Page 55 of Indecent Desires of a Proper Lady
“Thank you. And now I consider you my guide. What am I to do with Charles?”
“Tell me everything.” Juliet leaned back, her eyes entirely focused on Margaret’s face.
* * *
Philip was browsing in the bookshop, moving through the wooden shelves, his gloved hands tracing over the different volumes, his mind trying to find just the right gift. He wanted it to be special because today, he wanted to send the word out for the official posting of the banners, and he and Margaret would be publicly betrothed from that point on.
He looked up out of the window and spotted his friend Collingsworth, striding down the street. Feeling the desire to say goodbye as well as find his one last chance to ask him about the situation with Charles, he rushed out of the bookshop door and waved him down.
“Collingsworth!” he called, and his friend turned and smiled, walking slowly back toward him.
Collingsworth looked up at the bookseller’s sign. “Winston, I see you are here to search for a gift for your intended, just as you told us.”
Philip snorted. “You did not believe me?”
Collingsworth laughed and turned to stare at the volumes himself. “Of course we did. There is honesty behind those eyes of yours. But perhaps I am interested in learning to whom you are bringing your gift?” He smirked.
Philip grinned and crossed his arms. “You really all do want to know who it is who has stolen my heart, as you tell me.”
“Well, it is something to make our lives just a bit more interesting before we are sent out upon the seas to deal with pirates and mutinous crews.”
Philip laughed out loud. “Perhaps we should be better trained if the crews will be mutinying so soon.”
“Do you have a moment, Collingsworth?” Philip looked from side to side, fearful he might see a stranger watching them from a shadowy corner.
Something flicked over Collingsworth’s expression. “Of course,” he said. “Anything for a fellow comrade.” They walked back inside the bookshop and moved along the shelves to a section of leather-bound journals. Distracted, Philip picked one up and felt the smooth white pages.
This is perfect.
Collingsworth cleared his throat. Philip glanced back up at him. “Forgive me. I know that we have not discussed the matter of my friend any further. I thought perhaps something was too painful or too dangerous for you to talk about. I did not wish to press you.”
Collingsworth nodded calmly. Now that he brought it up, Philip was itching to talk about it and wanted to ask him about the man who had been following him last night. “I must ask you to tell me your story.”
“Come,” Collingsworth said in a low voice. They moved to a more secluded corner in the bookshop. “It was a friend of mine, who had to deal with these people. More like animals, they are.”
Philip’s mouth went dry. He gripped the journal tightly in his hands. “What happened?”
Collingsworth sighed. “My friend was never very wealthy, but your friend, I imagine has wealth abundant. Or at least did but lost it somehow. As for my friend, he took a loan. I warned him against it, but he was desperate. The family was in a bit of legal trouble, and my friend needed to pay the best lawyers to help.”
“So he took a loan from whoever these people are.”
Collingsworth nodded. “At first it was fine. He was allowed to pay in installments, but then suddenly the people began calling in interest. He had no idea that there would be any interest at all. And just like your friend is currently experiencing, there were threatening letters. At first they were small, threatening to tell everyone. But then, they began to threaten his life and anyone associated with him who he cared about.”
“Just like my friend.”
“Yes. That is what worries me. You see,” Collingsworth shifted on his feet uncomfortably.
“My friend could not come up with the money. He had just enough to pay for the monthly installment, but when they upped the price, they would no longer accept even that! And things started to happen.”
Philip’s heartbeat got faster. “Things?”
“There were figures in the dark, people watching us. Footsteps on the street at night. Eyes peering at us from across the way. Wherever we went, the men followed. It was like being haunted by a ghost. But for a long while, nothing happened. I think they just wanted to scare him and the rest of us.”
Philip swallowed, his mind wholly focused on the man’s tale.
“Well, after a while, the men got a bit closer. I ended up getting into a fist fight with one of them, and he had a knife. I was able to wrestle it out of his hands, and he ran away. I never really did get a good look at his face, since we were out in the dark street with only the moon to show us what we were doing.”
Collingsworth’s face twitched on the side, and he said, “Eventually, they tortured my friend, Winston, when they had gotten their hands on him. And they eventually killed his younger brother since he did not pay up. After that, the family was still pursued by these loan sharks to pay.” He laid a hand on Philip’s shoulder. “That is what I needed you to know. You have to try to steer clear of these people and make sure your friend does as well.”
