Jane Feather - Charade by Unknown (howl and other poems .TXT) 📕

Danielle walked into the cage, her hand deep in her coat pocket. Thedoor clanged shut behind her and she was imprisoned in Newgate in thecompany of women who were more beast than human as they tugged at herclothes and begged piteously. For as long as she stayed in sight of thegovernor she was safe, but the women who surrounded her were thestrongest, the leaders of the community who were

able to achieve thefront ranks. A twelve-year-old newcomer would not be found here.

"Let me pass," she commanded. "If you will find one Brigitte Robertsfor me, you will be rewarded,

I promise."

"What wiv, me lady?" someone whined, touching the lace at Danielle'sthroat. With a supreme effort Danielle pushed the hand aside.

"With guineas," she said shortly, averting her head from the foulbreath. But the rankness was on all sides, a fetid miasma ofdisease-laden air. Something fluttered, the beat of a bird's wing deepin her

belly, and Danielle paled—the life in her womb quickening forthe first time in

this

place?She suddenly realized that in her effortsto save the life of a complete stranger she was endangering the life ofher own child, of Linton's child.

"Get out of my way!" She pushed through the women who, for the momentsurprised, fell back providing her with a path as narrow and unlikelyas Moses1 path across the Red Sea. Danielle marched through them andcalled Brigitte's name. But as she walked, the path closed behind her,shutting her off from the eyes of the three men outside the cage. Shefought down the desperate fear, the knowledge that she was taking anunconscionable risk with so much more than her own safety. At the veryend of the ward a group of semi-naked girls and women cowered in abjectterror. She called the name again and a thin figure, her gown rippedfrom her back, face and hair thick with filth, looked up with dull eyes.

"You are Brigitte Roberts?" Danielle's voice was harsher than she'dintended, but her own fear was too raw now. What had happened to thechild in such a short time to reduce her to this state? But there wasno time for speculation. At the girl's nod she seized her wrist andpulled her to herfeet, turning back to face what was now animpenetrable menacing wall.

"Wat's she got that we ain't?" a voice demanded. "Wat's a foine ladylike you doin', takin' the likes of

her outa 'ere?"

"Yeah, thas roight!" the voices rumbled, took up the cry. "Why 'er?"

"Because she's done nothing wrong," Danielle said brusquely as herheart hammered against her ribcage. "Let us through."

"Wat you goin' to do fer us, then, my foine loidy?" An Amazon of awoman stepped forward to stand chest to chest with Danielle. Brigittescreamed and the woman flicked Danielle's hat with a grimy finger."This'll fetch a pretty penny," she said with an evil grin, showing amouth of blackened stumps and huge gaps. The next instant, Danielle'shat had left her head. "An' all this lace," the woman went on. "That'sworth a few bottles of gin, eh, girls?" Her fingers caught the lace andthere was a sudden ripping sound.

For an unreal moment, Danielle was again the urchin Danny fighting forsurvival in a Parisian backalley. She kicked out and her booted footmade contact with her tormentor's shin. It was a mistake, she realizedhopelessly in the instant of action. Someone pushed her heavily frombehind and she sprawled against the woman at her front. And then theywere all on her, nails raking her face, fists punching into her arms,feet kicking wherever they could. The front of her habit tore under apair of vicious talons that bit into the tender flesh of her breasts.In the first moments of terror Danielle had forgotten the pistol, butwhen the child, whose hand she still held somehow in a clutch asdesperate asa dying man's, screamed again in hideous terror somethingclicked in her mind like the tumbrils of a safe and a cold wash ofdetermination replaced the panic. For a second she fought with all theferociousness of the women surrounding her until she got the hand thatwas not holding Brigitte free from a painful grip. The pistol was outof her pocket in an instant. She aimed high, but at this point carednot a jot whether the bullet found a human target. There was a shrillscream and her assailants fell back at the sight of the smoking weapon.Danielle, knowing she had but seconds before they realized the pistolwas now useless until reloaded, hauled the whimpering figure beside herthrough the crowd that gave way in stunned silence.

Justin heard the shot as he entered the building and for a petrifyingmoment the vigorous pumping of his heart seemed to falter, then itpicked up again as a rush of adrenaline drove him at a run in thedirection of the sound. What he saw as he reached the group of menoutside the railing emptied his soul of all but blind rage. His wife,torn, bedraggled, blood streaking her face and exposed bosom, hair abird's nest of tangles, emerged from the sullen ranks of hard-eyedwomen, a pistol in one hand and quite the filthiest scrap of humanityin the other.

She appeared not to notice him until Malcolm stuttered, "My lord, I ...I ..."

"Give me those." Linton gestured to the purse, rings, and cloak. "Goand help Tomas with the horses.

He has eight to care for."

"Yes, my lord." Malcolm scurried away, convinced that he was to beturned off without a recommendation as a result of this day's work. Buthe had simply obeyed orders. Perhaps he should have gone into that hellhimself... he shuddered at the thought. There was only so much anemployer could expect of his servants and Her Ladyship had never oncegiven him the opportunity to offer the sacrifice.

"Linton." Danielle looked at her husband with strangely blank eyes. "Ihave paid this

cochon

"—shepointed at the trembling governor—"onehundred guineas as bail for Brigitte. I do not think he