Saving Simona (Alone In The World Trilogy) (4 page)

“Raymond is the man with black hair over there,” Isaiah commented, gesturing to a man who had his head down on the table. Raymond lifted his hand in a feeble wave, but did nothing else to acknowledge his introduction. “He enjoyed the meade a bit too in the early hours of this morning,” Isaiah stage-whispered loudly, snickering when Raymond let out a pained groan. Isaiah pulled Abigayle to himself for a moment before he spun her as well, keeping her hand in his as he pulled her over to the vacant chair next to the ill man. “Here you are, sweetheart.” He pushed her lightly into the chair before turning back to face Gia, his eyes alight with glee.

“Finally, the best for last.” Isaiah made his way back over to Gia, his eyes scanning her up and down once more. His eyes settled on her bust and waist, the well-fitting corset exemplifying her features more than any of the other girls’ corsets had, the boning highlighting her excellent curves. The man smiled at her predatorily. “And what would your name be, child?”

Gia felt her mouth go dry. “Georgiana Fletcher, sir. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She curtsied, swallowin
g harshly to get rid of the desert in her throat. She forced a smile as Isaiah chuckled before bowing and taking Gia’s hand in his own, kissing her palm lightly.

“Enchanted, I’m sure,” Isaiah responded, making eye contact with Gia before he stood straight once more, turning back to his peers. “If anyone shall need me, do not come and get me unless my cries of ecstasy have been silenced.” The other men laughed. Isaiah bowed again to Gia, his hand outstretched, palm facing upwards as he peered at her through his lashes. “Shall we?”

Gia took the hand and followed the man out of the room, through the hallway, under an archway, and up two staircases to a large bedroom on the third floor. She was once again awed by the majestic nature of the room, the emerald bed larger than any she had ever seen before. The silk sheets reflected the flames of the candles that had been lit around the room, which Gia assumed were placed strategically for ambience, even though she was a mere prostitute. It was nothing that Gia had ever seen before. Sure, the brunette had had affairs with men of higher caliber (such as Owen), but she had never been with a man of the sheer amount of wealth that everything in Isaiah’s home was suggesting.

Isaiah wasted no time once the door was shut before standing behind Gia and running his hands over her dress, placing open-mouthed kisses along the side of her neck and licking along her collarbone. “You are such a beautiful flower,” he whispered, bunching up Gia’s skirt in his right hand. He took her ear lobe into his mouth, playing with it with his tongue. Gia cringed at the slimy feeling of his tongue. She tried not to be too obvious with her discomfort, knowing that Leander would not be happy if he found out that she was not the perfect love for this man.

Isaiah shifted to whisper, “Had you been one of your sisters, I would not bother with removing this beautiful dress from your body, but for you… I would like to take the time to enjoy this moment properly.” He raised the skirt higher, the fingers of his other hand fondling the fastenings of her dress between his thumb and index finger. Isaiah made quick work of the buttons before pulling the dress back, running the tips of his well-kept nails over her shoulders and down her arms, lacing his fingers with Gia’s as the top of the dress fell completely over her hips. He squeezed her hand lightly.

Once the dress was open, Isaiah helped Gia step out of the fabric. “No crinoline?” Isaiah asked, surprised.

Gia shook her head. “No, sir. Leander does not like us to wear crinolines. He says that it hinders access for our clients.”

Isaiah chuckled, moving his hand to the petticoat and swinging it playfully. “That would be true.” Isaiah bit down on Gia’s neck as he turned to her front, pulling her flush against his chest. He ran his fingers along the laces of the corset before he pressed his lips against Gia’s in a kiss, his fingers remaining behind the brunette’s back to get the corset ready for removal. Gia sighed into the kiss in relief as the corset fell away, her quickly-expanding lungs welcoming more room for them to do their job.

Soon, Isaiah had removed Gia’s petticoat, pantalets, and chemise. Her skin erupted into gooseflesh as Isaiah pushed Gia onto the bed and stepped several paces away, taking a moment to fully examine his purchase before he moved any more forward. “So beautiful,” he breathed. His tan trousers were tented considerably as his hungry eyes settled on the crux of Gia’s thighs before drifting up to her ample breasts, her nipples flushed and pointed in the chilled air. He quickly removed his own shirt, trousers, and undergarments before lunging onto the bed, attaching his lips to Gia’s left nipple, his hand drifting down her stomach and along her lips, lightly pulling on the hair and stretching her to take his girth.

