Saving Simona (Alone In The World Trilogy) Page 4

  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 face 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 thought. 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 t
hat 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?”

  Raymond sneered. “Never you mind, you silly bitch. Just let us men do our business.” Raymond removed his wrist from Gia’s grasp and stepped away, gesturing with his head towards Isaiah’s room at the resplendent bed roll and tent. “Isaiah requested you return to him once you completed your statement to me. You will remain with him until we are ready for your assistance again. You will learn when is the best time to strike, and then you will be the one to lure the girl in to us so that we cannot be charged if someone sees you kidnap the girl.” His eyes flashed with amusement.

  Gia looked up quickly, her eyes wide. Her heart felt like it had stopped in her chest at Raymond’s words. “Pardon?”

  “You heard me. I have permission from Leander himself that if any of you girls fail to do exactly as the men and I say, I have the full right to slit that pretty little throat of yours and let your blood drain all over your pretty little dress.” He chuckled, running his tongue over his rotting teeth. “Although that would be far too messy to bring your body back to him. Maybe I’d just bash those beautiful brains in.” Raymond tapped Gia on the nose. She flinched away from his touch. Raymond winked before turning away.

  Gia ignored the wrenching of her heart, and made her way over to where Isaiah was waiting.

  ***

  “Time for business,” Isaiah murmured three evenings later, staring out into the woods that led to the Dickens mansion as the sun set behind it. The men were waiting twenty feet into the woods, just beyond the opening. Gia had been instructed to wait until Simona came out for her nightly walk (Gia had been sent out the last two night to observe the girl’s routine, and both nights Simona had taken a walk) and to lure Simona into the woods while one of the men had distracted the girl’s chaperone. Once Gia had taken Simona into the woods, the men would load her onto one of the horses, and it would be done. All of the men but one were with the troupe. The single man had been instructed to stay behind at the camp to make sure that none of the other girls would run off during Gia’s mission.

  Gia took a deep breath before walking forward, staying behind the tree branches until Simona came near. She was alone, her governess off flirting with Stanley, who was working his charm on her near the side of the home. The brunette emerged from the forest slowly, a bouquet of flowers in between her sweaty palms. I hope that this does not work, she thought as she picked idly at the petals, humming to herself distractedly as she tried to appear lost. She darted her eyes up to make sure that she was getting close to Simona. Sure enough, within seconds, she crashed into the girl, dropping the flowers. “Oh, excuse me!” Gia commented, crouching down to pick up the stems. Simona leaned down to help.

  “Sorry to have crashed into you, ma’am,” Simona said, crouching down as well as her propriety shined through. She picked up three flowers, handing them back to Gia. “Your flowers are beautiful.”

  Gia smiled politely. “I found them a few feet into the woods. I’m sorry I wondered onto your property. I must have forgotten where I was going.” She laughed, shaking her head. “I get so absent-minded sometimes.”

  Simona smiled back. “I know what you mean, ma’am.”

  “Would you like to see where I got them?”

  Simona shook her head. “I must be getting back
inside. I promised my governess I would not be long, and it is not proper of a girl my age stepping off the property without my chaperone.” She stood and turned, attempting to make a step back towards the house.

  Gia sprung up and grabbed Simona’s arm. “I must insist,” she said, pulling Simona towards the woods. “It will take less than a minute, I promise. You can even pick some for your governess. Wouldn’t she like that, receiving a bouquet of flowers from her favorite pupil?”

  “Well…” Simona hesitated, her brows narrowing in thought. Soon, though, her eyes sparkled, and she nodded. “I suppose one more minute would not hurt anyone.”

  Gia held her hand out for the girl to take, and they began to walk into the woods. “It is just over there,” Gia said, pointing to a curve in the path five meters up.

  Once the girls hit the curve in the bend, Gia cast a glance behind herself before pulling Simona faster, now breaking into a jog. “Where are you taking me?!” Simona asked, her voice in a panic. Gia said nothing, continuing to go at a quick pace until Simona started to fight back. The brunette pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket, still damp with whatever substance. Raymond had instructed her to use before she had left the woods to meet Simona.

  “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to use this,” Gia said softly, cocking her head Simona’s way. She shrugged. “Oh well.” She held the handkerchief up to Simona’s nose, holding the girl tight when she tried to scream and run away. Within seconds, the youth was limp in Gia’s arms, and the men began to come over to load Simona onto their horses. Gia was pushed onto Raymond’s horse before he jumped on behind her, his grubby hand holding on to Gia around her waist.

  A mile into the trek back to the camp, the black-haired man slowed his horse, calling to the rest of the men that he was pausing to relieve himself, and that he would meet the rest back at camp. Once Raymond’s feet had hit the ground, and the men were out of sight, it became clear to Gia that Raymond had plans other than responding to nature’s call. He pulled Gia down off of the horse, holding her tight against his chest. “Well isn’t this a shame?” he cooed, biting down on her ear.