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  The carriage slowed to round the corner of the Rue de Bellefono, a street she knew well. She opened the door on her side, and before the horses increased their pace leapt out onto the road, slamming the door closed behind her. A roar of outrage like the sound of a bellowing bull followed her for a few yards as she darted along the gutter in her treacherous heels. She paused to kick them off and kept running in her bare feet. She could hear Raoul yelling instructions to his coachman to follow her, so she slipped into an alleyway, one of a warren of narrow passages running between the apartment blocks.

  It was easy to find her way through the labyrinth and give her pursuer the slip, and at last she arrived at the tall building where she and Leo had their humble residence. She nodded to the concierge, who stared at her wide-eyed, clearly dumbfounded by her attire, and then she raced up the stairs until she arrived, panting breathlessly, at her door. She retrieved the key from beneath the mat and let herself into the apartment.

  Faint moonlight shone through the skylight, filling the room with an eerie glow. She heard Leo stir in the curtained-off bed and desperately hoped she could quickly strip off her damning costume and slip in beside him before he noticed she had been gone. As she started undoing the laces of her basque, however, the curtains were drawn back with a rasping sound. ‘Oh!’ she exclaimed, startled by her husband’s abrupt appearance.

  ‘Is that you, Hetty?’ His voice sounded harsh. ‘Where the hell have you been?’

  ‘I… err… I was just up the road, dear.’ Her original idea of using her ailing friend as an alibi now sounded ridiculous considering the fantastic clothes she was wearing. She wondered how much of a tissue of lies she could weave, something along the lines of Marie having given her the clothes, but it seemed pointless, so instead she decided to try and placate his wrath by showing him the fruits of her labours. ‘See what I have brought back for us, my love?’ She held up the purse full of money in one hand and the pocket watch in the other. The gold of the expensive timepiece gleamed with almost magical brightness in the moonlight as he approached her, and snatched it out of her grasp.

  ‘What the deuce is this, a gold watch? Where did you get it?’

  ‘From my secret admirer,’ she teased, but her feeble attempt at a joke fell on deaf ears as his expression turned thunderous, sending lightning flashes of fear through her heart. He had never before struck her in anger, yet she could believe he might do so now.

  ‘Do not lie to me, woman. Where have you been? And why are you dressed in those shameless clothes? You look like a strumpet.’

  Hetty realised then she had no option but to confess all to her irate husband.

  Chapter 3

  She had never seen Leo so angry. Standing before her reflecting the pale moonlight with his white nightshirt, his hair ruffled and his eyes staring at her from dark, cavernous sockets, he looked like some demented ghost. She shivered in her bare feet, longing for him to hold her close, but she feared tenderness was the last thing on his mind.

  ‘I – I went to that party,’ she confessed quietly, ‘the one Milord invited us to.’

  ‘What? Then how did you come by this watch?’

  ‘It is a long story, Leo. I got it from a man who paid good money for me…’ As soon as the words were out, she knew she had made a big mistake.

  ‘Then you have been whoring!’ he shouted.

  ‘I will tell you all about it if only you will let me get into bed, Leo. I am freezing.’

  ‘Of course you are, you have been walking barefoot through the streets with your clothes hanging off, you shameless woman. Why have you come home at all? Why not stay out the whole night and pick up a few more customers?’

  ‘It was not like that, truly it was not!’ She was near to weeping with exhaustion, fear, and an overwhelming sense of shame, yet she realised the ordeal she had been through already was nothing compared to the one she was facing now. And worst of all, she could not understand what it was possessed her to deceive her dear husband. Then she remembered, and offered the moneybag to him again as a feeble excuse. ‘I went to the party because I knew it would be full of rich people and we are destitute, Leo. I was only trying to get us some money so we could buy food this week…’

  He grabbed her wrist and dragged her over to the bed. She dropped the purse full of coins onto the floor with a condemning clatter as he shoved her across the mattress, and quickly crept beneath the covers, shivering, as he sat beside her and pinned her hands down over her head.

