into the small room and Lily stared at them, waiting for James to bid them goodnight. He did no such thing.
‘You see, gentlemen, she is as beautiful in bed as I promised you she would be.’ He turned to wave his hand expansively. ‘She is a lovely mistress, I can vouch for that. Now, which one of you gentlemen will go first?’
Lily stared at James in horror. She saw all too clearly now how he intended to make his money. He wanted to sell her to whatever man would pay for her. She felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment that was quickly followed by a rush of anger. How dare he treat her like a whore? But she must keep her temper; she realized she would have to think fast. She would never have the strength to fight the men off; she would have to use cunning if she was to get out of this situation with her pride intact.
‘I’m sorry, James, I can’t accommodate you tonight,’ she said gloomily. ‘My curses have come and I am in so much pain and discomfort that I dare not even move an inch. No-one would wish to share a bed with me now, you understand?’
‘Hell and damnation, James, this is a fine kettle of fish,’ Conrad said.
James hesitated and for a moment Lily thought he would tear aside the sheets. Bile rose to her throat but she forced herself to speak. ‘Oh good heavens here come the pains again and the flooding. I am going to be in a dreadful state by morning.’
‘We’ll go to the village,’ James said. ‘All is not lost, gentlemen, I know some very willing ladies who will not be indisposed.’ He glared at Lily before leaving the room and she lay quite still until the house fell silent.
Carefully she edged out of bed and dressed in her warmest clothes. Swiftly, in the light of the dying candles, she pushed her few possessions into a bag.
Her heart was in her mouth as she crept into the bedroom where the two guests had left their travelling bags. Silently, she took all the money she could find and pushed it into her bag.
Downstairs, Betty was sitting in the kitchen. ‘Oh God, miss, I thought they had killed you!’ she gasped. ‘I hid in the garden until they went away. I knew what they was after, see.’
‘Come on,’ Lily said, ‘we’d better get out of here as quickly as we can.’
Outside the cottage, Lily took stock of the situation. The two men had arrived in an open carriage but Lily doubted that she and Betty could harness the horses without any help.
‘We’ll ride,’ she whispered. ‘Get the saddles, Betty.’
Guiding the horses over the grasslands leading from the house, Lily held her breath as though afraid, even now, that James would catch her and drag her back to the cottage that had once been her home. She would never forgive him for what he had tried to do tonight.
She glanced back and saw the glow of flames rising from the roof of the cottage. ‘The place is on fire!’ she said.
‘I did it, miss,’ Betty said. ‘That place belonged to old Tom, not to that young upstart. Why should we leave it all for him to live in?’
‘Well done, Betty!’ Lily said jubilantly. ‘Now James will have nothing at all.’
Once away from the house, the two women began to ride swiftly. Betty brought her horse as close as she dared to the mount Lily was riding.
‘We’ll be branded thieves for this, you know that don’t you?’ she said breathlessly.
‘I don’t think so!’ Lily shouted over the beat of hooves. ‘Those fine gentlemen probably have wives. We could do them more harm than they could ever do us. Forget them, Betty, we’re free.’
Although her body felt on fire and her head ached as though a hammer beat inside it, Lily was exultant. She had money in her pocket and she was going home.
CHAPTER SIX
Binnie read the letter for the umpteenth time, a mixture of feelings warring within him. His first reaction when the letter from Watt had arrived was one of profound relief. Then he realized that Maura, his wife, the mother of his child, who was still a
‘You see, gentlemen, she is as beautiful in bed as I promised you she would be.’ He turned to wave his hand expansively. ‘She is a lovely mistress, I can vouch for that. Now, which one of you gentlemen will go first?’
Lily stared at James in horror. She saw all too clearly now how he intended to make his money. He wanted to sell her to whatever man would pay for her. She felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment that was quickly followed by a rush of anger. How dare he treat her like a whore? But she must keep her temper; she realized she would have to think fast. She would never have the strength to fight the men off; she would have to use cunning if she was to get out of this situation with her pride intact.
‘I’m sorry, James, I can’t accommodate you tonight,’ she said gloomily. ‘My curses have come and I am in so much pain and discomfort that I dare not even move an inch. No-one would wish to share a bed with me now, you understand?’
‘Hell and damnation, James, this is a fine kettle of fish,’ Conrad said.
James hesitated and for a moment Lily thought he would tear aside the sheets. Bile rose to her throat but she forced herself to speak. ‘Oh good heavens here come the pains again and the flooding. I am going to be in a dreadful state by morning.’
‘We’ll go to the village,’ James said. ‘All is not lost, gentlemen, I know some very willing ladies who will not be indisposed.’ He glared at Lily before leaving the room and she lay quite still until the house fell silent.
Carefully she edged out of bed and dressed in her warmest clothes. Swiftly, in the light of the dying candles, she pushed her few possessions into a bag.
Her heart was in her mouth as she crept into the bedroom where the two guests had left their travelling bags. Silently, she took all the money she could find and pushed it into her bag.
Downstairs, Betty was sitting in the kitchen. ‘Oh God, miss, I thought they had killed you!’ she gasped. ‘I hid in the garden until they went away. I knew what they was after, see.’
‘Come on,’ Lily said, ‘we’d better get out of here as quickly as we can.’
Outside the cottage, Lily took stock of the situation. The two men had arrived in an open carriage but Lily doubted that she and Betty could harness the horses without any help.
‘We’ll ride,’ she whispered. ‘Get the saddles, Betty.’
Guiding the horses over the grasslands leading from the house, Lily held her breath as though afraid, even now, that James would catch her and drag her back to the cottage that had once been her home. She would never forgive him for what he had tried to do tonight.
She glanced back and saw the glow of flames rising from the roof of the cottage. ‘The place is on fire!’ she said.
‘I did it, miss,’ Betty said. ‘That place belonged to old Tom, not to that young upstart. Why should we leave it all for him to live in?’
‘Well done, Betty!’ Lily said jubilantly. ‘Now James will have nothing at all.’
Once away from the house, the two women began to ride swiftly. Betty brought her horse as close as she dared to the mount Lily was riding.
‘We’ll be branded thieves for this, you know that don’t you?’ she said breathlessly.
‘I don’t think so!’ Lily shouted over the beat of hooves. ‘Those fine gentlemen probably have wives. We could do them more harm than they could ever do us. Forget them, Betty, we’re free.’
Although her body felt on fire and her head ached as though a hammer beat inside it, Lily was exultant. She had money in her pocket and she was going home.
CHAPTER SIX
Binnie read the letter for the umpteenth time, a mixture of feelings warring within him. His first reaction when the letter from Watt had arrived was one of profound relief. Then he realized that Maura, his wife, the mother of his child, who was still a
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