“No, not in the least. We have come to protect you. This gentleman, the one you were so eager to follow, has used his wiles before. Knowing this, we came in search of him to make certain he could not attempt to ruin anyone else.”
Standing before them all, it seemed to take Miss Attison a few moments to understand the situation. Lady Sara came up beside Miss Shaw, spreading out one hand towards the unfortunate girl.
“You must return to the ballroom at once, and to your mother, wherever she is gone.”
“She was gone only for a moment. He… he told her that we were to dance.” Turning her head, she glanced up at the still anonymous gentleman, then reached out to grasp Lady Sara’s hand. “This gentleman assured her that I would be quite safe in his company.”
“You do not know his name or title, then?” James put in, as she shook her head, reaching up her free hand to brush tears from her eyes.
A deep sense of certainty filled James’ heart. They had been fortunate enough to find the gentleman responsiblebeforehe had been able to injure another young lady. Their plan had been successful, although for all he knew, he was not the first to have been taken in by this fellow’s methods. Hopefully, now he could be the last.
“I will take you back.” Lady Sara threw a quick glance towards James and Miss Shaw, leading the young lady towards the door. “I am Lady Sara. I ask you to say to your mother that we are newly acquainted so that she does not feel any concern. Pray do not fear that any of us will speak of this matter. I can assure you that we will not.”
Miss Attison sniffed.
“Thank you.”
James followed them both with his eyes, watching as the door closed – and instantly, the air seemed to grow thicker. His eyes swerved back towards the man before them all, glad that he could not simply leave the room now. There were too many of them to allow him to do so. Finally, it seemed, they would get some answers.
“And here we have the gentleman behind everything.” James took a step forward and threw one hand out towards him. “Did you think that I would not search for you? Did you think that I would not do everything I could to make certain I found the man responsible for attempting to steal my fortune?”
The man laughed and shrugged before moving to his right to sit down in a chair beside the empty hearth. Crossing his arms, he rested one ankle on his opposite knee and tilted his head to one side, clearly more than able to make himself at ease despite the situation he was faced with.
“I did not think that Miss Shaw here would be foolish enough to admit her wrongdoing – to you of all people! But she dared to admit it, I see. And no doubt her beautiful eyes and distressed soul were enough to make you forgive her?” Chuckling, he shrugged and looked away. “That is a very lovely story I am sure, but unfortunately it does not alter the fact that you owe me a great deal of money.”
“That is nothing but a lie.” Anger gripped him, and James curled his hands into fists, forcing himself to remain as calm as he could, despite the circumstances. “I didnotspend any time at the bawdy house. I didnotenjoy the company of any of the young ladies there - and Miss Shaw can attest to that, given that she was the one forced to require me to sign that vowel.”
Again came the dark laugh which had James’ heart twisting in fury. He felt as if he were tightly tied, held hostage by the man responsible for all of this wickedness – but realizing that he could do nothing about such deeds, could not force the cancellation of his debt – even if the man himself seemed to have no concerns as regarded admitting what he had done.
“I am afraid that this situation was necessary for me to achieve my aim.” The man shrugged, as though everything he had done was quite understandable. “Miss Mary Shaw and Miss Tara Shaw were easily manipulated, given that their father does not seem to have any interest in chaperoning them. And the elder Miss Shaw does herverybest to make certain that her sister is well protected, although she did not do as good a job of it as she ought to have done, on one particular night.”
His grin flashed wide, and fury turned to rage. Close to losing control, James made to step forward, only for Miss Shaw herself to grasp his arm, restraining him. His breathing was heavy, air sucked in between gritted teeth, and he was barely held back by her quiet voice and gentle grip.
“But why use us in the first place?” Miss Shaw’s voice was quiet, pushing away the sharp edge of his anger. “There are many unfortunate ladies in these bawdy houses. I’m sure they would have done as you asked without question.”
“Yes, you are quite correct, Miss Shaw,” the gentleman replied, smiling as though he were proud of her. “But I seek to gain as much wealth as I can, so must give as little of it away as I can. Since I already had to pay a substantial amount for the use of that bawdy house - as well as to pay for the silence of the lady within, the one who keeps all the girls in check, well! That was expensive enough and I did not want to have to pay more. Therefore, it was easier to demand such things of a young lady like yourself, for you would have no other choice but to do as I asked. Thereafter, I was certain that the shame of it would keep your mouth closed. I must admit, however, I never expected that Lord Pottinger here, the man you had cheated, would be the person you would spill your secrets to!”
“Perhaps you do not think as highly of these young ladies’ characters, as you ought.”
James opened and closed his fist as he held his hand behind his back in an attempt to mitigate everything he felt. His body was tense and tight, screaming at him to stride forward and plant one fist into the smug gentleman’s face, but after a struggle, he restrained himself. It would do no good for him to behave so.
The gentleman shrugged.
“It appears in that regard, you are correct,” the man stated firmly. “However, there is also another reason that I wished to use such creatures as the Misses Shaw. It is because young ladies who work in those establishmentscannotbe trusted. I might have paid them for their silence, but they could easily be encouraged into speaking the truth should yet more money be placed upon them. They fear very little, given that they have to endure so much, which was yet again another reason for me to consider you, Miss Shaw - and you played your part very well, up until the point you decided to tell Lord Pottinger the truth! That is a little disappointing.”
“You were attempting to do the same thing again, tonight, were you not?” James asked, his voice low. “That young lady was to be your next victim.”
“Indeed, she was. This time I would not have used any sister or the like, for she had none, but instead I intended to use the young lady herself. I would have stepped back once particular circumstances had taken place and reminded her of just how dear her mother held her reputation. The rest would have been easily done. I had yet to select a gentleman, but I have time enough for that, given that I must now select an entirelydifferentyoung lady. That is most frustrating.”
“You are despicable.”
James spat his disgust at the man’s wickedness, but he merely shrugged, still smiling his victory.
“What is there for you to do, Lord Pottinger? You have nothing that can prove that I was present that evening and, therefore, Pottinger, you have a choice to make. Either you pay my debt and the matter is forgotten, or you do not – in which case, you shall have to prepare yourself to be entirely ruined.”
Miss Shaw’s breath caught audibly.
“That will alter your consideration of him, will it not?” the man continued, now directing his attention towards Miss Shaw rather than to James. “Consider what will happen should Lord Pottinger be so ruined, with such a scandal tied around him? He will never be able to lift his head up in society again! His children - should he have any children, that is, although I highly doubt that he will find any young lady willing to court him after this – will still suffer under the shadow of their father’s scandal.”
