Never Run From Love (Kellington Book Four) (21 page)

“As much as it pains me to contradict a lady, Parker
isn’t coming.  I sent him a note…”

“You did what?”

“Ah, the difficulties with your hearing again. 
Shall I speak louder?  I sent him a note, telling him I would deliver you to
Mitchell House.  After all, he has no carriage.  It seemed like a waste of time
and blunt for him to take a hack here to pick you up, only to take you right
back to Mitchell House.  Plus, this way you get to travel in a well-sprung
Kellington carriage.”

Mel had to admit it did make sense, despite Hal’s
high-handedness.  “What was the second reason you had for coming here?”

“I have some news I would like to impart, but
perhaps it would be best if we are away from the house when I do so.”

“This concerns your brother and sister-in-law?”

“Yes, and you will want to hear it.”  

Mel hesitated only a moment longer, the urge to hear
his news warring with her need to resist temptation.  But since her need to
resist temptation was also waging a battle with her desire to give in to it,
she agreed to let him take her.  She told him she would call for her maid.

“Very well,” said Hal.  “Collect your extortionist
and I shall deliver you to Parker.”

After delivering Flora to her beau’s and giving her
only half of her demanded payment – Hal was becoming better at negotiating –
Mel found herself alone in his comfortably equipped and very private carriage. 
Despite her resolve to stop seeing the scoundrel, she wondered what he would do
if she closed the space between them and kissed him.  He was devilishly
handsome in his fawn trousers and dark blue jacket.  His striped waistcoat was
a lighter blue and she longed to unbutton it to better feel the impressive
chest beneath it. 

“Might I inquire as to what you are pondering?”
asked the subject of her thoughts.

“No you may not.  Now, what was the news you
mentioned earlier?”

“One day, love, you will admit to the rather heated
attraction between us and I very much look forward to it.”

“Your news, Lord Henry?” she asked, as she tried in
vain to look unaffected by his words.

He bit back a smile then told her what he’d learned
from Arthur and Vanessa.

“This is horrible,” said Melanie, who’d become more
and more worried as he’d given her the report.  “What is being done to find
these women?”

“Now that my brother and his wife know, as well as
Inspector Stapleton, I am sure an investigation will be launched.  But knowing
how busy Bow Street and the Home Office are, I cannot promise it will have a
successful conclusion.  Some of the women have been missing for a significant
length of time, making it harder to find them.”

“But they will try, won’t they?”

“Yes.  I can assure you that the three of them are
committed to solving this case.  However, they are only three people and I
would imagine there are many who would make this a low priority given….”  Here
he trailed off.

“Given they are only whores?” asked Mel with an edge
to her voice.  “How dare they?  These are some of the most vulnerable women in
our society, driven to their profession by dire circumstances.  Why, many of them
are mothers with no other means to support their children.  Do people expect
them to go away quietly and starve?”

“Hush, love.  I did not say I place a low priority
on this case, and I know Arthur, Vanessa and Stapleton will work diligently. 
But most crime in London goes unsolved.  It is not an indictment on anything
other than a large number of criminals and a small number of men to go after
them.”

Mel stared out the window, overcome with sadness at
the plight of the women. 

Hal moved to the seat next to her and took her
hand.  “What is it?”

She shook her head, afraid her voice would crack if
she spoke.  She took a moment to compose herself, then continued.  “They’re so
alone, with no one to take care of them.  Not that a woman needs a man to take
care of her, of course.  But…”  Here she trailed off and looked out the window
again.

Hal gently turned her to face him.  “But what,
love?”

“But I know what that’s like.  To be alone.”  She tried
to turn away, but he wouldn’t let her.  “I mean, there was never a chance I was
going to be on the streets and I was very fortunate to be born to wealthy
parents with family who took me in when they passed.  But many women are not so
blessed.”

Hal put his arm around her and pulled her close.