As Isaiah worked Gia open, Gia disappeared off into her own world. It was a techniqu
e that she had learned early on in order to distract herself from what was occurring. She was simply an instrument for his pleasure and, after being used as one so many times, the brunette had found intercourse to be tedious and too much of an expense to waste any energy on paying attention to what was going on, and that letting her mind drift was much more of a euphoric experience. She began to think of her sisters, wondering how their experiences were going. Had they been awarded a more quick service, where their men got in and got out, without any fuss? Or were the men as interested in the girls as Isaiah had been in her?  She wished that she had gotten the latter.

After a several minutes, Isaiah finished with a groan, filling Gia with wetness. She squirmed uncomfortably as the man collapsed on top of her, panting from the effort. He rested there for several moment until he caught his breath, at which time he finally removed himself from his purchase. Once Isaiah had moved off Gia’s legs, she began to sit up, preparing herself to get dressed once again and return back to any other task that Isaiah should want her to perform. However, she was surprised when Isaiah pulled her back down, mumbling, “No. I am paying to keep you for several days. You will sleep here.” He said nothing more until Gia shot him a
shocked look, to which he sighed and continued, “I have work I need to be done, and for that, I need you to be fully competent. Sleep.” He placed a hand on Gia’s wrist, digging his nails into the skin to show that he meant business.

Gia nodded before placing her head back on the pillow. She had never slept in a bed this comfortable in her life, and she fell fast asleep within minutes, Isaiah still running his fingertips over her naked body as she rested.

***

When Gia awoke a few hours later, it was to Isaiah atop her once again, his hungry eyes boring into her face as he thrust between her thighs.  She waited patiently for him to finish. Once Isaiah had, he pulled her up, pushing her off the bed. “Dress, slut,” he commented, pulling his own clothing back on. Gia did as she was asked, and followed Isaiah to the main level of the house and into the dining hall, where the other girls and the men were already waiting.

Isaiah went to the head of the table. He leaned in, splaying his fingers against the wood. “We shall be gone within the hour,” he said, nodding at his men. He turned to the women, looking each of them in the eyes. “Ladies, your job shall be simple. You are to observe from the shadows the families that we give you. If there is a girl in the family, tell Raymond. He has been instructed to record the names of any potential daughters to join Leander’s family. Everything else you see, you tell me. Every minor detail of these families’ day, who lives in the home, who you see during your watch, any dangers that may present themselves upon the property. You are to remain hidden. If anyone catches you, you are dead, either by me, or by the property owners.” He pulled a knife from his boot, holding it out in front of himself. He leaned in further, holding the knife so that it was pointed at the girls. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Gia and the rest of the girls responded shakily, the girls’ fear obvious. Isaiah nodded.

“Good.” He tapped the top of the table before turning and heading towards the door, his heavy steps echoing throughout the room. He turned around as he passed under the archway. His eyes glinted as he sneered and said again,  “One hour.”

3

London

Six hours later found Gia pushing through brambles and shrubberies as she made her way through the woods, following Isaiah’s directions. She glared at the ground as a sharp twig dug its way into her ankle, ripping through her stocking and leaving a bright red mark in its wake.

“The Dickens family,” she mumbled to herself, rolling her eyes when her dress caught once again.
There really will be no saving this dress after today. I wonder how angry Leander will be, once he finds out one of his dresses has been ripped to shreds.
“What’s so important about the Dickens family?”

Gia had a theory that Isaiah and his men had made their riches through thievery or some other
kind of tomfoolery. It did not seem possible to her that a man could come into those kinds of riches by himself without some sort of treachery pushing him along. But why was this family, as well as the ones her sisters were observing, targeted so specifically? Surely Gia would have at least heard mention of the family name during her stays with the business men who passed through Leeds if they were
really
anything spectacular, wouldn’t she? No, this Dickens family must just be people who owed Isaiah something.

How incorrect that assumption was,
Gia realized as she grew nearer the property. She stopped in her tracks as the house began to come into view, the towering roof clearly visible above the branches in front of her. Her eyes widened. “Oh.”

As Gia emerged through the thick throng of trees, she caught her first official glance at the majestic building that towered stories and stories above the lush, dark grass that surrounded its base, Gia assumed that she was looking at the back of the building, as, while there were fountains and gardens, there were not any pathways or stables within sight that would allow carriages to come and
go to the home. Regardless, the brunette found herself stunned by the sheer regality and resplendency of the property.

Gia looked out over the
land, her eyes growing wider with every aspect that she took in, from the animal-shaped topiaries to the marble fountains and statues that dotted the gardens, surrounded by a wrought iron fence and dark green bushes. The walls of the home were a light brown stone with ivy of varying sizes and shades of green creeping its way up to the chocolate brown roof. Once the ivy reached its destination, a few of the tendrils broke away and lined the rim, while the rest lifted itself above the lip and crawled to the ridge, wrapping itself around the jagged points that lined the crest.

