The Louise Allen Collection: The Viscount's Betrothal / The Society Catch. Louise Allen

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ for you to begin to teach her children, and equally your friends and family will be concerned to hear of your safe arrival.’

      Joanna bit her lip. It would look odd indeed if the only letter she sent during her enforced stay with the Thoroughgoods was to Lady Brandon. ‘I do not have any family,’ she said, trying to sound brave but lonely. ‘And no close friends. A governess’s life is a solitary one, I am afraid.’

      ‘I am sorry to hear that,’ the Reverend Thoroughgood said solemnly. ‘You must turn for consolation to the thought of the good you are doing and the Christian learning you are bringing to young and tender minds.’

      ‘Oh, yes, quite.’ Joanna felt that any further discussion of this would be dangerous. She must recall all she could of her own governesses before venturing into conversation on their lives and duties. ‘Are we near your parish yet, sir?’

      ‘I do not have a parish: I have always been a scholar rather than a pastor, although I have many friends in London to whom I minister and attempt to bring spiritual light and succour by correspondence and the writing of tracts.’

      ‘Indeed.’ Joanna racked her brains; this was far more difficult than making conversation with a duchess. ‘That must be very…satisfying.’

      ‘Indeed it is, my dear Miss Wilson. I feel I myself gain much profit by my efforts in the capital. Now, here we are.’

      The gig turned into the drive of a modest yellow brick house set within a somewhat overgrown and dull garden of lawn and laurels. It looked not so much dilapidated as unloved and uncared for and Joanna shivered despite the warm afternoon. A clergyman in modest circumstances could not afford to spend much on external appearances, she chided herself. It was most ungrateful to be critical after he had offered to help her in her difficulties.

      No groom came round at the sound of the gig and the Reverend Thoroughgood simply dropped the reins as he helped Joanna down. The pony stood patiently, apparently not inclined to wander off, and the front door opened.

      ‘Lucille, my dear!’ The Reverend Thoroughgood took Joanna’s arm with one hand and her valise with the other and urged her towards the door. ‘I have a young lady in distress who has been cast adrift upon the highway by the actions of some pickpocket. She is on her way to her new employer and has no friends or family to turn to.’

      The woman who stood on the step, one long white hand raised to hold open the door, surprised Joanna. She was tall, dressed with sombre elegance in a dark gown of excellent cut and, although at least forty-five, retained striking good looks. In Joanna’s experience ladies of that age were matrons and dressed and appeared exactly that. This lady had a faintly dangerous and independent air about her.

      She looked Joanna up and down, a faint smile on her well-cut lips, then raised an eyebrow at her brother, who hastened to complete the introductions. ‘Lucille, my dear, this is Miss Wilson. Miss Wilson, my sister, Miss Thoroughgood.’

      Joanna bobbed a curtsy. ‘I must apologise, ma’am, for this intrusion. The Reverend Thoroughgood has been most kind to me in my predicament and has offered to allow me to stay for a few days until my letter reaches my new employer and she is able to send a carriage for me.’

      ‘Of course. We are delighted you are here, Miss Wilson. Would you like to come upstairs to your room?’ Her voice was cool, not unpleasant, but Joanna sensed a strange current of amusement underlying her words. It made her uneasy, which was ridiculous. She was tired, that was all. Tired, upset by the theft and still not entirely recovered from her stomach upset.

      ‘Thank you, ma’am.’ She followed her hostess into a dark hall, up the stairs and into a room. Miss Thoroughgood stood aside as she entered and Joanna walked forward a few steps before turning to see both brother and sister standing in the doorway watching her. ‘I…’ Her voice died away as she took in their cool, assessing expressions and realised that the room she was in was virtually bare except for a bed and a washstand. The narrow window was barred with iron.

       Chapter Six

      ‘I must congratulate you, Thaddeus,’ Miss Thoroughgood said, eyeing Joanna up and down in much the same way as she might have assessed the points of a horse. ‘This one will do excellently. A real young lady.’

      ‘And a virtuous young lady,’ he replied, tugging off his clerical collar and bands with a grunt of relief. ‘You are a virtuous young lady, are you not, Miss Wilson?’

      Her flaming cheeks were all the answer he wanted and a smirk of satisfaction crossed his nondescript features, which up until that moment Joanna had found reassuringly bland.

      The sudden change in tone was completely disorientating. ‘I think there must be some mistake,’ she said coldly, taking a step towards them. ‘I will leave now.’

      ‘Oh no, dear,’ Miss Thoroughgood replied. ‘You will not leave this room until we are ready to send you to London.’ She turned to her brother. ‘When is Thomas collecting the next consignment?’

      ‘He has a carriage making the rounds now, he should be with us by the day after tomorrow.’

      ‘London? What are you talking about? Let me go at once.’ Joanna tried to keep her voice steady and confident, but it shook despite her efforts. The brother and sister seemed to grow before her eyes until all she was aware of was their assessing looks, their amused smiles, the way their eyes slid over her body.

      The woman addressed her frigidly. ‘You go where we send you. You belong to us now. In a day or two you will be in the hands of your new master, on the way to your new…home.’

      ‘Belong? What are you talking about? I have an employer…’

      ‘You are about to get an owner. Milo Thomas, the biggest whoremaster in the capital, is going to pay us very well indeed for such an untouched treasure as you, my dear.’

      ‘Whore…no!’ Joanna backed away, stopping abruptly as the back of her legs hit the bed. ‘You are wrong about me! I am a respectable girl, not…’

      ‘Not yet.’ Thaddeus sounded amused at her lack of comprehension. ‘Not yet, but you will be. You will learn all you need in one of Milo’s closed houses, and you will earn him a fortune. Someone is going to pay very good money to deflower such innocence and beauty, and even more are going to pay handsomely to watch.’

      ‘No!’ Joanna pressed her hands to her mouth. She was going to be sick, she was going to faint and then wake up and find this was a nightmare. His words made no real sense to her, except to convey a disgusting, terrifying threat. How could they imagine… She struggled for courage and to think. ‘I told you I was a governess, that I was alone in the world. That was not true. I am running away from home and I have a rich and influential family. They will be looking for me—they will pay you to get me back.’

      She broke off, panting, and watched the expressions on the two predatory faces opposite her. There was calculation going on and for a moment she dared hope, then Lucille said, ‘No. She would, of course, say that to buy time. But even if it were true, if we released her, she has seen us. As it is, a few months in Milo’s care and her family, if they exist, will not want her back to shame them.’

      She took the valise from her brother’s hand and opened it, sorting roughly through its contents. She removed a nail file and a pair of scissors, then tossed it into the room. ‘There. Now, rest СКАЧАТЬ