Venus Read Free Page B

coverlet. She seemed to be quite unconcerned at her nakedness, almost as if she had forgotten it, he thought, trying to shake his head clear of bewilderment.
    Polly nodded, sitting up. “I am only supposed to bring the gentlemen up here,” she explained. “They always fall asleep before they can—”
    “And then you rob them?” he interrupted harshly, seeing nothing to contradict in her statement. It was extraordinary to think that she had preserved her innocence throughout this fraud, but not an impossible feat in the circumstances she had described and he had experienced.
    “Not I,” she corrected, as if it could possibly make any difference to her degree of guilt. “Josh and his friends.”
    “And then what happens?” He began to pace the small chamber in an effort to keep the fog at bay. The girl did not reply. He swung ’round on her.
“And then what happens?”
    She shook her head, eyes wide with appeal. “I do not know.”
    “Liar!” He caught her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “You are a liar, a thief, an accomplice to murder.” And all that malefice was contained in a form so beautiful that it almost defied belief. He turned from her in disgust.
    “No, you cannot go downstairs.” The urgent whisper arrested him as he put his hand on the latch. “They will not let you out of here alive.” Polly jumped from the bed, catching his arm. “There is a cupboard on the landing. If you hide there until they come up, then you can slip down the stairs when they come in here.”
    “You expect me to hide from a pack of river rats?” he exclaimed, drawing his sword in one easy movement.
    “There are six of them,” she said. “You may be brave as a lion, but against such odds—” She shrugged and turned from him, bending to pick up her smock from the floor.
    Her buttocks and thighs were bruise-tinged, the deep purple of fresh contusions overlaying the yellow of old hurts. Nicholas saw again the vicious Josh, his great red hands raised against her, the obscene glint in his little eyes. The anger ran from him. What right had he to judge this girl for whom violence was an inextricable part of daily living? She did only what she was compelled to do, and life was cheap in these back slums.
    “And what will happen to you?” he asked quietly. “I doubt you could take another beating so soon after the last.”
    Polly flushed. She had forgotten about the welts. Hastily, she pulled on her smock. “He only does it ’cause he wants to do the other.” Amazingly, an imp of mischief danced suddenly in her eyes. “But Prue won’t let him. Says she’s not about to share her husband with a chit of a girl she’s brought up from babyhood, and she’ll cut it off if he tries anythingwith me.” A tiny chuckle escaped her, despite the desperation of the moment. “She would, too. She’s bigger than he is.”
    Nicholas could feel his own mouth curving in response. She did have the most infectious smile, even when, as now, it was one of pure mischief, with none of the come-hither quality of before. But then, that particular smile had been intended to deceive; this variety appeared to be without artifice.
    Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs, and all desire to laugh fled. Polly went as white as milk as Nicholas, sword drawn, whirled to face the door. The door was flung back on its hinges to reveal Josh and five burly men ranged behind him, all armed with cudgels.
    Why would they need cudgels if their intended victim was supposed to be unconscious? Nicholas wondered with dispassion, moving backward to give himself maneuvering space. They’d probably enjoy bludgeoning him to death before dropping him in the river, he reflected, still dispassionate.
    “Get out of here, girl,” rasped Josh. “I’ll deal with you later.” He advanced on Kincaid, the others fanning out behind him in the small chamber. Nicholas wouldn’t have a chance. His sword flashed, catching Josh’s arm as he raised the cudgel. Blood