Chapter 5
Cosette slammed her bedroom door, hearing the clang of metal, prison bars in its wake. Restless, she paced the floor for a time, until she finally settled on the edge of the bed. With a sigh, she fingered the locket around her neck. If only there was a way out of this tenable situation. She knew Charlotte would do everything in her power to help her. Together they would figure out a way for her to disappear so Blackburn was unable to carry out his threats. But how to escape?
On impulse, Cosette glanced at her window. She jumped up and tried to turn the latch. She expected to find the casement firmly bolted, but to her relief it opened with relative ease. A blustery wind blew into the room signaling an oncoming storm, but she was more interested in the rose trellis just below. Since it was January, the stems were devoid of any thorns. Her heart began to pound erratically as she reached out to test its durability. It appeared sturdy enough to take her weight and work as a ladder as she climbed two stories down to the ground.
Two long stories down to the ground.
Cosette swallowed as lightning flashed in the distance. The early morning sun had given way to dark, rolling clouds, while the stale, heavy scent of rain seemed to swirl about the room, but she refused to be deterred from her purpose. It was now or never, so she swung a leg over the edge of the sill.
She carefully found her footing on the trellis, before she sent up a silent prayer and brought her other leg out. With a white-knuckled grip, she took a deep breath before she began the agonizing descent to the ground. It seemed an eternity passed before she finally touched solid earth, but once she did, she dusted herself off. She couldn’t resist glancing up at her open window, sure that she would see Blackburn’s face in the slight movement of her curtain, but when he didn’t appear, she turned and broke into a dead run.
It didn’t take long before her bare feet were scratched and bleeding as they hit a stray pebble now and then. She was sure her boots were still in the library where she’d dropped them. How she might be able to gain another pair, she had no idea. She could only hope that Charlotte could assist her with that as well.
Cosette ran past the stitch in her side, until spots started to pass before her eyes, knowing that the duke could appear at any time. But as the countless smokestacks and the heavy smog rising up out of the heart of the city came into view, she knew she was as close to freedom as she would ever get.
Out of nowhere, a large, black crow flew directly overhead, its shrill cry causing her to duck her head in alarm. It kept a discreet distance, but Cosette hastened her steps, for there was something about the raven-colored bird that didn’t set well with her.
By the time Cosette made it to Bishopsgate, she nearly collapsed on the steps of the workhouse. Just before she went inside, she heard a familiar caw and turned to see the crow hopping along in the middle of the street. Its head was cocked to the side and those dark, beady eyes were regarding her so steadily that it caused an uneasy tremor to crawl down her spine.
She slammed the door.
Cosette immediately went in search of Charlotte, but she was nowhere to be found. Fear turned into desperation as she spied Mrs. Woodard. “Marianne!” She ran into the widow’s arms and hugged her tightly. She had been the only mother figure she’d had in this horrible place.
The woman pulled back, her frown of confusion turning to relief, her tired, blue-gray eyes lighting on the younger girl. “Cosette? Where have you been?”
Cosette was afraid to reveal too much, so instead, she asked, “I need to speak with Charlotte. Do you know where she is?”
Marianne sighed, and slowly shook her head. “I haven’t seen her all day. I’m not even sure if she came home last night.”
Cosette felt the blood drain from her face. “Oh, God.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “You . . . don’t think something’s happened to her, do you?” She could barely voice the horrible thought aloud. She recalled the duke claiming that he’d sent her a message regarding her whereabouts the night before, but maybe it was all a lie?
Marianne patted her hand, as if believing her distress was caused entirely by her friend’s disappearance. “Charlotte can hold her own. Don’t you fret.”
Cosette felt her eyes fill with frustrated tears. “What am I going to do?” she whispered.
“I wish I had the answers,” Marianne said sadly, “but I’m afraid I don’t even have them for myself.”
As she walked away, Cosette turned to the window with a sizable lump in her throat. The worst of the rain was still holding off, although a light mist had begun to fall, turning the streets into a shiny gloss of cobblestones, while an eerie, yellow glow from the flickering lamplights barely permeated the growing fog. But through it all, she could clearly see the dark-clothed figure patiently standing by a black lacquered carriage and four midnight stallions. It was as if Blackburn had known her plans all along and was now just biding his time until she returned to him.
A tear slipped down Cosette’s cheek. Was she just being unreasonable by not accepting the duke’s torrid offer? After all, what made her virtue any more special than another woman who had fallen on hard times? No doubt the majority would think she ought to be thanking her lucky stars that a man as wealthy, handsome, and powerful as the Duke of Blackburn had taken an interest in her. Instead of being doomed to a life of tedium at the workhouse, he was offering her a chance at a better life with only a single string attached—that she fulfill the role of his mistress.
She hated the fact that she would have to compromise her principles, but truly, where had they gotten her? All her life she thought she had been destined for something more, something greater, but maybe she had found it. Maybe this was it.
Maybe the duke was the answer.
She had nothing left, so why not finally surrender to the call of temptation?
Cosette turned from the window with a new resolve.
Outside, she walked calmly toward Blackburn, almost without conscious thought. It was as if he pulled her to his side with that magnetic gaze. When she reached him, Davien held out his gloved hand to her. She accepted it.
“Welcome back, Miss du Bouir.” He lifted her hand and placed a reverent kiss on the back of her knuckles. “I had a feeling you might return to me.”
~ ~ ~
Davien had taken the form of the crow and followed Cosette’s progress into town. He’d known of her plans all along, had even made it easy for her to escape by lifting the spell on the window in her room. He wanted her to realize that she had no other choice but to accept his offer. Until he found out what it was about Miss du Bouir that called to the beast inside of him, he couldn’t let her go.
The beast wouldn’t allow it.
