Damsel in Disguise by Susan Gee Heino Read Free Book Online

she was quite proud of herself.
    “The groom said he saw someone go this way, and it was Lindley’s intent to follow. I didn’t actually see him, but I’m going to assume the man did as he said.”
    “So, for all we know, we could be going in exactly the wrong direction.”
    “Are we?”
    Julia fumed. “Look, I did not have anything to do with this! I don’t know who took Sophie, but Lindley would appear to be our best suspect. Who else knows about her connection to this Dashford person?”
    “You tell me.”
    “I did tell you! I didn’t know about this—I don’t think Sophie did, either. Certainly, she never made any mention of it to me.”
    Rastmoor eyed her. She ripped her gaze from him and tried to tip her face into shadows. It wasn’t clear how much longer this disguise might last under his scrutiny.
    “How well do you know your young wife?” Rastmoor asked.
    “Well enough,” she said quickly.
    He simply laughed at her. “Oh, I truly doubt that. Tell me, did you take her from that brothel out of the goodness of your heart, or has she promised to make it worth your while?”
    “I didn’t take her from a brothel,” Julia snapped. “I don’t know why you insist on talking about her that way.”
    “Because it’s the truth. The girl’s nothing more than a cheap whore, and you know it.”
    “No! She was working as a respectable maid in Fitzgelder’s house when I met her. He blackened her eye one day because she was nothing like the cheap whore you keep calling her.”
    “And so you married her?”
    “She needed to get away from there.”
    “I’m sure she did. But just exactly what were you doing there? Your obvious intimacy with the likes of Fitzgelder doesn’t do much to make me trust you.”
    “Believe me, there was no intimacy there,” Julia assured him. “I told you; I was there professionally. Our troupe had been hired to perform at a private party. I met Sophie that evening, and I could see the difficult position she was in. I asked my father to give her employment with our troupe.”
    “How very noble. So she’s an actress as well.”
    “No, a seamstress, and very good at it.”
    “I’m sure she’s been a real asset. How lucky for your father you found her and . . .”
    His voice faded, and Julia knew he was looking at her again. She could almost feel the tension in the air rising up around them. Evening was gone and darkness was settling in, but she knew he could still see her. Had he at last figured it out?
    “Your father is the leader of your troupe?” he asked after a moment.
    “Yes.” She held her breath, waiting for the storm.
    It arrived slowly, with Rastmoor letting out a long, slow growl.
    “My God. Your name’s not really Clemmons, is it?”
    Her legs began to tremble, and she tried desperately to pretend she hadn’t heard him. He pulled his horse up and grabbed the bridle on hers, bringing them both to a stop in the middle of the moonlit road.
    “Is it?” he demanded again.
    “No,” she admitted in an embarrassingly tiny voice.
    “It’s St. Clement,” he finished for her.
    She nodded.
    “Albert St. Clement is your father,” he went on, and she nodded again.
    He was quiet, and she concentrated on staying in the saddle. She counted the heartbeats—eleven. Why didn’t he say something? He could yell or curse at her or call her all manner of foul names. Anything would be better than sitting here in silence, afraid to look at him but wondering what on earth was going through his mind.
    Finally he spoke. “Julia was your sister?”
    What was that? Her sister? Good heavens, could it really be he still didn’t know? It was a miracle! Her chest heaved as she was finally able to draw a deep breath.
    “Yes, that’s right.”
    “I should have guessed. You favor her.”
    “Thank you.”
    “It’s not a compliment. She was a whore, too.”
    Well, that was painful. She deserved it though, she supposed. She hadn’t been exactly truthful three years ago. It