Molly could hardly believe her luck as Mr. Barrett escorted her towards a small bedroom in the back of the house. She clutched the linens he'd given her tightly, astounded at how soft they felt in her arms.
"There will, of course, be other duties you'll be expected to perform," she realized Mr. Barrett was saying and immediately began paying attention. "Would you be at all averse to learning how to patch up some common injuries?"
She shook her head quickly. If he'd asked her to bring down the moon, she would find a way.
"We keep odd hours usually, so you'll need to be prepared to be woken and start working very quickly. Respect my home and my wishes, and I'll respect you." He glanced back at her. "None of the men are allowed to touch you, do you hear me?" She nodded. "Don't let them give you any lines about how it's their right or privilege or any such nonsense, because it's not. Not unless you want it to be – in which case, it's none of my business. But if someone is bothering you, I should hear about it."
The girl nodded at him, and Wade realized he was probably rambling incomprehensibly. He'd seen the way that Ambrose had looked at her and wanted to nip that particular problem in the bud. He couldn't touch her, not unless she wanted him to do so. Gauging her reaction to him, he gathered that she didn't.
"You'll give her a bad notion of us, Mr. Barrett," Ambrose said from behind him. He turned to see the younger man leaning casually against the door to his kitchen, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.
Wade stared him down for a few moments. "Most of the men are very well-behaved," he said carefully to Molly, although his eyes remained trained on Ambrose. "You shouldn't have any problems. But if you do, I will deal with them."
Molly glanced back and forth between the two men, temporarily immobile. There was obviously something deeper between the two of them; something that was beyond her level of understanding at the moment. It had been initially apparent that they disliked each other, but this went further than dislike.
Just as the tension seemed to reach an unbearable point, where something must happen – the man who had brought her here, Ambrose, turned to her and smiled. There was no joy in the expression.
"Sleep well, sweet Molly," he said in his gruff voice, giving her another exaggerated bow. "I'm glad you've joined our little…family."
She managed to force her lips into a small smile and briefly nod at him before glancing back at Mr. Barrett, who still glowered in his direction. She was acutely aware of Ambrose's eyes on her while Barrett's eyes were on him.
For the first time, she found herself wondering what she'd stepped into in this place, and if it might be worse than what she'd just left behind.
Gently, she reached out and lightly touched Mr. Barrett's arm. He looked back at her, surprised, and she mustered a smile. "You were showing me my room?" she reminded him gently.
"Of course," he replied, surprised at her directness. He gestured towards their continued path. "This way."
He glanced back at Ambrose and nodded in the direction of his office, feeling the smile on his face tighten. Apparently, his wish to be able to put off dealing with the man for another few days would not be granted this evening.
"It was just a bit of harmless fun," Ambrose insisted, rolling his eyes.
"Dragging a terrified girl out of her home in the middle of the night and trying to sell her into slavery is harmless fun for you?"
He fell silent, morose. "It worked out all right for all involved," he finally answered. "She got away from her louse of a father, who was doing God-knows-what to her, and you have a housemaid. Abigail will finally stop nagging you."
Wade snorted. "Oh yes, it worked out. Now instead of having money for Parker's debt, I get to pay his daughter to work for me. Truly, a sound financial decision." He stared at Ambrose. "Why did you really bring her?"
He noticed the man's shoulders twitch, and tried to pull back his expression of disgust.
"I wanted her," he finally said boldly, meeting the other man's eyes. "I hoped that you might ship her off to the brothel."
Wade closed his eyes and began massaging his temples. "Well that didn't work, did it?"
"No. But I will find a way."
The tone in his voice forced Barrett's eyes open and he studied him shrewdly. "Why are you so fixated on her?"
Ambrose's lips curled back from his teeth. "She refused me," he answered. "She wouldn't let me in to her home. A common drunkard's daughter, thinking she's better than me…thinking she's above me in some way. It's a misguided notion that I intend to correct."
"Listen to me," Barrett broke in, tiring of this nonsense. "Let it go. Before your damned pride gets you thrown out of this circle. You must know how close you are to the edges of acceptable behavior. If things hadn't worked out as favorably as they had this evening, I would have been forced to take action against you. Don't make me do that, Dean."
He could see the other man's body tense and then still, his eyes filling with anger. "Do not," he continued, "let your temper get the best of you. You will regret it."
After a few terse moments, Ambrose looked away, swallowing hard. He hated that he still needed this bastard. All he really wanted to do in that moment was knock a few teeth down his throat, but he must gain control of himself. There were other considerations at play.
"Can I go?" He finally asked, attempting to look bored.
Barrett shook his head, looking weary, but waved his hand in dismissal. He knew that he hadn't gotten through to the man, and he knew that these problems would only continue. It was time for a new strategy.
Ambrose stood smoothly and walked out of the room swiftly, anger bringing a fluid grace to his long, lanky body. He paused at the front door, glancing down the hallway towards where Molly slept. He shook his head and shook those thoughts away. Not yet. Soon, in spite of the little lecture he'd received this evening…but not tonight.
Blissfully unaware of what her new life had in store for her, Molly slipped into her soft bed with fresh sheets and fell asleep with a smile.
