Steampunk Harlots Ch. 32

****

Liddy was watching Mari talk with a client and making suggestive indications towards Hannah. She wondered why she hadn't seen Hannah taking any clients when a light rifle tap on the deck indicated a new arrival. Liddy turned to see Juno admitting a well-dressed man who lacked any indicators of nobility.

"Lady Captain Liddy, sir." Juno introduced.

"M'lady." The man bowed. "My Duke has sent me. I was wondering if..."

Liddy watched the man turn as white as a ghost as he glanced into the lounge after his bow. She looked and saw Hannah serving drinks and Emma being carried by a client down the hall. The only other women in the lounge at the moment were Mari and Conna, aside from Foxy standing guard.

"Someone catch your eye?" Liddy asked, still puzzled as to why he looked so terrified.

He jumped back as Hannah approached.

"Alright. People have been regarding me oddly all day," Hannah huffed. "Am I wanted for a crime or something?"

"Oh my, no..." he mumbled.

Liddy wasn't sure if he was answering Hannah's question or muttering in denial. "Sir, collect yourself and explain."

After a deep breath and swallow, he responded. "She bears a resemblance. Uncanny. Whatever her price is, I will gladly accept. Please, my Duke would be most eager to meet her."

Liddy was about to argue when he produced a stack of bonds, in the amounts only a Duke could authorise. It was her turn to be in shock, as well as Hannah's when she leaned over to look.

"Though, perhaps, a more modest and subtle dress. Something that won't attract attention."

"Right," Hannah agreed. "That means Liddy's closet."

"Not once I spend this, it won't." Liddy countered.

****

Mari watched Hannah trot off to the back of the ship. "So she looks like someone?"

"Yes. The Duke gets rather jealous when he sees men who remind him of... well, let's just say there is a reason the Duke sent his most trusted servant."

****

Emma loved the look on a man's face while he watched her fit him entirely down her throat. It had taken a lot of practice, but it was worth it. They almost couldn't believe it when she brought her head back to remind them how big they were before doing it again. Then, unable to stand it, they would lift her up and slide right inside the tiny elf and listen to her moan. She also loved being light enough for most men to lift her, making them feel strong. Her tiny feet rested on the man's chest as he held her by the hips and slammed her down over and over on him. Emma climaxed twice before her client finally couldn't last any longer, and she felt the seed flow into her body. She leaned back until she was upside down, his hands still holding her hips. She didn't want it leaving her just yet.

****

Hannah had kept her black lace on, but put on the white dress with the yellow jacket Liddy had worn when they first met. It pressed her breasts tightly, but not so much that they would fall out. Leira was walking back with a client when she noticed Hannah coming towards her. She smiled after checking out the tight squeeze on her breasts. Then Leira expanded her own to strain the dress she had on and Hannah laughed as she walked by. She felt a friendly pat on her bum and carried on.

Mari winked at her as she got into the lounge and Hannah bent over, almost spilling her chest into the client's face as she did so. She kissed Mari on the neck so her friend could whisper in her ear.

"Duke is super weird 'bout any woman who looks like his dead wife."

Hannah left Mari and carried on, wondering just how weird the man had to be to bother his entire class enough that they wouldn't take her to bed. Liddy cocked an odd look as she stared at Hannah's breasts before shaking her head and looking at the bonds in her hand.

Hannah was escorted into the carriage and wondered just how interesting things were about to get.

****

Conna liked the public display as she rocked her hips back in forth as she faced the client in his chair in the lounge. Her skirt covered the penetration inside her so the onlookers could only imagine. It was relaxing to have the rhythmic pleasure of feeling a man moving through her body like that. She could see Foxy lick her lips as she stood guard. Leira served the bottle of wine that she had gone to get, and Conna managed the cup for the client whose hands were busy holding her by the hips.

****

Upon arrival at the Duke's estate, Hannah was greeted by a guard in decorated gold armour. He carried a locked box, equally decorated, in his arms. Normally, the rule was that the fancier the uniform or armour, the less capable the soldier often was. This time, Hannah could clearly tell the man was a professional. The aide assisted her out of the carriage, and the guard regarded her with quickly quashed surprise. It took a moment before Hannah started to grasp why. The servants' entrance where they had stopped was flanked by statues of a woman she could have sworn was herself.

"Open it please," the aide ordered.

The guard, reluctant, opened the box and produced a beautiful gold necklace with a bright blue gem in the centre. It was breathtaking, and Hannah understood why such care was taken for its safety. She lifted her hair so the soldier could place it on her neck.

"Guard it with your life," he commanded.

Hannah offered a sharp salute. "Crater Peak, Leftenant. Not my first time watching crown jewels."

