Read Online The Orphan's Dream by Dilly Court - Free Book Online

she realised that this was no ordinary establishment. The gaudy red and gold wallpaper in the entrance hall and the brass candle sconces set between dozens of long mirrors created an ambience of opulence verging on vulgarity. The air was heady with a mixture of cheap perfume, cigar smoke and wine. It was unlike any other place she had ever seen, and unless she was very much mistaken this was a brothel. Any doubts she had were dispelled by the appearance of a tall, slender woman wearing an emerald-silk gown lavishly trimmed with bugle beads and quite shockingly low cut. She might once have been quite lovely, but her painted cheeks and lips could not replicate the bloom of youth. Her hazel eyes held a world-weary expression that lightened momentarily when she saw Jack and darkened almost instantly, as if she were afraid to allow human emotions to interfere with business.
    â€˜Zilla, my dear. How lovely you look tonight.’ Jack inclined his head, smiling.
    â€˜Don’t try to soft-soap me, Jack Starke. I’m doing you a big favour taking this skinny little rabbit of a girl under my wing.’ Zilla touched Gertie’s cheek with the tip of her forefinger. ‘She looks terrible. Which gutter did you pluck her from?’
    â€˜Excuse me,’ Mirabel said angrily. ‘I didn’t agree to this, Jack.’
    â€˜Didn’t you tell this person what you had in mind?’ Zilla shook her head. ‘You always were a fool when it came to a pretty face, Jack Starke.’
    Mirabel faced him angrily. ‘I thought you had a refuge in mind for the poor girl. Leaving her in a brothel isn’t going to improve her lot.’
    â€˜A brothel?’ Zilla gave her a withering look. ‘This is a private club, where gentlemen relax and enjoy the company of young women.’
    â€˜It’s still a brothel,’ Mirabel insisted. ‘We’ve just rescued this girl from a life on the streets. She needs to recuperate in pleasant surroundings with people who’ll treat her kindly.’
    Zilla stood arms akimbo, glaring at Mirabel. ‘And what makes you think she won’t get that here?’
    â€˜That’s enough, ladies,’ Jack said firmly. ‘Mirabel, this lady is Zilla Grace, one of my oldest friends. A better person you’ll go a long way to meet. Zilla, this young puritan is Mirabel Cutler. Her heart is in the right place but she’s led a sheltered existence, and apparently can’t tell the difference between a genuine kind heart and a money-grubbing wanton.’
    Zilla’s angry expression melted into a smile. ‘You always were good with words, Jack, as well as other things which we won’t mention in front of a well-bred young lady.’
    â€˜Laugh at me if you like.’ Mirabel drew herself up to her full height, finding to her annoyance that she was still half a head shorter than Zilla. ‘But I’m not leaving Gertie to be sold to the highest bidder like that poor child I just saw.’
    â€˜My dear, you have a very odd idea of how I run my house,’ Zilla said with a humourless chuckle. ‘My girls are willing participants in the activities here. No one is forced to do anything they don’t want to, and I’ve only agreed to take Gertie in as a favour to an old friend. She can stay here until she regains her health and strength. After that it’s up to her or to you, as you seem to have taken charge of her life. Are you related in some way?’
    Taken aback, Mirabel shook her head. ‘No. I don’t really know her.’
    â€˜Zilla will take good care of Gertie,’ Jack said easily. ‘And now I’d really like to put her down. Where do you want her, my love?’
    â€˜If her guardian angel agrees, I’ll put her in the back room. It’s next to mine and I can keep an eye on her.’
    Mirabel looked from one to the other, frowning. It was not difficult to work out the relationship between Jack