2
Madame Loula’s drawing room was the most elegant place Kitty had ever been.
Well, aside from King’s townhome, of course.
She took a deep breath.She would not think about her employer just now.She was nervous enough as it was, and the mere thought of the large, muscular, terrifying crime lord made her belly quiver even more.
She placed a hand over her stomach, spinning around with a start as the door opened behind her.
“Did I startle you?”Madame Loula’s voice was low and husky.That paired with the way she walked, as if she were slinking across the thick carpet, her slim hips swaying—it made Kitty feel more virginal and childish than ever.
But as Madame Loula drew near, her face coming out of the shadows and into the candlelight, Kitty relaxed.This close, Kitty was reminded that Loula wasn’t much older, and not so very different from her, really.
She was another urchin from the streets who’d made a decision to take her life into her own hands.
The thought had her straightening as Loula looked her over from head to toe, concern evident in her gaze.“Kitty, my sweet…”
Her French accent faded slightly, as she too relaxed.Here in this room they had no need for pretense.
Loula arched a brow and met her gaze head-on.“Are you certain you wish to do this?”
No.
Kitty swallowed hard.This was no time to second guess her decision.Besides, it wasn’t as though there were any other options.Her lips trembled as she forced a smile.Funny how having no other options made the way forward so very clear.“I’m certain.”
Loula’s brows drew together, her seductive, worldly facade cracking.Kitty hadn’t been in Vestry Lane long, but Loula had been kind to her from the start.And even though the other woman knew nothing of her situation or what sort of dire reasons had led her to this moment, her expression said she understood all the same.
And considering Loula wasn’t much older than Kitty, and yet she owned a brothel as well as a club that catered to the sexual whims and vices of the elite…Kitty suspected she truly did know what it was to be desperate and alone.
After all, no well-loved woman from a happy family ended up alone in Vestry Lane.
After another long moment of studying Kitty, Loula’s brows drew down.“I do not like it.”
Kitty bit her lip, a surge of panic overtaking her nerves.“Please, Loula—”
The other woman held up a hand to cut her off.“I do not like it, and I wish you would reconsider.But I told you I’d help you—”
“I appreciate that,” Kitty said.
Loula’s brow arched again, and this time she looked all the world like the saucy urchin she’d been.“You didn’t give me much of a choice, Kitty.”She adopted a comical pout and raised her voice a full octave as she impersonated Kitty.“If you don’t do it, I’ll go to Madame Bernadette.”
A giggle rose up in Kitty despite her churning belly and the fear that left her skin feeling cold.“That sounds nothing like me.”
Loula lifted a shoulder.“Now you know why I chose this profession and not the theater.”
They shared a smile before Loula sobered and continued with her speech.“I promised I’d help you if you had not changed your mind in a month, and I will uphold my end of the bargain.”
Gratitude swelled in her chest.
“But, my dear, once bidding begins…” Loula shook her head, her gaze dark and heavy.“I cannot control what happens after that.”
“I know.”Kitty was proud of the steadiness of her voice, especially considering the way her legs trembled.“I understand.”
“Oh Kitty.”Loula sounded five times her age as she sighed.“You cannot possibly understand.The sort of men who wish to buy a girl’s innocence…”
For a moment Kitty thought she might not finish.She wished she wouldn’t.
“They are not kind,” Loula finished with a sad smile that made Kitty’s chest tighten with an inexplicable urge to weep.