure serving all of you.”

Sin leaned forward, his eyes glittering with anger. “Aye, Frost, we all know the direction of your feelings. You have hardly been subtle or clever about it.”

“You wound me, old friend.” This was not the first time he and Sin had clashed over Juliana or Nox. His folded his hand into a fist and rubbed his knuckles with his other hand. “Next time, I will be more direct.”

“Gentlemen, we did not come here to fight,” Reign said, his gaze conveying a direct message that Frost should back off. “We are at fault for not addressing some of these problems sooner. Berus has dealt with threats from Halward, and there has been damage to the property. We have nothing to take to the police, but I concur with Sin and Hunter. The man bears watching.”

“And then there is the woman,” Hunter added.

“What woman?”

Dare asked before Frost could speak. He settled back into his chair. As much as he would have enjoyed punching Sin, he would have regretted it later.

“Were you not introduced to her at Lady Sellar’s ball?”

Dare sent him a puzzled glance. “No. Who is she?”

“A barrister’s daughter, I hear,” Sin replied. “She has connections to Lord and Lady Tobin. A distant cousin, perhaps.”

“I believe her older sister was betrothed to Leventhorpe,” Saint said.

The Lords of Vice had turned into a bunch of gossips. “And you know this, how?” Frost asked, not caring one way or the other about the unknown chit.

“Balls. A wealth of information can be gleaned if one has the patience,” Sin admitted.

Frost smiled. “I don’t.”

Raising his hands in surrender, Sin shook his head. “The increased crime around King Street has not gone unnoticed by the
ton
. There has been growing concern about the violence, and many blame the local taverns, brothels, and gambling hells.”

“This Cavell woman has been suggesting to all who will listen to her rants that certain establishments are encouraging the criminals. Nox has been mentioned several times.” Saint paused, allowing the news to sink in. “Unfortunately, people are beginning to listen to her.”

“Cavell.” Frost tasted the word on his tongue. Where had he heard that name—wait—no, it could not be! “You do not mean Miss Emily Cavell?”

“Do you know that sharp-tongued redhead?” Sin asked in disbelief.

Frost clapped his hands together and laughed until his ribs ached. His friends looked on, their expressions revealing that they collectively thought he had lost his mind. Miss Emily Cavell. So the lady had picked up her sword and was seeking another battle. How splendid! The Fates certainly had a sense of humor to bring that particular female back into his life. Now that a child’s life was not at risk, he intended to enjoy himself.