She spoke barely above a whisper.  “When my parents
died, something inside of me broke.  I felt…it’s hard to describe.  I felt…”

“Like you’d never be whole again?”

Mel looked at him as if she’d never seen him
before.  There was no trace of the rake, the ne’er do well who made everyone
laugh.  Instead, she saw a look of such despair in his eyes that she knew in an
instant that he’d experienced the same overwhelming loss.  While she knew his
parents had died when he was young, she’d never thought it had made a lasting
impact on him.  He was too carefree, too superficial.

Now she was ashamed of herself for ever thinking
such a thing.  This man who’d offered her comfort was in sore need of it
himself.  But even as she thought those words, his mask was slowly falling into
place.  Before he became the jester once again, she closed the distance between
them and kissed him. 

That she took him by surprise was evident.  She
pulled back for fear of being rejected, but he put his arms around her and
deepened the kiss.  Not to the ravenous extremes of their earlier encounters,
but a gentle supping at her lips.  It was a communion of two souls who’d known
great sorrow with the tacit understanding that they were no longer alone.

He broke the kiss and looked at her as if seeing her
for the first time.  “It was you,” he said.  “In the garden at the Raleighs’.”

She couldn’t speak of that evening which seemed so
long ago.  The kiss he hadn’t remembered.  The one she’d never forget.  She could
only nod her head.

“I…” he began.  “That is….”

From outside the carriage, they heard someone clear
his throat.  Mel was surprised to find that the carriage had stopped, and the
cleared throat likely belonged to a Kellington groom waiting for the signal to
open the door.  No doubt he’d been told to never do so unless explicitly
instructed. 

“It appears we have arrived,” said Hal in a voice
that sounded nothing like this own.  He reached past her to open the door.  The
groom stepped closer to offer his hand to Mel.

She turned to Hal.  “Thank you for the escort,
my….what are you doing?” she asked, as Hal got out then reached in to help her
disembark.  “I assure you I am perfectly capable of walking to the house
unescorted.”

“Did I not mention?” he asked, all but lifting her
out of the carriage.  “I am your escort for the day – your chaperone, if you
will.”

“Having you as a chaperone is rather like…”  Here she
paused, as he escorted her to the entrance of Mitchell House.

“Rather like having a fox watch the henhouse?” he
supplied, as they were greeted by a young scullery maid, then escorted to the
sitting room.

“I felt no need to finish the metaphor as the
absurdity of you acting as a chaperone required no further clarification.  Ah,
Anne,” said Mel, as she greeted her friend.  “I am so sorry to intrude on you
this early – and with an unexpected guest.  But I was wondering if Mr. Parker
is here.  We have some rather distressing news to impart.”

Moments later, she and Hal had informed both Anne
and Parker about the missing women.  They both looked unnerved by the news.

“I had heard some rumblings,” said Anne.  “The coal
man often brings more gossip than coal.  But I didn’t know it was as widespread
as that.”

“Do you think any of the tenants might know
something?” asked Hal.

“Possibly, although they’re still abed.”  Anne
blushed, knowing everyone would realize what work kept them in bed so late.

“I must admit I found it hard to leave my bed, as
well,” said Richard, with a smile for Anne.  “The London air tires one out
excessively.”

Both Anne and Mel smiled at him for smoothing things
over.  Hal only scowled at the man.

“Now that you mentioned the missing women, perhaps
that is what happened to Miss LaRue,” said Richard thoughtfully. 

“Miss LaRue?” asked Hal. 

“She departed for America on the most recent
voyage,” said Mel.  “It would have been the last one to reach New York before
Richard left to come here.  Why didn’t you mention she didn’t arrive?”

“Yes, Parker,” said Hal.  “Why didn’t you say
anything?”

Richard ignored Hal’s tone and turned to Mel.  “I
thought she either changed her mind in London or met someone on board and went
off with him once they docked in New York.  It would hardly be the first time
something like that happened.  Pray forgive me, Melanie.  I never dreamed her
absence could be part of a diabolical plot.”

