“This is a respectable establishment. It’s not for the likes of you.”
Lady Isabella Knox, sister of the Duke of Middlebury, paused in the act of removing her gloves. She looked down at her dog. Rufus c****d his head and gazed back at her with mismatched eyes. His tail wagged, brushing the muddy hem of her walking dress.
“I beg of you, don’t turn me away.” The speaker was tearful, young, and well-bred.
“The Hogshead will take you.” The landlady’s voice came clearly from the taproom, cold and dismissive.
“Oh, but, please—” The girl’s entreaty ended on a sob.
Isabella pulled one kidskin glove off, finger by finger. She glanced at the half-open door to the taproom and then at the staircase, at the top of which a comfortable and very private parlor awaited her. Curiosity is a sin, she told