Gia shook her head in awe. She had thought that Isaiah’s home had been the most wealth she had ever and
would
ever see again, but clearly, she had been wrong.
This
house was the most resplendent place she had ever seen. Gia crept closer, making sure to keep herself  crouched down behind the bushes and out of sight, thankful that the tall privacy bushes that lined the fence were around two meters tall. She couldn’t see anyone in the yard, but she couldn’t be certain that there was not a gardener or groundskeeper somewhere on the property. On the four-and-half hour horseback journey to London, the only information that Gia had been given was that she was going to watch the Dickens family, and how to get to their property. There was never any instructions as to who to watch out for, or who would be home.
That is where we come along,
Gia realized, the pieces of the puzzle sliding into place.
This is what Isaiah wanted us for, to figure out who his men and he would need to avoid here.

Gia was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps to her right, somewhere within the garden
. She let out a quiet gasp before diving under the bush in case the intruder was tall enough to glance over the greenery and spot her, tucking her knees and legs beneath her chest as she tried to flatten herself as much to the ground as possible. She was worried that she would not fit but, luckily, the branches near the bottom of the shrubbery were spread enough that she could squeeze in. Granted, she could not do so much as shift her shoulder without being reminded of the injuries she had sustained from the trees in the woods, but it was better than being caught trespassing on the Dickens’ land. Gia slapped her hand over her mouth to silence her breathing as the footsteps came nearer.

“I don’t know
what
she is talking about,” a female said from the direction of the steps, her voice nearly too far away to hear. Gia peaked out of the bottom of the bush, into the garden. She could see two pairs of boots, one white and white black, coming towards her. The black pair seemed to belong to a younger woman, the heel much closer to the ground and the entire shoe far more visible than that of the white boot. The shoes were in pristine condition, too. Much more clean than Gia had ever seen a pair of shoes for any woman she had ever happened across. Likely, both of these women were members of the family. Gia supposed that the women could also be servants, but she doubted that the servants would ever be able to keep boots so blindingly clean. They looked expensive, too; like they were made of real leather.

The voices became louder as the boots came closer, finally stopping six or seven feet adjacent from Gia’s hiding spot. She was surprised to see that she was able to see the woman rather clearly, the branches curving around a hole that was barely large enough for her to see through.

Two women sat down at the bench located there, pausing their conversation to look around at the flowers, smiles gracing their faces. “The flowers are already so beautiful. They normally are not in bloom this time of year,” a blonde girl commented. She shook her head, her smile drooping slightly. “I do hope that they stay alive through the next frost.”

Gia recognized the voice from the one who had first spoken, before Gia had seen either girls’ faces. The blonde was very pretty, with high cheekbones, full red lips, and a delicate nose and chin. She appeared to be in her early twenties, and had porcelain peaches-and-cream skin that was colored slightly from the wind. She was wearing a high-collared white lacey dress with white gloves, and a large floppy hat. The skirt was not as full as some of the wealthy women that Gia had seen around town, but her crinoline was clearly custom made to make the bustle much more prominent to highlight her lithe frame. Her hair was tied up in a bun and tucked under the hat, a few sandy strains falling around her f
ace and softening her jaw line. She was clearly of age, as her skirt length had been lowered to the ground, but her appearance was not that of a middle-aged woman yet.
She must have been holding her dress up when she was walking,
Gia realized as she remembered lowering her own dress at the age of thirteen to appear more adult.

“I thought that they were going to never even bud, especially after that freezing dew we had six nights back,” the girl’s companion responded, turning to look at a mulberry blossom that erupted from a pot near the bench.

This girl looked much younger than the blonde. The skirt of her dark blue dress just barely brushed the top of her blackened boots, and her mousy brown hair was in a thick plait that landed halfway down her back, tied off with a silky black ribbon. Gia guessed that the girl was around twelve or thirteen.
The same age as me when I went to be with Leander,
Gia thought to herself, shaking her head. Guilt filled her stomach as she remembered that she was supposed to tell Raymond about any young girls that she saw on the premises. She wished that there was a way that she could go without telling him, but she knew that she would be killed immediately if anyone found out that she had not told all that she had seen.

Gia shrunk back further into the bush, her stomach beginning to boil. She wondered how
many other girls had sat here like she was, how many of the girls were responsible for gaining new sisters. Had someone watched her family, pulled her in? Had Leander known about her, even before he had run into her in the woods that fateful afternoon? Was one of the girls that had helped her adjust once she had been moved into the upper levels of the home the one that had sealed her fate?

