“Yes ma’am. You can count on me.” William held a hand out to help her from the carriage.
The two of them entered the store. It was dimly lit and dusty. Wooden tables held neatly piled clothing, roughly organized into women’s and men’s fashions. Lady's gowns hung in rows from wooden rods affixed to the wall. A long counter ran along the small establishment's back wall, behind which sat a young woman with a sour expression.
Caroline approached. “I would like to speak with Mrs. Elsie Gwyn. She is the proprietress, yes?”
“Does she know you? She don’t like strangers.”
“I am here about Alice.” Recognition flittered across the woman’s face. “Please go fetch Mrs. Gwyn.”
The woman left through a door behind the counter. Caroline took another deep inhale. A few moments later, the young woman returned.
“Follow me,” she bade Caroline. The woman’s gaze flicked to William as he stepped forward. For the first time, a smile appeared on her face, and she brushed her long hair back, baring one shoulder in her loosely tied dress. “Is he here for Alice too? She be a bit small for you, big guy. Mayhap you could use a girl with a bit more meat on her bones.” She batted her eyelashes. William’s face went beet red.
“We are both here for Alice,” Caroline said firmly.
The woman shrugged her shoulders and turned to escort them through the same door she had just come out. On the other side, they climbed a narrow staircase lit only by the weak sunlight that filtered through a small window at the top. In the upstairs hall, they went through a second door and into a large drawing room of sorts. There were half a dozen couches and some small gaming tables set up throughout the long room.
Caroline paused, taken aback by the scene. Perhaps a dozen ladies of ill repute, all in various stages of undress, lounged on the furnishings. The women encompassed a myriad of shapes and sizes, running from gaunt to curvaceous. Caroline had never seen such extravagant underthings. Embroidered corsets in bright hues and stockings tied with ribbons to match. The lady's faces were heavily made up, and their hair piled high in intricate curls, giving the impression that they were all halfway ready for a night on the town.
Mrs. Gwyn rose from one of the couches. She wore a beautiful gown of dark blue satin, liberally embellished with gold brocade trim. An abundance of auburn hair towered on top of her head, and Caroline wondered if it was a wig.
“Who are you?” The madam placed one hand on her hip. “What do you want with Alice?”
She instantly loathed this woman. Everything about her made her skin crawl. Caroline carefully moderated her voice. “We are here to buy her back from you.”
“Well, like I told her brother, she’s worth twenty guineas. She’s right pretty and sweet-faced. I will have a lot of interest in her, I reckon.” Mrs. Gwyn sauntered closer to Caroline. Her lips pressed together, thinning into a red slash across her weathered face. “You got that kind of money, dearie?”
Caroline reached up and lifted the hood of her cloak back. It wasn’t as though any of these women would recognize her. She gave Mrs. Gwyn her best lady of the manor stare. She tossed a bag of coin down on the card table between her and the madam.
“Send someone to fetch her,” she demanded.
“Well now, missy, I think I change my mind.” Mrs. Gwyn picked up the bag of coin, hefting it in one palm as though judging the weight. “I think maybe she might be worth a bit more than I thought. Say maybe fifty.”
Caroline froze for a brief moment. Her hand reached for the handle of her knife, its familiar grooved surface calming her. “You’ll get no more than twenty. I shan’t negotiate. Go fetch Alice, or I’ll send my man to tear this place apart.”
“Listen to me, missy, you have no business telling me what to do in my own place. Her father gave her to me. She is worth what I say she’s worth. Now, get out before I have you thrown out!” Mrs. Gwyn took Caroline’s bag of coin and tucked it into a pocket in her voluminous skirts.
Caroline looked around the room. The ladies all watched the scene with keen interest. Some looked entertained, some glassy-eyed and confused by the yelling, and then there were the girls that just looked pale and weary. These girls were the saddest of the lot. No amount of makeup could brighten the dullness in their eyes. She swung her gaze back to the madam. The woman looked supremely satisfied, her mouth curved into a triumphant grin.
It was as though something snapped, sparking a fire in Caroline’s chest. She swiftly closed the space between herself and the vile woman. Unsheathing her stiletto, she grasped a handful of the woman’s hair, yanking her head back, she pressed the tip of her knife to Mrs. Gwyn’s exposed throat. An audible gasp rose from the room.
“Have someone fetch the girl, or I will happily slit your throat.” The madam’s bulging eyes met hers. Mrs. Gwyn’s nostrils flared, then she called out with a loud booming voice. “Lizzie, go fetch Alice. Don’t let her leave the room wearing anything but what she came in with.”
Caroline pulled back the knife. “That’s better. You may keep the purse, but don’t expect more.”
She went to stand next to William, who, to her surprise, wore a truly terrifying expression of anger with his fists clenched at his side. She kept her eyes on Mrs. Gwyn and held her stilettoin plain sight. Not more than five tense minutes passed when a young girl with lank blonde hair came hesitantly through the door. She clutched a book to her chest and had the look of a frightened pony ready to bolt. Caroline stepped toward her, and the girl took a step back, pressing herself against the wall.
“Are you Alice, sister to George?” Caroline asked.
At her brother’s name, the girl’s eyes widened. She nodded.
Caroline came closer. “George works for me. I’ve come to get you.” She whispered. “You have to come with me now, though. Are you ready?” she held out a hand.
Alice nodded again and took her hand. Her eyes darted over Caroline’s shoulder to Mrs. Gwyn. Caroline turned to face the woman.
“Alice belongs to me now.” She said in a loud voice. “I have paid for her what was asked. We are leaving.”
Mrs. Gwyn’s eyes gleamed with malice.
