Chapter 11

9September, 1826

Somewhere North of Grosvenor Street

Dickie was in a state he rarely found himself in. He was confused. Just when he"d thought his task to keep Adrienne safe was simple. All he had to do was lurk around the taverns on streets nearby expensive Grosvenor Square. Surely he"d be able to mingle with the servants from the great houses on their days off and pick up some useful gossip about what was going on in Ormonde"s town mansion.

Just when he thought he was the hound, and the marquess"s minions were the foxes, they"d turned the game around on him. Suddenly, he was sure he was being followed. Someone wanted to know what he was doing. They didn"t seem to mean him harm, but every time he hid along one of the side streets down the steps to a townhouse coal bin, the same two men would pass by pretending to be taking the air. He knew better. They were dressed way better than the low-life pickpockets he could identify with his eyes shut. They looked like they could be the marquess"s men, but he"d be damned if he could figure out what they wanted.

Dickie rounded the corner at Norfolk and Green Streets and headed to the Cock and Crow. He"d take a look round and maybe have one of their savory meat pies, he"d... That was the last thing he remembered before waking up in the servants" quarters in the marquess"s Grosvenor Square mansion.

"Cor, what do you coves want?" Dickie rubbed at the small knot forming at the back of his head.

"That"s exactly what we were thinking of making you tell us." The young man spewing the threats looked a lot like the old marquess, only about thirty or more years younger. The other man resembled someone Dickie knew well, but the pain in his head from the tap by one of the bastards kept him too muzzy to work out who he looked like.

9 September,1826

Pepper Alley Stairs, the Thames

Derek could barely see his hand in front of his face, yet to please the blackmailer, they"d had to count down exactly 20 steps and then crawl around in blinding fog thick off the river. The faint sound of church bells reminded him of the stakes. He had to do whatever it took to ensure the safety of five innocent women, even though one of them was quite possibly a murderer.

"I found it." Col"s voice pierced the muffling fog, excited.

"Where to now?"

"Back across the bridge, the first pedestrian alcove."

They ran now, and when they gained the bridge slowed to a walk.

"We don"t want to miss the first one." Col spoke low, but as far as Derek could see, there was no one around to eavesdrop. But who knew for sure with the fog blanketing them like filthy balls of cotton?

"Here it is--. Col"s voice pierced the gap between them.

"I wish to hell we"d thought to bring a lantern along," Derek mused.

"You"re right. Let"s see if we can find a riverfront inn and buy one from the innkeeper."

Since there were always carriages moving back and forth across London bridge, they were able to hail one quickly, and then Derek had a moment of inspiration. They left the hack cabbie five pounds poorer...but they now had a decent lantern.

9 September,1826

Number One Townhouse, Grosvenor Street

Adrienne lay on her stomach in the bed that had been a refuge for the last four years and leafed through her journal where she kept track of her courses. Her visits from her "cousin" were so regular, they were almost like the movements of one of the king"s regiments. Until now.

Damn that stubborn bull of a man. There was nothing worse than a man"s ego to get a girl in all kinds of trouble. And Obadiah"s "ego" was way bigger than that of any other man she"d known. At that thought she broke out into laughter. She couldn"t stop until tears filled her eyes. She scrubbed the moisture away with the back of her hand and rolled over to stare up at the carved cherubs circling the ceiling medallion. The lewd little creatures were doing all sorts of naughty things to each other. Maybe it was time to teach her bodyguard a lesson.

And then as an afterthought, she ran a hand low over her belly. It was still early, only a few days, but she wondered if someone might be growing inside her. Her life had been so full of adventure and terrifying moments that she"d never considered the possibility that someday she might become a mother herself.

She made a vow then and there. No child of hers would have to live on the run, in fear of his or her life. There was nothing she wouldn"t do to make sure her child would be safe.

In the meantime, she had a grudge to resolve with the man who might have fathered that child. He needed to be taught a lesson.

10 September,1826

Adrienne"s Bedchamber

Number One Grosvenor Street

Obadiah stared across the table at Adrienne and worried. Why was she suddenly being kind to him after days of pique following their mutual rough love-making during which he"d, erm, gotten rather carried away? And spent inside her as she"d warned him many times to avoid...all through their lives of pleasuring themselves as far back as Martinique.

She"d invited him to share a meal with her in her parlor instead of taking his supper as was his usual custom in the servants" hall across the top level of the Grosvenor Street townhouses.

She silently poured him a glass of dark red wine before sitting down again primly as if this were the first time they"d met. She sipped at her own wine, and he inhaled a decadent sniff of the rich, burgundy liquid. At first the wine slid down his throat soft as velvet, but the aftertaste was oddly bitter. He would have thought the earl would have provided a better vintage for his mistresses, but then again this wine was much better than the plain ale provided at the servants" table.

"Is the wine to your taste? Would you like something else?" Adrienne"s voice was full of concern.

"No, no...this is wonderful compared to the usual fare served to the footmen." He gave her a broad smile to assure her he was satisfied.

