The Vaudeville Star

Ruby shook her head. “Please wait.” She closed her eyes, and when she spoke, it was barely a whisper. “I saw his arms. I saw the marks, Ford. I saw them!”

Ford clasped her against his chest. “Darling girl.” He kissed her temple and moved a blond curl behind her ear. “Darling Ruby.”

She closed her eyes, feeling faint from the array of emotions that assaulted her.

“Just hold me. I feel safe when you hold me.”

Ford stroked her hair. “You are safe, Ruby Sutton. I won’t let anyone harm you. You know that.”

She looked up into his hazel eyes and smiled. Ford. Ford Rutledge. The man she had always loved. The man who loved her.

His mouth touched hers, his arms wrapped around her body. She was safe. She was loved.

“I love you, Ruby,” he whispered to her.

His hands were moving down her back, and she clung to him. He untied the laces on her dress, and suddenly her dress, petticoats, corset, and chemise were lying in a small heap at her feet. She stood naked except for her stockings and garters.

“You are a beautiful sight,” he said, catching her in his arms and carrying her to his bed.

He laid her upon the bed lovingly, pulling off his own clothes before joining her. Pressing her into the soft bed, his mouth was on every inch of her body, kissing her belly, her thighs, her breasts. Capturing one tight nipple in his mouth and then the other. He moved between her legs, separating her naked thighs, delicately touching his tongue inside her.

She arched against him as Ford continued the delicious assault. When he finally moved over her, she pulled him tightly to her.

“Ford, I love you so.”

He looked down at the blond beauty and thought himself a fool seven times over. She had been under his nose his entire life, and he had never really noticed her, but now he did. Now he loved her so fiercely he would do anything to protect her.

“In Paris. We’ll marry in Paris. Will that make you happy?”

She nodded even as he slid smoothly inside her, filling her up. He pressed her hands above her head and held them there as he moved in and out of her. He watched her face flush against the white of the pillow, her gray eyes on him.

Suddenly, she gave a sharp little cry and shuddered, and Ford pushed himself over the edge, spilling himself inside her. When it was over, he gathered her in his arms.

“What will happen now, Ford? With King?” she said in the darkened room.

Ford’s hand wandered along her spine, resting at her lower back.

“I don’t know. I’ll speak to the inspector in the morning. I liked King, and he never gave me any cause to distrust him until now. But I can’t let a murderer go free. All I can do is place my evidence before the inspector. He can either follow the same path I did and get the same answers or not.”

Ruby sighed, feeling sleep pulling at her. “To take another’s life,” Ruby said softly.

“Yes. It’s dreadful.”

“He came to my dressing room. I told him I wouldn’t marry him,” she said sleepily, as if in afterthought.

“You did? What did he say?” Ford said, suddenly alert.

“He brushed me off. He didn’t believe that I was serious,” Ruby said as she trailed off into sleep.

Ford knew exactly what had happened. King had ignored her. He would never willingly release something that he wanted. It was not in his nature. Which was why he wanted to marry Ruby right away. As her husband, he could protect her.

Ruby looked down at her gloves and then back up again. Seated next to her was Ford, trying to appear supportive and kind. Across from them, behind his desk, sat Inspector Thompson, and standing at the window like a young watchdog was Sergeant Barton.

“So what brings you both here?” the inspector asked calmly.

“I’ll let Miss Sutton begin. She has something to tell you,” Ford said and nodded to her.

Ruby took a deep breath. They had already spoken about it that morning. When everyone else was readying for the trip to Paris, she was dressing to meet the inspector. Ford assured her it was the only thing to do. She agreed.