The Tied Man
We lay there, wrapped in a tangle of arms and legs. I wasn’t cold anymore.
‘Oh, you beautiful, beautiful man,’ Lilith whispered, and covered my face with butterfly kisses. I returned each one.
‘A chuisle,’ I murmured as she laid her head on my chest, and for the longest time we just lay there, sharing the warmth of skin on skin and pretending we were the only people on the planet.
*****
‘You have the neatest bush I’ve ever seen in my life, you know that?’ I asked, running my finger over the softness.
‘And that surprises you?’
‘Nah. Pubic topiary. I like it,’ I said, and Lilith giggled. I kissed her again, just because I could.
Too soon, she gave a resigned sigh and reached for her clothes. ‘Well, I suppose I’d better go and get ready for this farrago of villainy.’
I held onto her as if I could keep her. ‘It’s the most evil thing, Lili, and you shouldn’t be anywhere near it. I wish to God there was another way of doing this.’
‘We’ve come this far. Just a little further, then we’re home free.’ She took my hands in hers and touched my fingers to her lips. ‘So let’s do this bloody thing, shall we?’
Chapter Thirty One
Lilith
The transformation into the product known as Lilith Bresson took me nearly two hours, by the time I had bathed, dried my hair without the use of a bloody hairdryer, and applied a protective layer of warpaint.
Blaine had chosen my dress for the evening. In truth it looked more like two white silk handkerchiefs sown loosely together than a dress, something Tinkerbell might wear if she ever decided to take up a porn career. I supposed it wasn’t actually meant to be worn for any significant length of time, and it was destined for the fire the very first chance I got.
I had just fastened the button at the nape of my neck when Coyle swaggered in. ‘Just to let you know, Lady Albermarle doesn’t let any of her whores out to wander on a work night.’ He waved my room key in front of my face. ‘Protectin’ her investment and all that. As soon as I’ve checked you’re nice and safe behind a locked door, I’m gonna do the same for your pet fag. Maybe see how his ribs are holding up, if I get a spare five minutes.’
I ignored him and concentrated on keeping my breathing steady. I was still terrified of the man, and there was a new strangeness in his eyes as he grinned at me; something not right, as if he could no longer pretend to be human. A muscle flickered in his jaw, and the veins in his neck bulged as though they could burst open at any moment.
He stepped even closer and looked me up and down. ‘Not bad. Nice arse, shame about the tits. Kinda wish I’d known you were gonna be part of the floorshow. Maybe I’d have saved up my pocket money and given myself a Christmas treat, eh?’ His breath was hot and rank, sour with stale alcohol. He held up the fingers he’d used to assault me and ran them softly down my cheek. ‘I’d split you in two this time, sweetheart,’ he murmured, and kissed me softly on my bare shoulder. Just as I thought I might scream, he stepped away. There was a rattle of keys, then a soft click, and I was now officially Blaine’s possession, kept securely in my place until needed.
That sour reek lingered, even though he’d gone. I rattled at the French doors, but they were locked, too. In desperation, I dragged a chair over and stood on it to open the top window. I stuck my head through the gap and let the freezing air replace the pollution Coyle had brought with him.
That was when I heard the voice coming from the room next to mine. Just a few words, muffled by snow and distance, and snatched away by the wind before I could make sense of them, but enough to knock the breath back out of me. Enough to shatter all our plans into a thousand pieces.
I looked at my watch. Only half an hour to go, and then I’d have no chance of doing anything. ‘Oh, shit fuck and buggery,’ I hissed, and jumped off the chair. I grabbed my discarded tracksuit pants and sweatshirt and pulled them on over my ridiculous excuse for a dress, shoved my bare feet into trainers, then scribbled a few hurried lines on a sheet of watermarked Albermarle notepaper. I folded it and tucked it deep into the sweatshirt pocket, and clambered back onto the chair.
Apparently there was still every chance that Albermarle Hall would kill me, this time from a broken neck. I grabbed the sill of the open window, and hauled myself up and through the tiny gap. The blizzard whirled around me, hiding my movements and silencing the impact as I rolled onto the terrace outside my quarters. I grabbed the ivy that clung to the ancient brickwork, and began to climb.