A fine cut of beef, boiled potatoes and cabbage, and a cold collation rounded out the meal. A sweet dessert wine accompanied a fine trifle dotted with fresh berries. Again, he detected a touch of bitter aftertaste. He decided not to complain, because maybe he was imagining things.

That was his last rational thought before he woke up in Adrienne"s bed, which, to be fair, was his favorite place. However, he definitely did not appreciate the fact that both his hands and feet were securely tied to the ends of the bed frame...and he was as naked as the day he"d been born. Adrienne stood at the foot of the bed with a smug look on her face, and she was fully clothed. He was in trouble.

He strained so hard at his heavy cloth restraints that the bed rattled and shook, threatening to come apart. "How did you manage this?" He roared in frustration, rattling the bed more. "You have to release me. What if something happens while I"m tied up in here? Who will protect you?"

Adrienne didn"t reply but gestured toward the door to her bedchamber. As if on cue, all of the Rutherfords except Toplofty leaned around the doorframe and saluted him.

His roar this time rattled everything in the room. "Release me...now," he bellowed.

The Rutherfords disappeared, and Adrienne leaned over his face, soothing his now-sweating brow with her cool hand. "You mustn"t strain yourself. Who will protect me if you die in a fit of apoplexy?"

This was not the way he"d planned for this evening to end.

Although Adrienne"smouth watered at the sight of Obadiah"s magnificent body splayed out in all its splendor for her pleasure alone, she meant to exact sweet revenge on her dunder-headed lover so that he"d never again forget himself in the midst of their love-making. He had to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, they"d spend the rest of their lives playing what"s good for the goose should please the gander.

She left the room and returned to the small dining table in her parlor. Wetting the fingers of her right hand with her tongue, she then plowed them through the leftover creamy trifle and returned to her still bellowing lover.

First, she placed a healthy dollop of cream into his mouth mid-bellow to calm him before she reached down to capture his bobbing cock with her other hand. She used all the rest of the whipped confection to cover him, a task made easier because within seconds of her ministrations, the randy fellow was rigid in her hand. Although the bellowing ceased for a bit whilst Obadiah swallowed the cream she"d shoved into his mouth, when she closed her lips over his cock and sucked the cream into her mouth, he screamed in a kind of agony.

Adrienne smiled. She was going to enjoy this night immensely. At the rate her overstepping lover was crying out, the adjoining townhouses on Grosvenor Street might enjoy the night as well.

"Are you ready for the next course?" She"d changed into a lacy dressing gown which she"d now let fall open.

Obadiah quieted but continued leveling a murderous glare her way. "You think you"re going to get away with this, don"t you?"

"Why wouldn"t I?"

She pulled a sharp kitchen knife from inside her wardrobe and advanced back to the bed where he still lay helpless. He flinched but kept steady eye contact. When she made a huge show of brandishing the knife in swooping motions in the air, his previously rigid cock retreated.

"Enough, Adrienne," he ground out in guttural tones. "Enough. I"m sorry if I"ve displeased you. Tell me what you want me to do as penance."

She didn"t answer but instead plucked an orange from a bowl on the chest next to the bed and sliced it in half with one vicious cut.

Climbing onto his chest whilst carefully avoiding his cock, she began dribbling juice from the orange onto his nipples. He flinched hard in spite of his restraints and moaned aloud when she bent to suckle the juice into her mouth. He strained at his bonds until the muscles in his forearms and shoulders bulged with the effort.

Adrienne didn"t think she could tolerate much more ire emanating from the man tied to her bed and had to admit she"d never witnessed this much raw power in Obadiah. She wondered if she"d overplayed her hand and hoped to God he didn"t get loose. Only then did she realize she"d have to cut his bonds.

The Rutherfords would have scattered, not wanting to be the objects of his wrath either. She"d also given Young Rutherford the night off so that she could torture Obadiah slowly and with intent.

Maybe she"d cut loose his left wrist first...and then run for her life.

9 September,1826

Old London Bridge

Col couldn"t believe how much easier their "treasure hunt" task had become in the fog with the simple addition of a glowing lantern. After a quick walk back to the southern-most pedestrian alcove on the bridge, they located a folded piece of paper stuck in a crack in the stone.

"He wants two thousand pounds to give us a few more weeks time...and he wants us to leave it in a Whitechapel church cemetery?" Derek"s voice grew in volume with each question.

"Yes, and...Zeus"s balls...keep your stinkin" voice down." Col shook his head sadly. "You don"t flinch at whatever it costs to keep five women happy, but a mere two thousand pounds to keep "em alive? You"re wailing like a stuck pig in the slaughterhouse."

"We"re going to need that hack cabbie again."

"Why?"

"The only way I"m going to come up with two thousand pounds at this time of the night is to head over to The Aphrodite at the East India docks."

Col gave a deep sigh of disgust. "This night has had so many twists and turns, I"m not only tired but dizzy."

"What else do you have to do that"s more important than this?"

"Warm the bed of the woman I love who has not complained in the entire time I"ve known her as much as you"ve whined to me tonight." He turned and trudged back toward the main bridge thoroughfare.