  ‘Now,’ he said grimly, ‘I want to know what happened. Every detail, do you hear me?’

  She began speaking hesitantly, but then as he merely listened intently she warmed to her story. ‘I took a cab dressed as George,’ she began. ‘I thought it would be best to go out alone as a man, but when I arrived at Milord’s house – a big mansion it was, almost as big as Longton Hall – he made me go with this woman and change into these clothes I am wearing now. I had never worn such fine garments before, but they showed off my figure in a way that made me feel a bit shy in them. Then the woman took me back into the room where there was music and dancing.’

  ‘It was a regular kind of party then, was it?’ Leo interjected. ‘Just eating and drinking and dancing?’

  Hetty wondered if she could get away with saying it was, but she knew from experience her husband would worm the truth out of her eventually, so it was best to come clean from the start. ‘Not exactly,’ she admitted, and seeing his eyes glint with renewed interest, she took her tale up again almost eagerly. ‘They had some entertainment planned, a slave auction in which all the women had to be bid for by the men.’

  ‘Really?’ His face was grim. ‘And how much did you fetch, you little slut?’

  ‘A hundred and fifty francs,’ she whispered, yet she could not prevent a note of pride from creeping into her voice.

  Her husband’s scowl deepened. ‘And what did you have to do for that, you little harlot?’

  This was not the gentle man she knew and loved. He was staring at her with hard, cruel eyes, his mouth set in a sneer and his fists clenched painfully around her wrists. It was his father’s blood coming out in him, and she shuddered to think where this might lead. Yet she was obliged to continue telling him everything. ‘Milord said slaves should be subject to their masters so we must all be beaten into submission. I had to lean over a stool and raise my skirt while my drawers were pulled down so everyone could see my naked bottom.’

  ‘Indeed.’ There was naked lust in his eyes now, and again she suspected he might have inherited some of Sir Victor’s debauched tastes, a thought that made her shudder with apprehension – and something else. ‘What were you punished with?’ he demanded.

  ‘A slipper. I thought it would not hurt so much as a whip or a cane, but it stung me quite badly.’

  ‘And that was all you had to do for such a large sum of money?’

  ‘I think the man who bought me thought otherwise. As soon as my punishment was over, he led me from the party and into his private carriage. My mind was working hard, I can tell you, trying to think of a way to escape, but I had to please him as I did so, just to distract him…’

  ‘Please him, you say? How did you please him? I want all the details, Hetty.’

  ‘Well… he was an old man and his cock was quite limp even though I could tell he was excited by touching my breasts, and so forth. I took his member in my hand and fondled it a bit, but no life stirred within it. Then, while he was kissing me and murmuring compliments, I managed to filch his watch from out of his waistcoat. It is a gold one, Leo, and worth a small fortune, I dare say.’

  ‘So, not content with whoring, you are a petty thief as well?’

  ‘I did it for us, Leo, only for us! I could not bear to think we would be without bread on our table come the end of the week. You know the money we got from this afternoon’s sitting will all go to paying our rent, you said so y
ourself.’

  ‘There are more honest ways to earn a living than theft and prostitution,’ he replied coldly. ‘I never thought my wife would sink so low. You disgust me, and I need to vent my spleen on you. Get out of bed and take your punishment.’

  The prospect of being beaten twice in one evening appalled Hetty, yet she could see her husband meant business. Once Leo made up his mind there was no stopping him, so she resolved to do as he wished in the hope it would all be over as soon as possible and he would not be angry with her any more afterwards.

  He made her kneel beside the bed with her bottom cheeks exposed, and she held her breath, waiting for the inevitable onslaught. But he took his time about it. She could hear him rummaging about trying to find a suitable implement, but eventually he stepped up behind her. She turned her head to see what he was going to punish her with, and gasped when she glimpsed the leather belt in his hand. ‘You will not use that on me, Leo, will you?’ she begged.

