Chapter 8
It took another ten minutes or so before the carriage arrived at the corner of John Adam Street. James and Croft alighted, then made their way toward The Gilded Lady, which stood a little farther along, between a tobacconist’s shop and a florist.
Most of the other establishments lining the street were closed at this hour, but the demimondaines lingering near the brothel’s front door suggested it remained open at all times of day.
A fact James could have confirmed had anyone asked.
He knew the model Taylor employed when running these places.
A rotation schedule was put in place, allowing the whores to work in shifts so they got the rest they needed.
Meanwhile, the buildings he rented kept earning a steady income.
Besides, he’d told James more than once that sex wasn’t something confined to one particular part of the day. Men sought the activity when they were able, and Taylor was happy to take their coin whenever that happened to be.
“Welcome back, sir,” one of the women told James when he stepped toward the front door.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, blonde and passably pretty, if one didn’t study her features too closely.
A saucy smile lifted the corners of her mouth.
“Feels like an age since you were here last. But I suppose I can forgive you, seein’ as you’ve brought quite the gorgeous friend. ”
“We’re not here for bed sport,” James told her firmly.
The woman was no longer looking at him but rather at Croft, her eyes sharp and assessing.
She licked her bright red lips and moved toward him.
“What say you and I go to my room and make the bed squeak? I’ll cater to your every desire.
We can even ask one of my friends to join us if that’s what you want. ”
“As tempting as that sounds, I’ve more pressing matters to consider,” Croft said, his voice so flat there was no mistaking his lack of interest.
The woman scoffed ever so slightly, but took a step back, closer to where her colleagues stood. “Suit yourself then.”
Ignoring her, James pulled the door to The Gilded Lady open and waited for Croft to enter the building, then followed him into the dim interior.
Strategically placed oil lamps illuminated the silk damask wall-hangings.
Three velvet-clad sofas offered seating for guests or a spot for the whores to lounge while they showed off their wares.
A couple of young, scantily clad women were sitting on one, quietly chatting until they spotted James and Croft.
Their eyes instantly sharpened with attention, their lips curving into smiles that mirrored the one James and Croft had received from their colleague outside.
The women prepared to rise, but James gestured for them to stay where they were, choosing instead to approach an older woman who sat in a corner by herself.
Hetty, the bawd who ran the place on Taylor’s behalf.
Having set aside a ledger she’d been reviewing, she watched them with interest, her gaze assessing. “Mr. Murry. It’s been a while. Too long, if you want my honest opinion.”
“I’ve been otherwise occupied,” he said and gestured to Croft. “Mr. Croft and I are investigating the disappearance of a young woman. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, pink gown, and blue pelisse.”
Hetty angled her head, her gaze fixed on Croft. “Your reputation precedes you, sir.”
“Then you’ll know I appreciate cooperation,” Croft told her.
She produced a soft grunt and stood, slowly unfurling from her armchair like some sort of flower attempting to catch a few more rays of sunshine. “How may I be of assistance?”
“According to what we know,” Croft said, “the woman we’re seeking was lured into a carriage by a man who managed to gain her trust. That carriage was driven here, to the courtyard behind this building, to be precise.”
“What we wish to know is whether anyone saw her or the man she was with,” James said. “Considering the nature of this area, I suspect he took her to a nearby location, but going door to door will take time, so if there’s anything you can tell us, we’d appreciate it.”
“And in exchange?” Hetty asked.
James stared at her while heat rose to the base of his skull. “In exchange?”
A woman’s life was in peril and the bawd was trying to profit from it? He leaned forward, prepared to grab her by her throat.
“I’ll refrain from telling Taylor to rid himself of you,” Croft said.
Hetty smirked. “You don’t disappoint, do you?”
“What do you know?” Croft asked, his voice as dark as James’s anger.
“She was here. The woman you’re seeking.”
James wasn’t sure he understood her meaning correctly. “As in..?”
“Mr. Grover brought her in. Claimed she needed a place in which to recover from the shock she’d been through. Said she was attacked by some men he fought off.”
“Did the lady herself confirm this?” Croft asked.
