his head. Moira watched the men and suspected where she was headed.
“What’s the brothel called?” Moira asked, hoping her bluntness would ease the tension. Once more, five owlish faces turned toward her. “And by the by, is anyone watching the gaol right now?”
“The Mother Hen,” Tomas answered. At Moira’s look of disgust and as she mouthed “mother,” the men chuckled. “And yes, one of our men and a handful of the Scarlet Blade’s are watching the gaol.
“The Mother Hen,” Moira choked on a laugh, “is likely where you will learn everything you need about the magistrate.” The men didn’t disagree, but it was with great trepidation that the hardened sea criminals took the diminutive woman to the seediest brothel in Wicklow.
Twenty-Nine
Moira looked around her as she entered the brothel. The stench of unwashed bodies and intercourse permeated the air worse than any tavern Moira had ever entered. She looked around at women in varying stages of undress, most with their breasts hanging loose. For a moment, she felt a blazing streak of jealousy course through her as she wondered which women Kyle preferred. A beautiful woman with painted lips, snug bodice, and skirts hitched on either side approached, and Moira knew with certainty that she’d just found the woman Kyle sought most often. She was also clearly the proprietress of the establishment.
“The Lady Charity come to dock in our harbor,” the woman cooed, but her eyes assessed Moira. “Brought us a little dove?”
Tomas stepped in front of the woman and shook his head. “She’s with the capt’n.”
Moira saw the disappointment, then anger, flash in the woman’s eyes before she masked her features. The men might not have understood, but Moira did. She’d seen the same look in Lizzie’s eyes early in her affair with Aidan, when Lizzie feared Aidan would return to Moira.
Moira didn’t shift her gaze, locking eyes with the prostitute, unwavering in her dare. It was the other woman who looked away first, but Moira knew she was in more danger with that woman than she had been with Dónal or Dermot. There had been a chance, however small, that the men would not kill her, but she was certain the brothel owner wouldn’t think twice and call it an accident.
“And where is our fair capt’n? Either of them?” The woman shifted her attention back to Tomas. “It’s so much more fun with both of them.”
Moira knew the comment was for her sake, but she didn’t react. The woman’s eyes darted back to Moira, expecting to see shock or hurt. Once more Moira caught disappointment in the other woman’s eyes. She stood silently, knowing that if she spoke, they would learn nothing.
“Daisy,” Tomas addressed the woman, and it nearly killed Moira not to laugh. The woman looked nothing like the fragile flower she was named for. And standing closer, Moira realized the brothel owner was far past the blush of youth. “The capt’n would be grateful if his lady could wait here while he’s being detained.”
“Detained?” Daisy asked before looking speculatively at Moira. “Just how grateful?”
When Tomas paused to consider his answer, Moira decided to break her vow of silence. She pushed forward and passed an assessing look over Daisy and then swept her eyes over the various undressed women.
“Not nearly as grateful as I would be.” Moira raised an eyebrow, her suggestive comment shocking everyone around her. She would sell her soul to the devil if it got Kyle free. If it meant doing whatever the woman in front of her wanted—unless it was with another man—Moira cared little. She’d heard of men bedding two women, and Daisy had already said as much about the twins sharing her.
“You might be more interesting than you look,” Daisy sneered.
“And a far sight more experienced than I look,” Moira retorted, making Daisy’s eyebrows shoot up nearly to her hairline. Moira sensed the men shifted uncomfortably around her. She slipped past Tomas to stand before him. “Whether you wish for payment up front or after, I will compensate you in just the way you’re thinking if you answer my questions.”
Moira’s stomach churned. She wasn’t attracted to the woman in the least, and she had no desire to touch her, but she would bed the woman if she had to. She would put on a show with one of the whores if she had to. She drew the line only at being with another man. She wouldn’t do that to Kyle, not unless it was his wish. As she stood watching Daisy,