Gia trembled slightly at the though
t. She shook her head, trying to tune back into the conversation and away from her thoughts. She shifted to peer out once again as the blonde one began to speak.   “Simona,” she said, putting her arm around the girl, “do you remember when Father had us help plant the flowers when you were a girl? I believe that was the summer that you turned five years.”

The young one, Simona, shook her head. “I was too little then to remember anything, Lucie,” she responded, tilting the back of her head up against her sister’s shoulder and smiling widely at her.

The blonde, Lucie, made a face and shook her head playfully before tapping Simona on the nose. The smaller girl giggled and shook her head back. Lucie leaned back against the bench and pulled Simona against her chest, rocking her back and forth. “Well,” Lucie began, “It was just after Mummy died. Father had wanted to make the garden beautiful in her absence, since she spent so many years perfecting it and making sure it was as beautiful as it possibly could be. She would never let the gardeners touch this garden. She always wanted to do things on her own.”

Lucie shook her head as sadness over came her face, running a silk-clad finger quickly beneath her eye as she tried to get her emotions back in check. She pulled Simona closer as she looked back up, towards several flowers that surrounding a fountain of a cherub spitting water. “Father thought that Rose, Winnie, and I would have her eye for beauty. You wanted to help, so Father let you carry seeds and small plants back and forth between each of us.” The blonde started to laugh at the memory. “I cannot recall if it was me or Rose that started it but, before we knew it, all four of us girls were coated in dirt. Father was so angry when he came back outside! He had just gone away for a moment to relieve himself, and we managed so much mischief in his absence!”

The blonde scrunched her face up at her sister again. “Martha was brushing dust out of your hair for a week!”

Simona giggled and shook her head. “I don’t believe you!” she said, pushing Lucie lightly.

“It’s true!” Lucie exclaimed. “We were trying desperately not to get you dirty, and you decided that it was unfair that your big sisters got to play while
you
were unable to. You rolled around in the plants the moment we looked away!” She erupted into giggles for a few moments before she jumped up, nudging her sister off the bench. Lucie patted Simona’s back and she pushed her forward, back toward the house. “I daresay that has been enough fresh air for today! Time to get you back to your governess for your studies.” She shivered. “I do believe that it had grown colder within the last few moments.”

Gia waited until Lucie and Simona had entered the house before she crawled out from under the bush. She dusted off her skirt before crouching down again, scuttling along until she was near to a window. She peaked inside, and made mental notes of all that she saw.

***

Gia slyly wandered around the property, glancing into windows and creeping near doors to observe anything that she could. It only took Gia an hour before she had taken notice of everything that the men had asked for: number of entrances, where they were, the amount of security surrounding the home, and
who all seemed to be working in the house. She made her way back through the woods, trekking the three miles back to the camp that Isaiah had set up so to not arouse attention. Gia spoke to Isaiah first, telling him all that he wanted to know, before she pulled Raymond aside.

“A girl lives there, around thirteen or fourteen,” she told him, guilt filling her stomach
. At least Simona is pretty enough that Leander will likely make her one of his luxury-girls pretty early on
. Her life wouldn’t be as nice as it would be at home, but it would be better off than it would be as one of Leander’s least favorites. Those girls… they lived in the cellar, receiving the last choices of dresses and the last scraps of food, left over from when the rest of the girls were fed. Mostly, these were girls who had angered Leander in one way or another, but Gia had seen a girl placed there once or twice from the very beginning for not being pretty enough. Even those girls, though, were not the worst to face Leander’s wrath. She had heard horror stories, but she had never met or seen any of these girls herself. Raymond glanced at Gia, his predatory eyes wandering up and down her body. “Looks?” He licked his lips.

Gia remembered back to the girl, trying to remember exactly how Simona looked. If she ignored Raymond’s advances, perhaps he would stop trying. Besides, Leander would not be very happy with him if he found out that Raymond was after a luxury girl.  Gia spoke after a moment. “She had light brown hair. She was a bit shorter than me. She was very pretty.”

Raymond nodded, his hand reaching out to grope the top of Gia’s breast that was pressed out over the top of her corset through her dress. He winked at her. “Good. We will take her in three days time.” He gave a final rub before pulling on her skirt, thrusting his hips against hers before he began to walk away.

After a moment of deliberation, Gia stopped him, placing her hand on his wrist. “Three days?” she asked in confusion. “I thought that I was to gather information for tonight?”