Hetty frowned. “She was unconscious. Grover said she’s the Earl of Highborn’s daughter. Because of this, he thought it best to get her indoors as quickly as possible. He chose discretion in favor of risking a scandal, then contacted Highborn. The three of them left together.”
James stared at Hetty in utter astonishment and disbelief.
There couldn’t be two abducted women of similar appearance, could there?
It seemed implausible and yet… No. The story sounded ridiculous.
The mere act of bringing an earl’s daughter to a brothel would have been cause enough for a scandal.
No reasonable man would have thought to do so. It was—
“There is no Earl of Highborn,” Croft muttered.
James turned to him. “What?”
“It’s a made-up title. Doesn’t exist.”
“In other words,” James said, piecing together this news, “Lady Edwina’s abductor brought her here temporarily while waiting for his partner to join him.”
“Do you mean to tell me Grover lied to me?” Hetty asked, her voice filled with indignation.
“If that’s even his damned name,” James growled, before adding, “I want to see the room in which she stayed. Right now.”
Croft frowned but nodded his agreement while telling Hetty, “You’d better show us the way.”
“You’d also better hope you were ignorant of what occurred here,” James said.
“Indeed,” Croft concurred. “You’d not be the first bawd I sent off to Newgate.”
As if to prove she’d survived her way of life as long as she had for a reason, Hetty raised her chin and gave them both a withering look. “I don’t condone the abuse of women. Had I suspected Grover was up to no good, I’d have sounded the alarm.”
She swung away from them then, the hem of her gown swishing around her ankles as she made for the stairs. James and Croft followed her up to the kind of room that proved this was not just a brothel but also a welcome retreat.
The furniture had a comfortable yet expensive look about it.
When James had pointed this out during one of his first visits, he’d been told the furnishings had been acquired at low cost from various estate sales.
A brilliant idea for which Taylor deserved the credit.
It had enabled him to turn the establishment into a reasonably priced luxury experience, which made it far more popular than its competitors.
“How long was the woman here?” Croft asked Hetty.
“A couple of hours, give or take,” was the reply.
“Did she not call for help or try to gain someone’s attention during that time?” James thought it odd for Lady Edwina to have willingly let herself be handed off to another stranger without uttering some type of protest. Unless she knew the person, perhaps.
“She was unconscious when she arrived and barely lucid when she left,” Hetty said.
Incredulity landed in James’s gut. “And you didn’t think that was strange or suspicious?”
“A man I believed to be the Earl of Highborn came to collect his sister,” Hetty snapped. “As far as I could tell, she appeared to be under the influence of laudanum or something similar. Which made sense to me when combined with Grover’s story.”
“How so?” Croft asked.
Hetty rolled her eyes and gave a small shrug. “An upper-class woman would surely need something to calm her nerves after being assaulted.”
“Except that’s not what happened,” James bit out.
A pause followed before Croft asked Hetty, “Tell us about Grover. When you initially mentioned him, I got the impression you’ve met him before.”
“Yes…um…” Hetty lowered herself to the edge of the bed and sighed. “He’s visited us a number of times.”
“And?” James asked when the woman said nothing more. Lord help him, but his patience was wearing thin.
“I don’t know. He and I never exchanged many words, but I can ask my girls. See if they can recall something useful.”
James gave the room a slow sweep with his gaze before following Croft and Hetty out into the hallway. They returned to the foyer where Hetty gathered all of her employees, including the maids and the men who were hired to ensure everyone’s safety.
“Can you think of anything that could help Mr. Croft and Mr. Murry find Mr. Grover?” Hetty asked the assembled group.
Silence.
“Based on what we’ve been able to deduce,” Croft said, “he abducted the woman he brought here and handed her off to someone else.”
Uneasiness swept through the space. Feet shifted with seeming discomfort, and murmured exchanges disturbed the air.
“Finding Mr. Grover is crucial if we’re to rescue this woman before any harm comes to her,” James said, his voice a hoarse sound in his own ears.
Lord have mercy, but Lady Edwina would be lucky if all her abductor wanted was to wed her for her fortune. Jaded by experience, however, he feared their intentions were far more sinister.
