Dion stood in the corner in the dusty bar. A place dark, muddy and full of the foul smell of the cheap alcohol he hardly knew existed now. The place reek of poverty and decadence. A place where no law exists and morality was only a fable.
If the girl was living here.. His eyes narrowed. If she was here, she would not be worth a save. She must be rotten and filthy. Even if he proved that she was the daughter of the previous duchess, she would never be accepted in the society.
"Are you looking for company tonight? I will give you a discount if you want me?" a woman dressed in a rad gown with gaudy makeup that made her look more like a witch than a temptress reached for him.
She smiled and winked at him seductively. Her hands reached for his chest but he took a step back and looked at her with a frown.
"I am not looking for a company. Thank you." the woman laughed with mirth as if she could not believe him. She leaned closer, her foul breath invading his personal area and making him nauseated. His years of chivalrous upbringing stopped him from pushing the woman away.
"I can not believe that. A rich bloke like you is here in this rowdy bar and the reason is not a woman.'' The way she pulled up her dress to reveal her legs would have created a horrified look on the faces of the people he lived with. He himself felt irked with the frankness of the woman. How she tried to press her bosson on his chest as if her chastity meant nothing. Perhaps it did not. But he was not among those who wanted a used product like her.
"Your eyes told me that you are looking for a woman. Do not be finicky. I will pleasure you well with my experience." she offered an ample show of her thighs and her bosoms.
"You are right. I am here for a woman. But it is not you I am looking for. I am looking for a special woman." very special indeed. He needed her for more than his physical needs. He was looking for her for his financial needs. Someone who would pay him, not the other way around.
The woman frowned. She looked at him with a pleading look as if she was trying to act coy. But he only felt irked looking at her. He looked away and finally took the drink offered by the bartender. The taste was like vomit. It was acid that burnt his tongue and mouth. He pushed it away at once.
"I will give you a good discount." she whimpered but he did not look back at her. As if the single glance would give the woman hopes and she would continue to linger.
"I will only go with the woman i am waiting for." he added with an exhausted sigh when The woman waited for his reply with batted eyelids.
The woman frowned, tilted her head and looked at his expensive clothes with concern. He was losing his patience. Dion took out a crown from his pocket and threw it on the other side. Finally the woman went in search of the coin and left him alone.
He sighed and shook his head. What was he doing here? In this place. There was no way a princess was living here. But the letter.. If the letter was a lie, he was going to find the person who had sent him the letter and kill him with his own hands.
He had so many things to do. Lady Garrelia was waiting for him. She was going to throw a tantrum when she would realize she had to find another man to pass her night. He let out a long breath at the thought. It was not only the lady who was waiting for him, his cozy house and the drinks in his cellar were waiting for him too. While he was here, looking for a woman that had been long dead to save himself.
He took out the small pocket watch from his pocket and checked the time again. The letter had said that the woman would be here around eight and it was already eight thirty. Till nine, he promised himself. Half an hour more and then he would leave. He did not care if there was a princess waiting for him or not.
The place made him dizzy and sick. His eyes roamed at the room again. Except for a few groups who shared a rowdy conversation over drinks there were only women selling their flesh and men buying them. It was no less than a brothel.
Suddenly, he remembered the girl he had met in the carriage. For a second, he had believed that she was the woman he was looking for. She had come looking for him, but she had run away. If it had been her.. He shook his head and took another sip of his drink. This time the taste was bearable. It still burnt his throat as it passed down and his bile rose to his throat as the liquid made its way to his stomach.
He had enough of the waiting. He took out another crown from his pocket and leaned on the serving platform to gain the attention of the bartender. The old man was quick to notice and came forward with another drink but Dion shook his head and flipped the coin in his palm.
"I see there are many women coming and going. Do you know one with golden eyes and a fair face? One who had a small mole near her lips." he could not believe but he only knew this much about the girl. No one… no one knew anything else about her.
"Are you talking about Abigail?"