  ‘Consider yourself lucky it is not the buckle end,’ he snarled, wrapping the belt menacingly around his clenched hand.

  Closing her eyes, she prepared to receive her punishment, her buttocks clenched against the stinging blow she knew was coming. She braced herself against the mattress, and flinched as the strap hit her full across her tender cheeks. Three times the belt burned into her quivering flesh, and after the third blow she collapsed weeping across the bed. She could feel her husband fumbling behind her, and before she realised what was happening he penetrated her without any preliminaries, the hard length of his cock stabbing her and killing what remained of her dignity as he plundered her most sensitive recesses. The rigid dimensions of his erection and the unprepared dryness of her pussy resulted in another painful few minutes for her as he rode her vigorously, showing her no mercy. In addition, she could feel his wiry pubic hairs tickling the flaming cheeks of her bottom, adding to her profound discomfort. But then gradually her inner muscles began relaxing around his strokes, surrendering to his rough invasion, and her cries of protest softened into moans of reluctant pleasure. His ruthless possession of her boasted a manly vigour and a lusty purpose missing from their lovemaking of late, and aroused by his relentlessness, she dared to wriggle her bottom from side to side as he thrust into her quim.

  ‘Do not wiggle your buttocks at me, you shameless wench.’ He leaned back so he could deliver a sound smack to her bottom cheeks. ‘Are these the whorish tricks you learnt on the street, you shameless harlot?’

  She burst into tears. ‘I have done nothing bad, Leo,’ she sobbed. ‘Please believe me!’ But she sensed her plea falling on deaf ears as he pounded his way to a tumultuous climax deep inside her. She felt his hot seed deliciously filling her womb, and although part of her was relieved the ordeal was at an end, another part of her still craved satisfaction.

  He pulled out of her, slipped into bed, and almost at once began snoring gently, oblivious to her and to everything else in the world.

  Warily, Hetty got up off her stiff knees and went to the basin where a jug of cold water stood. She drenched a flannel cloth and held it against her inflamed buttocks, relishing the soothing coolness. She dipped the soft material in the water again, and pressed it to her aching vulva. The rough treatment she had just received at Leo’s hands disturbed her, for he was usually gentle and considerate, yet she had to admit to also being intrigued by this dark and almost brutal side of him. She feared she might have awoken a sleeping ogre who would now appear more frequently in their married life, and the thought sent a thrill of trepidation through her as she began to dread the morning. What mood would be moving in her husband’s soul once the sun came up, repentance or further indignation?

  Somehow, she managed to fall into a fitful sleep beside him. She opened her eyes at first light, and got up without waking him. If she made coffee from the last of the grounds, perhaps the congenial beverage would put him in a better mood.

  He woke as she was boiling water on the little stove, and his mood seemed little changed as he glared at her from the bed. ‘I cannot believe you would stoop so low,’ he muttered. ‘To abase yourself like that, and to steal as well. Do you think you are fit to call yourself my wife? I should have been heir to the Longton Estate if it were not for you. A fine Lady Carstairs you would make, whoring and slutting like the common peasant you really are.’

  ‘Leo, that is unfair!’ she protested, resisting the urge to thrust the mug of coffee at him as he sat up to accept it. ‘I have made a mistake, that is all.’

  ‘Yes, and a damn big one. What if that old gent reports the theft of his watch to the police? It is hardly safe for you to venture out of here now, since he lives dangerously nearby. Have you thought of that, you stupid ninny?’

  Hetty admitted she had not. Of course, he was right, it would not be safe for her to venture forth in daylight in case she was recognised. It began to dawn on her then just what a fool she had been last night.

  ‘I have half a mind to thrash you again,’ he went on sourly. ‘But what is done cannot be mended. We need to get rid of those fancy clothes in case the police search this place. The watch will have to go, too.’

  ‘Where will you take it?’ she asked meekly.

  ‘To the pawnshop. That way the old gent might stand a chance of getting it back, if he can identify it as his, but I am running a risk whatever I do with it.’