“Who entertained him last?” Croft asked, his voice reflecting the same degree of impatience James experienced.
Another moment of silence passed, and James prepared to shout his frustration when the same blonde he’d spoken to earlier raised her chin. “That would be me.”
He glared at her, the temptation to reach out and give her a thorough shake causing his muscles to twitch. “And?”
She pursed her lips, affecting the kind of expression that seemed to convey boredom. James’s anger intensified tenfold. He started toward her, only to find his path instantly blocked by one of the men in Hetty’s employ. They gave James a stern look of warning.
“Relax,” Hetty ordered before telling the blonde, “start yapping, Lilly, or I’ll cut your pay.”
“Fine.” Lilly crossed her arms, her expression unhappy. “He liked being addressed as ‘my lord’. Also mentioned wanting to buy an estate.”
“That’s quite the aspiration,” Croft said.
“A lot of funding would be required,” James added before asking Lilly, “Any indication that he’s a man of means?”
She shrugged. “Mr. Grover likes to talk about his connections and such. Says he knows the Prince Regent personally.”
“Really?” Croft glanced at James.
It wasn’t hard to read his thoughts. After all, the Prince Regent didn’t associate with just anyone.
Those with whom he did meet were either peers of the realm, foreign dignitaries, military commanders, or high-ranking government officials.
They weren’t men who lodged in London taverns or visited brothels on John Adam Street, no matter how fancy that brothel might seem.
“Anything else that comes to mind?” James asked Lilly.
She hesitated briefly while sharing a look with Hetty, then said, “He told me he had big plans. That he was about to make it rich and that when he did, he’d install me as his mistress.”
“At the estate he wanted to purchase?” Croft asked.
“I suppose, though I didn’t buy it. Told him as much and nearly had to call on these two to calm him down.” Lilly nodded toward the two men who stood nearby.
“You didn’t mention that to me,” Hetty said.
“Didn’t have to in the end,” Lilly said. “I handled it.”
“How?” Hetty asked, her voice sharp.
“When he brought up the auction, I had no choice. Spent the rest of the hour showing him how sorry I was to have doubted him.”
It felt as though the blood was being drained from James’s veins. He stared at Lilly. “What auction?”
“Dunno. He didn’t say much about it besides it being the key to the life he wanted. I wasn’t to worry. He’d come for me as soon as he could, take me shopping on Bond Street.”
“There’s one good thing about this,” Croft told James as the two of them strode back to their carriage.
James gritted his teeth while trying to calm his pulse. “Please enlighten me, sir. Far as I can tell, Grover, Havilland, Smith…whatever his bloody name is…had Lady Edwina abducted so he can auction her off to the highest bidder.”
It was the kind of get-rich-quick scheme that deserved to be punishable by death.
“Setting up this kind of auction won’t be easy.
Grover, and whoever else is behind it, will want to take advantage of her value.
If I were to make a guess, they won’t let her go for less than fifteen thousand pounds, which means only excessively wealthy men will be invited, and even then, only the kind that would sanction something this awful. ”
“An exclusive event for the basest elite.” James stopped on the pavement and turned to face Croft. “How do we find these people? They can’t be members of the peerage, or they’d surely inform Wrengate.”
“Unless they hate him as much as I do and have no scruples.” Croft blew out a heavy breath.
“I’ll take it to Murdoch, see if any of his people might have heard whisperings of this event.
Grover will also have had to reach out to the right people.
If we can find him or figure out how he’s going to send out invites, it would help. ”
“I’m happy to visit every establishment on this street,” James told him. “If Grover came to The Gilded Lady, then there’s a chance he frequented other nearby businesses too. Maybe I’ll find someone who can tell me more.”
“Thank you, Murry.”
“No need for that, sir. I’m happy to help in any way I can.” Even though he’d never met Wrengate’s sister, he couldn’t bear the thought of what she was going through. What she would still have to endure if she weren’t found.
Heaven have mercy on Grover and anyone else involved in this scheme. For if James discovered where they were hiding, he’d take his time sending each of them off to hell.