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“There is a…young wo you, milord I would not have bothered you but for this” The servant’s face showed his disapproval as he held out a s that was none too clean “She says she was sent here to deliver a e from a mistress Seraphina”
The naht Percy up short as he reached out to take the parcel There was only one Seraphina who knew his real nas to knohat lay inside “Send her in at once,” he commanded “And if I ever see you reveal your dislike for one of ain, you will find yourself dismissed without a reference Do you understand?”
Face reddening, the man nodded “Yes, milord”
The urchin who shuffled in a few led mess
He waited until the door closed before speaking “I ae for me?”
“Mistress Seraphina sent me, your worship” The child’s thin voice tree”
“Then why did she send you to me?”
“It’s one Mistress Seraphina told me you helped her once Said you would help me”
Oh, God…“You were right to come to me What is your name?”
“Fanny, your worship”
“Fanny, I’ll help you if I can Tell me what happened”
The girl looked up at last, leveling a watery brown gaze at him “She’s just a babe, me sister Mum died an’ I had no choice but to find work, or we’d have starved Mada as I did me work an’ kept me mouth shut An’ that’s what I did I worked days, when there weren’t no men about, an’ kept quiet”
Her chin began to quiver, but she took a deep breath and went on “Last night Madam told me to come downstairs an’ clean up after a brawl One of the men saw me an’ wouldn’t stop starin’—it scared me Madam called me to her an’ threatened to hurt Abby if I didn’t do as she told—if I d-didn’t…”
Tears spilled down her cheeks, and Percy’s heart burned “Telldown before he learned what he needed to know
“I waited until the house quieted Then I took Abby an’ we climbed out aOne of her bully boys must have heard summat, ’cause he coot away, but he got Abby I was too afraid to go back I didn’t think she’d hurt Abby, her being so little, but I knew she’d kill me for sure Even so, I went back the next day to see if I could get her to let Abby go if I stayed in her place, but she weren’t there Abby was gone, too I asked, but no one knohere they went Seraphina said Madam had sold the place Then she told me to come to you Said you’d help Said you was London’s St Michael, she did”
That a prostitute should call hih aloud “How old are you?”
“Fourteen, your worship”
“Don’t callnot to sound irritable “I am to be addressed as ‘my lord’ How old is your sister?”
“She’ll be ten this year”
Nine years old and at thebrothel proprietress God help her, and God help him find her before it was too late “I’ll do what I can, but I need to know aswith a detailed description of your sister and this Madam”
One week later—the Wyndham ball