place of refuge was utterly vile. To rob her of even this last haven was unspeakable. “If you will all excuse me,” he said, not caring to hide the disgust in his voice. “I find that urgent business has suddenly called me away.”
His host looked up from the table, a look of dismay on his oily face. “Must you leave so soon? Before we have even brought up the railway investments I mentioned to you before? I have been anxious to discuss those with you for some days now. I thought that tonight would present the perfect opportunity for us to come to an agreement.”
First butter me up with turtle soup and fine French claret and then try to fob off your worthless stocks on me, Dominic thought in a savage temper. He had seen the tactic many times before in India but had not thought to see it used with quite such a lack of finesse in the City. “I have decided against investing my money in those particular railway stocks,” he said smoothly. “Now if you will excuse me, there is a young woman I believe who is in need of my help.”
As his host’s red face turned an unbecoming shade of green and he stuttered an incomprehensible protest, Dominic turned on his heel and stalked out of the door.
His peremptory rapping at the workhouse door eventually brought a sleepy-eyed woman shambling to the gates. The glare on her face faded as she took in his elegant suit and the carriage that stood just beyond the gate, and her muttered grumbles died away on the instant. “How can I help you, sir?” she asked, her voice now dripping with honey.
“Caroline Clemens. Where did she go?”
Her head shot up with surprise. “You’ve come for Caroline?”
“Her and the rest of her family. I gather they have been here for the last week. Bring them here to me.”
Her face took on a knowing leer. “You’re the Captain, then, wot’s promised to support the young lady?”
He raised one eyebrow at her impertinence. So that rascal of a Captain was still sniffing around Caroline’s skirts, was he? He would put a stop to that soon enough. “Now, if you please. It’s getting late. I don’t have any time to waste.”
Caroline came awake reluctantly, the matron’s hand shaking her mercilessly until she opened her eyes.
“Get up, do you hear. The Captain has come for you. He wants to see you this moment, down in the master’s office.”
The Captain? At his name she came awake on the instant. Had he come to gloat over her in her misery, or to see if she was desperate enough to accept his offer now?
Was she desperate enough to become his mistress in exchange for a mere pittance? She was hardly in a position to bargain with him for more, given how little she had now.
Two hundred pounds a year was not so very little after all. If they found a very small cottage in the country and grew their own vegetables and kept chickens, they would be able to live. Emily was clever enough to find a position as a governess close by, and who knows, when they were grown maybe one of the girls would find a husband.
She rolled over and buried her head in her hands. The prospect of throwing herself on the mercy of the Captain still made her sick to the stomach, but how could she avoid it now? She would die of shame if she accepted his offer, but they would all die of hunger if she refused him. All she could do was put off her choice for a few more moments. “Go away,” she mumbled, feigning a sleepiness she no longer felt. “I do not want to talk to him.”
Relentlessly the matron pulled her out of bed. “But he wants to talk to you. Hurry along now and throw on your pinafore or I will take you down to him in your shift.” She leered unpleasantly. “Not that he would mind, I’m sure, a red-blooded gentleman like him.”
The effort of putting on her stockings and boots made Caroline’s hands bleed anew. She grit her teeth through the pain. It seemed she had no choice but to go through this interview now, whether
His host looked up from the table, a look of dismay on his oily face. “Must you leave so soon? Before we have even brought up the railway investments I mentioned to you before? I have been anxious to discuss those with you for some days now. I thought that tonight would present the perfect opportunity for us to come to an agreement.”
First butter me up with turtle soup and fine French claret and then try to fob off your worthless stocks on me, Dominic thought in a savage temper. He had seen the tactic many times before in India but had not thought to see it used with quite such a lack of finesse in the City. “I have decided against investing my money in those particular railway stocks,” he said smoothly. “Now if you will excuse me, there is a young woman I believe who is in need of my help.”
As his host’s red face turned an unbecoming shade of green and he stuttered an incomprehensible protest, Dominic turned on his heel and stalked out of the door.
His peremptory rapping at the workhouse door eventually brought a sleepy-eyed woman shambling to the gates. The glare on her face faded as she took in his elegant suit and the carriage that stood just beyond the gate, and her muttered grumbles died away on the instant. “How can I help you, sir?” she asked, her voice now dripping with honey.
“Caroline Clemens. Where did she go?”
Her head shot up with surprise. “You’ve come for Caroline?”
“Her and the rest of her family. I gather they have been here for the last week. Bring them here to me.”
Her face took on a knowing leer. “You’re the Captain, then, wot’s promised to support the young lady?”
He raised one eyebrow at her impertinence. So that rascal of a Captain was still sniffing around Caroline’s skirts, was he? He would put a stop to that soon enough. “Now, if you please. It’s getting late. I don’t have any time to waste.”
Caroline came awake reluctantly, the matron’s hand shaking her mercilessly until she opened her eyes.
“Get up, do you hear. The Captain has come for you. He wants to see you this moment, down in the master’s office.”
The Captain? At his name she came awake on the instant. Had he come to gloat over her in her misery, or to see if she was desperate enough to accept his offer now?
Was she desperate enough to become his mistress in exchange for a mere pittance? She was hardly in a position to bargain with him for more, given how little she had now.
Two hundred pounds a year was not so very little after all. If they found a very small cottage in the country and grew their own vegetables and kept chickens, they would be able to live. Emily was clever enough to find a position as a governess close by, and who knows, when they were grown maybe one of the girls would find a husband.
She rolled over and buried her head in her hands. The prospect of throwing herself on the mercy of the Captain still made her sick to the stomach, but how could she avoid it now? She would die of shame if she accepted his offer, but they would all die of hunger if she refused him. All she could do was put off her choice for a few more moments. “Go away,” she mumbled, feigning a sleepiness she no longer felt. “I do not want to talk to him.”
Relentlessly the matron pulled her out of bed. “But he wants to talk to you. Hurry along now and throw on your pinafore or I will take you down to him in your shift.” She leered unpleasantly. “Not that he would mind, I’m sure, a red-blooded gentleman like him.”
The effort of putting on her stockings and boots made Caroline’s hands bleed anew. She grit her teeth through the pain. It seemed she had no choice but to go through this interview now, whether
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