“Yes, well, a woman gone missing might have at least
been mentioned,” said Hal.  “I will be sure to tell Arthur and Vanessa about this
Miss LaRue.  Once you get a girl to agree to go to America, what do you do?”

“It depends on their circumstances,” said Anne. 
“Some stay here until their departure.  But that can present problems if a
girl’s employer seeks her out.  Often times if there is a threat of violence, a
girl will stay with her employer until the last possible moment, then she goes
to the ship right before it sails.”

“Do some of the girls change their minds and choose
not to go?”

“Unfortunately, some do,” replied Anne.  “But the
turning point is when a girl realizes there’s the chance of a better life
somewhere far away.  A life she deserves.  Once she accepts that, she’ll likely
follow through.  The challenge is to convince these girls of their self-worth. 
Unfortunately, it’s one of the first things a woman loses in that profession.” 
She continued softly.  “And that’s if she ever had it to begin with.”

Mel ached for her friend.  Anne Cartwright was one
of the kindest people she knew.  There had never been a Mr. Cartwright and Mel
suspected Cartwright wasn’t even her real name.  It was a shame that she chose
to hide herself away at the boarding house.  But each attempt Mel had made to
get her to accompany her out for the day had been gently rebuffed.  It was
clear that Anne wanted to be left to her exile.

But Mel wouldn’t give up on her.  Perhaps Richard
could convince Anne to accompany him to America.  She would hate to say
good-bye to her friend, but would love to give her a second chance at life, far
from the one that had been filled with so much pain.

“I think our first order of business is to talk to
the ship’s crew to see if they remember Miss LaRue,” said Hal.  “What does she
look like, Mel?”

“She had vibrant red hair.  She had a boisterous laugh
and her most distinguishing feature was…”  She blushed to a shade of red that
would have rivaled Miss LaRue’s hair. 

“Yes?” asked Hal, with laughing eyes.  “What was
Miss LaRue’s most distinguishing feature if not her vibrant red hair or
boisterous laugh?”

“I believe you can suss that out,” said Melanie primly. 
“Now, if only we could speak to associates of Miss LaRue without raising
suspicion.”

“Where did she work?” asked Hal.

“I’m surprised you would have to ask, my lord.  She
was employed at Madame Thurmond’s.  I assumed the two of you would be fast
friends.”  She hated the twinge of jealousy that arose in her at the thought of
Hal with Miss LaRue. 

“Ahh, Miss LaRue,” he said, with the pieces falling
into place.  “She of the red hair and the, uh…”  He made a motion in front of
his chest.  “We had a passing acquaintance, but no knowledge of each other, if
you understand my indelicate meaning.”

“I am not obtuse, my lord,” said Mel, taking an
absurd amount of pleasure from that fact that there was at least one prostitute
at Madame Thurmond’s he hadn’t fornicated with.  “Perhaps you should speak to
her associates at her place of business while Richard and I question Captain
Clinch at the docks.”

“The docks are no place for you,” said Hal, sounding
for all the world like someone’s father.

“I can ensure her safety, Kellington,” said Richard. 
“She will be in very good hands.  Let me get my coat, Melanie, and we shall be
on our way forthwith.”

“When shall we meet up with Lord Henry again?” asked
Melanie.

Richard looked very much like he’d rather not see
Hal ever again, but they agreed to meet up at three of the clock.  Then Parker
ushered Mel from the premises, leaving Hal to wonder how great of a sin it was to
plant a facer on a Quaker.  He rather decided he would like to risk it.  But
before he could trail after them and prove what a jealous fool he’d become,
Anne smiled shyly at him.

“I believe, my lord, that in order to win a race, one
must first enter it.”

He smiled at the woman who’d seen too much sorrow in
her young life.  “I’m not scared of entering the race, Mrs. Cartwright.  But I
don’t have the slightest idea what I’d do if I won.”