Dancing with the Devil

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

"Jail?" Ance growled and clenched his fists tightly. "He's in jail?" 

The robust, full-figured woman in front of him adjusted her bustier and fluffed out her skirt. "Aye. The foolish lad got himself tossed in jail. I got his wire just yesterday." 

Ance rubbed his tired face as he cradled a slumbering Penelope in his arms and stood in the dimly lit entry way of Big Madge's brothel. It was a fancy brothel with velvet trimmings on the furniture and red shades over the lamps. Ance had ridden hard for three days to get here after tracking Barnaby's tracks west a while and realizing the man had taken Audrey to a fort he liked to stay in when not selling his wares. 

The fort was old, abandoned by the military and beginning to show its age but it was well armed and nearly impossible to simply walk into. Ance had needed help. He'd needed a safe place for Penelope and the only other place he could think of was here. He didn't think Audrey would approve of Penelope living in a brothel while he was gone but Ance wasn't the type of man who had many people to turn to for help. 

Madge reached forward and pushed a strand of blond hair from Penelope's face. "The little lass looks plumb tuckered out, Ansel. Why are ya runnin' 'round in the middle of the night lookin' dog tired yourself and packin' a wee gal like this while lookin' for that roamin', lyin', cheatin' son of mine?" 

Ance adjusted the load in his arms and sighed. "I need Irish's help." 

Madge snorted before waving a man upstairs at the sound of a lightly chiming bell. "Elsa is ready for ya now, Matthew," she urged. Matthew cleared his throat, tugged at his collar and then bounded up the grand, heavily polished staircase, taking the steps two at a time. 

Ance shifted his feet. "I'm in a hurry, Madge, and I need your help too." 

"What do ya need me to do, lad? I'm runnin' a business here and don't have much time for favors." 

Ance nodded. "I understand that, Madge, but I have to go rescue this one's mama," Ance tipped his head toward Penelope. "And I need a safe place for her to stay." 

"Here?" Madge's green eyes widened and she laid her hand over ample bosom as her red painted lips formed an circle and she shook her head. "This is no place for a wee lass such as this one, Ansel! And just where is her mama?" 

Ance grunted. "Do you have a spare bed where I can lay her down? She's heavier than she looks." 

Madge appeared torn a moment as she rubbed at her rouge-covered cheek. Finally she nodded. She waved a woman sitting on a chaise lounge in the corner. "Watch the desk for me, Marie. I'll be down in a moment." 

Ance followed Madge down a back hallway to a bedroom behind the kitchen. She pointed at the small but tidy bed in the corner and Ance gently laid Penelope down. The girl whimpered but didn't wake. Ance removed her brace to allow her to sleep more comfortably and then pulled the covers up to her neck. 

He was quick to sink down in the chair beside the bed and lay his tired head in his hands. Three days it had been since Audrey had been taken. Three days since Ance had slept. Three days since he'd been able to do more than simply pick at his food. Three days that he had been afraid to close his eyes for fear that he'd see images of just what those bastards might be doing to his woman. 

They would break her... Ance was going to get her back, come hell or high water, but he couldn't help but think that the woman she came back as probably wouldn't be the same person she'd been before. 

Ance was tired. For three days he and Penelope had ridden from sunup to sundown. For three days the girl had cried daily, rarely slept herself and constantly rambled on about her mother. When she did sleep, she often woke up screaming from the nightmares of the sights and sounds she'd seen and heard because of Barnaby's men.