Beautiful Torment *Book One of the Beautiful series*

5) Eavesdropping

By the time Victoria was finished with her, Lucy hardly recognized herself, and the terrible slap marks were barely noticeable. The white powder made her skin pale as the moon while the rouge colored her cheeks a soft pink. The young maid had never felt more grateful for her friend.

"You should get to breakfast before your Mother misses you," Lucy said softly after they cleared away their mess.

"You are right, as usual, although I dare say I am not looking forward to meeting this Duke."

Giving her friend's arm a gentle pat, "I do not think he will try anything in front of your Ma. And with any luck on our side Isabelle's wore him out enough that he would not have the energy to if he wanted." Lucy tried to find reassurance in her own words, but found she could not rid herself of the sick feeling in her stomach. Perhaps it was just hunger or the coming of whatever sickness Ivy had. She did her best to give her friend a convincing smile before they parted ways. By now she was so far behind on her daily tasks that she could kiss this evening's sleep goodbye.

She set upon her usual chores with a vengeance, gathering laundry from every room, dusting, sweeping, and switching out candles.

"Lucy, I have been searching for you everywhere!" A shrill voice reached her as she made her way into the grand hall with a basket of fresh sheets tucked beneath her arm.

She was already resenting the lack of movement her dress offered. Not to mention breathing room. Turning toward the approaching figure to find Alice coming her way. One of the oldest harlots, dressed in a canary yellow gown with a large black feather sticking out of her brown updo. "What can I do for you, Miss Alice?" Lucy asked, trying to keep the resentment she felt at bay.

The whore drew in close, looking Lucy up and down. "My, my, I almost did not recognize you. Some witch cast a spell on you? Disappear your usual rags and turn you into a fairy princess?"

Lucy set her jaw and held back an angry retort. She did not have time to argue with the Madam's girls. "How can I help you, miss Alice?" She asked more forcefully this time.

Alice rolled her eyes and put a hand on one side of her large hips. "There is a bloody Duke in this house and my rooms are colder than the devil's heart, with no kindling to start a fire. How am I supposed to entice any culls into a frigid cave? I need a fire and I need it now, so fetch the kindling." Alice did not wait for a response before letting out a harsh cackle and staggering back towards her room.

Lucy released a tired, irritated sigh. These girls were utterly helpless. They could not start a fire to keep from freezing to death. The only thing most of them could do was...well, what the madam paid them to do. Lie on their backs, legs spread, to please wealthy men.

Gathering her skirts in her free hand, she made for the closest service entrance. She knew she needed to be extra careful not to sully her best dress by letting the hem drag in the mud which made her task woefully difficult.

Outside, the grounds were still wet from last night's rain. Any kindling in the nearby stretch of woods would be too wet for use. Thankfully, a week prior she had directed the young boy who helped care for the lawns to gather any kindling he came upon and store it in the service shed near the stables to keep it dry.

Tying loose knots in the folds of her dress kept it from dragging since she would no longer be able to hold them up herself. She used a basket to gather what she could and headed back inside. Almost making it to Alice's room, when Helena darted from the kitchen stairs entrance. The girl nearly crashed into Lucy in her haste, eyes full of tears.

"Helena, whatever is the matter?" She asked, catching the girl's attention as she held a tea tray with a noon time spread of cheese, meats, and sliced bread.

"That man is a monster," Helena cried softly. "It pains me to serve him."

Lucy did not have to ask to know who she meant. "This tray is destined for him, I presume?"

Helena nodded as a tear streaked down her cheek. "And Madam Caledonia. They are in the lounge, making some sort of deal, I believe. He is so horrid Lucy. To hear the lewd things he was saying at breakfast to poor miss Victoria. It nearly broke my heart. I wish he would simply go. Does a Duke not have more important things to do than chat with a bawd woman all day?"

Lucy nodded in understanding before she gripped the tray on either side in front of Helena's hands. "Let me deliver this. In turn, you take this kindling to Alice's room for me and start her a warm fire. Fair?" She set both baskets down, the linen closet only feet away, "First put these away to give yourself time to calm down," the last thing the girl needed was to face Alice with tears in her eyes. Like blood in the water during a feeding frenzy.

Helena nodded frantically and released a small grateful cry. "You are a Saint, Luciana Clèment."

Though she felt far from saintly, Lucy gave her a thin smile, trading her the kindling basket for the tray. Her breathing came unsteady as she made her way to the lounge. Finding the door cracked a few inches, she paused outside it to listen to the murmur of voices within.

"...I will be frank with you, Madam, I am in need of a long term mistress I can bring back to my Manor in the countryside. An unspoiled virgin I can mold into a woman who will meet my every need. Is this something you can provide me?"

Lucy sucked in a gasp and held it. The sound of her heart racing in her ears almost overpowered the Madam's reply.

"I may have just the girl, but what of your wife, my lord? If you are to be my girl's Keeper and take her into your home I need...guarantees of her safety and comfort...that you would not simply throw her out at your brides insistence."

The Duke's answering laugh was the same deceitful thing he had uttered upstairs after shoving his hands up her skirts. Lucy's fists tightened around the tea tray, fearing where this conversation was leading. "My frigid wife prefers our home in Ashbourne where she can spend my fortune on the latest dresses and bows the city tailors have to offer. She will not disturb us in the countryside. For the right girl, I would be willing to offer the guarantee of a contract and small fortune now, with the promise of a yearly allowance to both her and your..." he paused, looking haughtily around the room. "...home."

By her breathless laugh, Lucy knew the Duke had her Madam hooked on his every word. That it was not a deal she would hesitate to accept. She closed her eyes tight, dreading the old crone's response. "You flatter me, my Lord. I believe I have just what you are looking for. My own favored daughter, a rare rose, pure as snow. She has never so much as been touched by a man. You will be her first and her only."

"Victoria? The little redhead you introduced at breakfast?"

"Yes, my lord. A sweet tempered thing. Lovely as a dove. "

The Duke made a low, satisfied sound. Like a nail hammering into a coffin, Lucy knew that Victoria's horrible fate had been sealed. More than anything she wanted to drop the tray and run to the young girl. To help her pack her bags and flee somewhere far beyond the wretched Duke's reach. Instead, she was rooted to the spot, tears brimming her eyes.

"Very well. She must leave with us today. I have urgent business to attend to at home and cannot be further delayed. I am also in need of a ladies maid if you have one to spare. I can pay handsomely for her as well." Lucy jolted at his words, the teapot rattling on the tray, biting the inside of her cheek in prayer that they had not heard her.

She heard the Madam clicking her tongue in thought. "My girl Rosalind would suit you well, a seasoned worker..."

The rest of the Madam's words were drowned out by the sudden voice rumbling behind Lucy. "Do you not know it is a crime to eavesdrop on your masters?" His voice asked softly in her ear.

Lucy gasped, her jolt of surprise sent her spilling forward into the lounge where, by a hair's breath, she managed to right herself at the last moment. The tray contents shifted precariously but did not fall.

"What is the meaning of this?" The madam snapped, springing to her feet with her cane at the ready.

Bracing herself for the sting of it, she closed her eyes.