Page 15 of Dubious about the Duke (Second Sons of London 5)

Chapter Six

Jack Blumer ledWin up the rickety stairs, which creaked and groaned under the weight of the two men. He stopped in front of a door.

“Would you like to go in and see Miss Sawyer on your own?”

“Please accompany me,” he said after giving it a moment of thought. “It is always better to have two people listening in case one forgets some small detail which could prove to be important.”

“Very well, Your Grace.”

Blumer pushed open the door and the two men stepped inside. Dr. Cook stood by the bed, his medical bag sitting at the foot of it. He released Miss Sawyer’s hand.

“Speak to His Grace now and then I will give you something to help you sleep,” he said gently. To Win, the doctor said, “I will be waiting outside.” He exited the room.

Blumer kept close to the door as Win approached the bed. He saw now what the detective had meant. Laying in the bed was a woman so gaunt, she looked as if someone had locked her away and starved her for weeks. Her dark hair was greasy and matted, falling about her shoulders. Yet he could see that once she had been a great beauty from her bone structure and the vibrant green eyes that shone in her hollow face.

“Your Grace,” she said hoarsely and moved to sit up.

Immediately, he went and plumped the two pillows, stained and worn, and eased her back onto them.

“You have questions. I have answers.”

She paused, grasping a handkerchief that sat next to her and bringing it to her mouth as she coughed weakly. As she withdrew it from her lips, Win saw the blood-filled sputum on the cloth.

“I am the Duke of Woodmont, brother to... Freddie’s father. And Charlie’s.”

At the mention of the boys, she smiled. For a moment, Miss Sawyer was once more a beautiful woman.

“I was the daughter of a clergyman and longed to go on the stage,” she said, her voice raspy. “I ran away with a traveling actors’ troupe and eventually found my way to London. I had looks and an hourglass figure, Your Grace. And plenty of talent.”

“Mr. Blumer said he had seen you on the stage and sang your praises,” Win told her.

“Looks fade, so I knew I wouldn’t have leading roles but for a handful of years. I assumed I would take on character parts as I aged.”

She paused again and coughed for a full minute. Once more, the handkerchief came away stained with her fluids.

“I chose my lovers carefully. The two before your brother were much older men. They gifted me with presents which I knew I could sell someday in the future and live off that.” She smiled sadly. “And then I fell in love. With Terrance.”

Miss Sawyer fell silent and Win did not press her. Finally, she said, “He was so handsome that he stole my breath. I immediately ended my affair with a marquess.” Her mouth turned down. “Terrance treated me poorly. He never gave me the gifts the other two did. The more shabbily he treated me, I am ashamed to admit, the more I wanted him. He knew it. He used me. And I didn’t care. I lost all self-respect and groveled at his feet.

“Then I turned up with child.”

She looked so small and forlorn that Win took a step toward the bed and perched upon it. Taking her hand, he squeezed it. “Go on,” he urged.

“My courses flowed regularly. Though we had taken precautions, I knew something had changed. My body didn’t seem my own. My breasts ached and began to grow fuller. The week my courses did not arrive, I told Terrance I would bear his child.”

He brushed her hair away from her face. “How did he respond?”

A harsh, guttural sound came from her. “He shouted obscenities at me. Slapped me. Threw me to the ground. Threatened to kill me.” She sighed. “He told me he never wanted to see me again.”

Another coughing fit occurred and he waited until she could speak again, even giving her a sip from a cup of water that sat on a nearby table.

“On his way out the door, he came across Sally, my dresser.”

Miss Sawyer closed her eyes and Win saw the pain etched into her face, both it and disease aging her.

“He was so angry with me.” She shook her head. “He took it out on Sally. Violated her. The poor girl had never even been kissed.”

Rage poured through Win. “He raped her?”

---