Soho, to Mrs. Cambridge's flagellation establishment. She had a brother and sister there, twins, both of them very pretty. He would punish them for Lady Sara's sins. Weldon smiled into the darkness. It would be a most satisfying end to the evening.
----
Chapter 6
Rescuing Jenny Miller from the whorehouse turned out to be a simple business. After leaving the ball, Peregrine had returned to his hotel and changed from formal evening wear to something equally dark but more anonymous.
Earlier in the day, Peregrine and his servant, Kuram, had made a discreet scouting expedition around Mrs. Kent's brothel so that no time would be wasted in finding the correct place. Kuram had also arranged to hire a hackney for the night. The vehicle was like a thousand other London carriages, and it would take a discerning eye to notice that the dusty horse was much better quality than would usually be found at such work.
Peregrine let Kuram drive while he himself rode inside the hackney, thinking about Lady Sara St. James. She was a constant surprise to him, unlike any other woman he had ever known. Besides her intelligence and quiet courage, she had the same directness that Lord Ross did. That quality meant she should be easy to manipulate, because those who are naturally direct do not usually assume others to be devious.
It would be an interesting challenge to end Lady Sara's betrothal in a way that would be easy for her and painful for Weldon. But instead of considering ways and means, he found himself thinking back to the kiss they had shared. When she had responded with a potent blend of innocent wonder and sensuality,he had realized that underneath her proper exterior and inexperience was a passionate woman.
Over the years, Peregrine had learned that he could attract a woman's attention and interest by sheer force of will. It was a matter of concentration, of focusing all his intensity and desire. When he made the effort, even the least receptive females became very aware of him, while the most susceptible could be lured to his hand like a trained hawk.
Fortunately, Lady Sara had proved to be very susceptible indeed. Even when he made no special effort, there was a powerful current of attraction between them, but when he had consciously set out to capture her interest, she had softened and opened like a flower. If they had not been in a public place, he would have been delighted to continue what they had begun. Though she had demurred, he did not doubt that she could have been easily persuaded to change her mind.
But her innocence bothered him. While he had promised Ross not to hurt her, innocents were notoriously fragile. That was why he preferred to avoid them. Even though Lady Sara was twenty-seven and levelheaded, there was a strong likelihood that she would suffer some emotional bruising as a result of being caught between Peregrine and his enemy.
Peregrine's expression hardened. He would rather not betray Ross's trust, but even his own promise would not be permitted to come between him and his goal. While it would be regrettable if her ladyship's delicate sensibilities were injured, any damage he inflicted would be trifling compared to the disaster that would befall her if she were to become Weldon's wife.
He dismissed her from his thoughts as the hackney rumbled through an alley they had scouted earlier in the day. Kuram stopped the carriage just within the alley's mouth, so that horse and vehicle were hidden in the shadows. If there was any pursuit, they would be able to pull away quickly.Peregrine lifted the coil of rope he had prepared earlier and slung it over his shoulder, then climbed out of the carriage and made his shadowed way to Mrs. Kent's unsavory establishment. At this hour, the shabby street was empty, though drunken shouts and laughter came from a tavern that he passed.
The upper half of the brothel was washed by moonlight, which made it easy to count windows. Two floors above street level, second
----
Chapter 6
Rescuing Jenny Miller from the whorehouse turned out to be a simple business. After leaving the ball, Peregrine had returned to his hotel and changed from formal evening wear to something equally dark but more anonymous.
Earlier in the day, Peregrine and his servant, Kuram, had made a discreet scouting expedition around Mrs. Kent's brothel so that no time would be wasted in finding the correct place. Kuram had also arranged to hire a hackney for the night. The vehicle was like a thousand other London carriages, and it would take a discerning eye to notice that the dusty horse was much better quality than would usually be found at such work.
Peregrine let Kuram drive while he himself rode inside the hackney, thinking about Lady Sara St. James. She was a constant surprise to him, unlike any other woman he had ever known. Besides her intelligence and quiet courage, she had the same directness that Lord Ross did. That quality meant she should be easy to manipulate, because those who are naturally direct do not usually assume others to be devious.
It would be an interesting challenge to end Lady Sara's betrothal in a way that would be easy for her and painful for Weldon. But instead of considering ways and means, he found himself thinking back to the kiss they had shared. When she had responded with a potent blend of innocent wonder and sensuality,he had realized that underneath her proper exterior and inexperience was a passionate woman.
Over the years, Peregrine had learned that he could attract a woman's attention and interest by sheer force of will. It was a matter of concentration, of focusing all his intensity and desire. When he made the effort, even the least receptive females became very aware of him, while the most susceptible could be lured to his hand like a trained hawk.
Fortunately, Lady Sara had proved to be very susceptible indeed. Even when he made no special effort, there was a powerful current of attraction between them, but when he had consciously set out to capture her interest, she had softened and opened like a flower. If they had not been in a public place, he would have been delighted to continue what they had begun. Though she had demurred, he did not doubt that she could have been easily persuaded to change her mind.
But her innocence bothered him. While he had promised Ross not to hurt her, innocents were notoriously fragile. That was why he preferred to avoid them. Even though Lady Sara was twenty-seven and levelheaded, there was a strong likelihood that she would suffer some emotional bruising as a result of being caught between Peregrine and his enemy.
Peregrine's expression hardened. He would rather not betray Ross's trust, but even his own promise would not be permitted to come between him and his goal. While it would be regrettable if her ladyship's delicate sensibilities were injured, any damage he inflicted would be trifling compared to the disaster that would befall her if she were to become Weldon's wife.
He dismissed her from his thoughts as the hackney rumbled through an alley they had scouted earlier in the day. Kuram stopped the carriage just within the alley's mouth, so that horse and vehicle were hidden in the shadows. If there was any pursuit, they would be able to pull away quickly.Peregrine lifted the coil of rope he had prepared earlier and slung it over his shoulder, then climbed out of the carriage and made his shadowed way to Mrs. Kent's unsavory establishment. At this hour, the shabby street was empty, though drunken shouts and laughter came from a tavern that he passed.
The upper half of the brothel was washed by moonlight, which made it easy to count windows. Two floors above street level, second
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