  ‘I am so sorry, Leo, I did not mean to land you in all this trouble. I really thought I was doing something to help us. I did not think.’

  His expression softened. ‘Well, perhaps I will not beat you again, this time. But if you ever do something so foolish—’

  ‘Oh no, I promise I will not. Please say you forgive me, Leo.’

  ‘Come here.’ He set his mug down and propped himself more comfortably against the pillows. ‘You can do something to make amends. I have a cock on me hard enough to stir my coffee with. Bring me off now, as quick as you can, and I will forgive you.’

  It was a task Hetty was not averse to. Although she was still a bit sore from his summary taking of her the night before, she knew she could give him good service with her lips and hands. She pulled back the bedclothes and exposed his firm member. It still smelled faintly of her pussy’s musky depths mingled with the scent of his own bodily secretions, but she ignored her slight distaste and licked the bulbous tip while she grasped the solid shaft between her thumb and fingers. Slowly, she moved the skin up and down, feeling his erection growing even harder in response to her caresses as his juices oozed from his glans between her lips.

  ‘Faster,’ he grunted. ‘Put some beef into it, woman.’

  She obeyed, licking and sucking up and down his shaft with ever increasing fervour, and as she did so, the pulse of desire began throbbing between her own nether lips. With deft fingers she squeezed the root of his penis while with her other hand she fondled his balls, all the while keeping up the rhythmic play of her lips and tongue. It was a technique guaranteed to produce quick results, and after only a few minutes he began moaning and gasping and groaning his ecstasy as he climaxed. She received his full offering in her mouth, swallowing his warm and beloved essence with only a slight grimace of effort.

  Afterwards he invited her to snuggle in his arms and they lay contentedly together listening to the sounds of the city awakening on the street below. Sweet relief filled Hetty’s soul, even as she wondered how long it would last.

  Leo went out early that morning and returned just after noon, after pawning the watch and using the money to buy food. He told Hetty he had also been looking for work, but there was none to be had. On his way in, the concierge handed him a letter from England, which he opened in front of his wife. His expression was grave, but she knew better than to enquire after its contents; he would tell her in his own good time. Meanwhile, there was bread and cheese to devour and wine to drink. They feasted together, and after lunch he seemed to be in a better mood.

>   ‘I could go and see if there is any washing to be done,’ she suggested. ‘Maria says she will put in a good word for me.’

  ‘No, you stay indoors today.’

  ‘But Leo—’

  ‘No buts. In any case, something has cropped up that may save both our skins. The letter was from my mother. She has taken my advice, sensible woman that she is, and hired a nurse for father. But the estate is still proving troublesome. She has been unable to find a competent manager and now she is inclined to meet my conditions.’

  ‘What conditions?’

  ‘The conditions I set her for our return to Longton.’

  She gasped. This was totally unexpected. They had left the place under a cloud, with Sir Victor swearing he would disinherit his only son. On their last visit, both Leo and his father seemed adamantly set against any kind of reconciliation. Lady Alice pleaded with her son, but without the promise of a regular allowance Leo told her he could not consider returning to his family home. Now, however, it seemed things had changed. He brought out the letter and read it to her. Lady Alice said her husband had agreed to pay his son a salary for managing the estate. It was his way of saving face, no doubt, by turning his son into a hired hand.

  ‘I believe this is an offer we cannot afford to refuse,’ Leo said soberly. ‘No matter how much I loathe my father, I must consider mamma’s interests, and yours, too, my dear. It is my fault you sank so low last night. I should have been able to provide for you. This way, I shall be able to keep you in a comfortable and secure home.’

  Tears sprang into Hetty’s eyes in response to her husband’s kindly tone. Wondering if he had truly forgiven her, she knelt at his side and kissed his hand. Yet there was a heavy feeling in her heart caused by the thought of returning to Longton Hall, the scene of her humiliation at the hands of Sir Victor. Even in his invalid state she did not trust him, and the thought of having to set eyes upon him again made her feel ill.