The Trouble With Seduction. Victoria Hanlen

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ temple. “Difficulties, problems and annoyances. That’s all I seem to have these days.” As her carriage rumbled down the street, she jotted down another item on her list of things needing attention. She’d risen early this morning to consult with Mrs Billings before her mission school began for the day. Lately, they’d made a few changes, and she was anxious to know if they’d brought more children into the school.

      The carriage finally pulled to a stop. Her driver opened the door and let down the stairs. “Mind your step, my lady.”

      She alighted onto the murky sidewalk and glanced about. Her mission sat in St Giles, one of the poorest parts of London, close to those most in need. Wagons and working-class pedestrians bustled along the grimy street. Shops lined the first level of the soot-coated buildings. Small factories, boarding houses and tenements packed the dilapidated neighborhood as well.

      Sarah climbed the steps and entered the mission’s front door. The Spartan front entry doubled as a greeting room and Mrs Billings’ office. Her second-hand desk and side chairs showed wear, but all seemed neat and tidy.

      Her mission manager bustled out of a classroom. “Oh, good morning, my lady!”

      “Good morning, Billings. Might I have a word?”

      Sarah followed her into the classroom and shut the door. “Are you happy with the new teacher and cook?”

      “Yes, ma’am,” Mrs Billings smiled. “The new teacher is enthusiastic, yet still maintains discipline and the children seem to like her. The new cook is quite proficient as well. She manages to make a balanced and very tasty free dinner for the children.”

      “But have we seen any increase in enrollment?”

      The mission manager bit her lip. “This may seem somewhat roundabout, but that nice young couple you gave arithmetic lessons to stopped by with a few of their friends. There appears to be great interest in learning how to calculate the cost of their loans. The adults are seeking knowledge. Perhaps if parents see the value of education, they will send their children.”

      “Excellent idea, Billings!”

      “Thank you, my lady.”

      “The adults need education even more desperately than their children. They have to use it every day. Perhaps we can give lessons in the evenings after their work.”

      Mrs Billings gave her a worried expression. “Classes at night might not be safe. The tailor down the block was attacked last night in his shop. The gang that’s been terrorizing the neighborhood demanded protection money or they’d do it again.”

      “Surely they wouldn’t attack a mission. This is a charity,” Sarah said in disbelief. “We help people.”

      “These are despicable villains, my lady. I doubt they have any scruples whatsoever. I told our workers to keep a sharp eye out for anyone who looks suspicious.”

      ***

      The sun had reached its zenith by the time Damen arrived at the dim alley where the coachman said Cory and his footman were found. Today he’d dressed in the shabby shirt, trousers and boots he used to blend into the seedier parts of Liverpool and its dockyards.

      He started at one end of the pathway and paced to the other. Both opened out to larger streets. Little more than a dirt-lined drainage gap between buildings, the track hardly seemed wide enough for three men abreast, much less seven knocking each other about.

      Damen stretched out his arms, easily touching the long clapboard building to one side and the high brick wall on the other. Apart from children’s laughter and the sounds of a play yard nearby, nothing seemed particularly untoward or out of the ordinary. He dug into his workman’s smock for his pencil and small notebook to make notes.

      “Mr Ravenhill? My goodness, I barely recognized you.”

      His pulse stuttered in surprise. The dulcet voice flowed over him like warm syrup. Damen whipped round and swept his cap from his head. “Lady Strathford, what are you doing here?”

      She stood at the opened gate bisecting the brick wall. Two pink smudges colored her creamy high cheekbones. Sunlight reflected off her crown of tight braids creating something of a halo around her head. Her graceful hands rested on the shoulders of two urchins peering around her skirts.

      His heart bounded into a faster beat. Had he ever seen a lovelier, more feminine sight? A Madonna, an angel.

      She gently turned the children back inside and closed the gate to approach him. Her high-collared, dingy, dark gown, typical of a St Giles matron, made a wise ensemble for this part of town. But her exquisite countenance was a rarity for any part of town.

      Part of him wanted to take her in hand and bustle her back to Mayfair. This was no place for a beautiful woman. Even angels were in jeopardy in St Giles. Plenty of dangers overtook the locals. More befell those who appeared like they had something to steal. “Have you lost your way, my lady?”

      “I might ask you the same.” Her sparkling gaze drifted about his face, settling in on his lips, stirring in him a completely inappropriate response.

      She pointed to the three-story brick building behind her that looked like a factory. “On the other side of this wall is one of the charities I support – my Mission of Mercy. Several of the teachers have been watching you and wondering what you’re about.” Damen peered around the upper-floor windows. He now realized one or two faces peered back.

      “This is where our coachman said he found us. My footman said five ruffians set upon us.” An idea came to him. “Did anyone at your mission see the attack?”

      “Oh, dear. What time did it occur?”

      “I was told in the wee hours of the morning.”

      “The mission is open from seven to seven. I can ask if anyone saw anything suspicious.” She gazed around the path as he’d done. “It must have been a squeeze for seven men. Are you certain you didn’t crawl in here to escape?”

      “The thought did cross my mind.” Damen paced to one end of the short passage where it intersected with a larger road. Various buildings and tenements populated the street. Near the entrance stood a second-hand store, a gin shop, a store that sold small animals, and several gambling saloons. As far as he knew, Cory hadn’t been a gambler. If he had entered one of those establishments, it was likely in pursuit of someone.

      Sarah approached him at the path’s entrance and looked back toward her mission. “This is a well-known shortcut through the neighborhood.”

      Damen turned to follow her gaze. “Yet another confusing piece to the puzzle. What brought me to your mission, and why was I attacked practically on your back doorstep?” Could Cory have known of Lady Strathford’s mission and hoped he might get help?

      “Have any of your memories returned?”

      He rubbed the side of his head and hoped to sound convincing. “There is something. You said when we danced at the Grancliffe party my gaze had been fixed on the doorway, and afterward I disappeared? I think I might have seen someone at the party, someone who might have been responsible for the attack on me and my footman.”

      “What did this person look like?”

      “Not СКАЧАТЬ