The two men both seemed surprised at her response, and they both seemed pleased. The guard because she wasn't as intimidated by the demand as others had been, Eric because of something else. Hannah knew the crown jewels of the old Emperor were priceless. The sceptre on display at Crater Peak would never have only had a single guard or even left the throne room. The Duke had obviously let his wife actually wear it and wanted her to match. It was on the statues on display everywhere as she was guided through the servants' passages.

"What was her name?"

"Anna," Eric replied.

"That works, mine is Hannah. How did she die? Whose fault was it?"

Eric seemed surprised by the questions but understood her approach. "She died while attending a dinner he had meant to go to. Allergic reaction to some exotic shellfish. The tasters and the cooks were released from jail hours before their execution once it was figured out. He still blames himself for not being there."

Hannah started to understand the scope of the damage done by the man's grief. His guilt haunting him, and twisting his authority towards absurd laws and the ridiculous amount of artwork dedicated to her. She was finally shown a door to a private office. Eric showed her inside, and then got in the way of the guard who found it difficult not to follow. Cursing her stupidity, Hannah turned around to ask another question.

"His name is Robin," Eric answered ahead of her question.

Hannah turned back around and walked into the office. It was dark, the hearth offering the only light underneath a massive portrait she could swear was her own. Daytime brooding in the dark instead of whatever else a Duke was supposed to do in the large city was not proper. So, Hannah decided to do what any wife would do. She opened the window.

"Really, Robin? Brooding in the dark on such a pleasant day? Is being a Duke really so tedious?" Hannah asked, waiting by the window so he could fully appreciate her appearance.

The Duke had been so stunned that for a moment Hannah thought he might have died. It wasn't until she moved closer to check that she saw his eyes follow her. He stuttered a few noises that might have been born into inquisitive words, but they never got that far. She extended her arms, letting him take them and realise she was real. Hannah pulled him out of the chair, happy she had the strength to do so, and laughed softly before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Why so surprised? You really think your wife would ever leave you?"

"I'm so sorry..." he started to weep.

Hannah took him into a tight embrace and felt him sob on her shoulder. He begged for forgiveness as his knees gave out and she guided him to the floor. Hannah offered all the assurances he needed as years of grief poured out of him. She looked up at the portrait. She saw the date of birth and death, realising it had been twenty years of torture for the man in her arms.

****

It wasn't often that Liddy would greet a client at the door while being escorted by his wife, but she was pleased to see her as eager to be there as her husband.

"Now, while my wife watches, would there be a lady available to 'attend' to her during?"

Juno spun around from guarding the door, and Kilty moved to take the rifle from her so she could present herself to the clients. They nodded in approval before Liddy led them to her bedroom. The man and his wife were kissing while holding hands as they entered. Juno closed the door behind them. Putting her arms out beside her, as if holding serving trays, the wife waited for Juno to disrobe her. The man took his own clothing off as he watched his wife being undressed in front of him. Liddy pulled up a soft velvet chair to have a good view of the bed. After setting the lady down in the chair, Juno displayed herself until she was waved at to discard her own clothing. Naked, Juno kissed the woman, letting their bodies touch, slowly sliding downwards. She kissed and licked along the lovely body of the woman until she was on her knees and ready to work.

Liddy slid her own dress off and let her client push her to her knees. Opening wide, Liddy glanced at the wife who smiled madly as she watched her husband push himself into the open mouth before him. While Juno helped, she hadn't really gotten excited until she saw another woman with her husband sliding down her throat.

"I shouldn't be surprised she can take me all the way like this," he commented.

"These women have talented mouths," the wife replied, running her hands through Juno's hair. "We made a good choice in coming here. When you think you are ready, I want to see her riding you."

"Yes, ma'am."

Liddy was starting to get a feel for the dynamic at play and, when she finally had her mouth free and got to stand up, she pushed him to the bed and climbed on top. There wasn't any subtle play. Liddy put him right inside and started to work her hips over him. As his hands came up to her breasts, she gripped them by the wrists and controlled how they touched her. The wife enjoyed the sight, playing with her own breasts as Liddy held the hands tightly to her own. When Liddy climaxed, his wife followed before she stopped screaming.

"Seed her!" The wife demanded, and Liddy felt him respond immediately by pumping his seed into her body. "Now, you." She turned her attention to Juno. "Go clean him off while I get what's mine."

Juno snapped up and went to clean off his manhood with her mouth while the wife went over to Liddy and got her mouth on the blonde the moment her husband withdrew. Liddy laid back while the wife got to work, soon rolling over and sitting on her face. While they did that, Juno felt a hand reach between her legs and was happy that Liddy wasn't ignoring her.

****

"The resemblance is unbelievable," the Duke stated, walking Hannah on his arm along the edge of the courtyard towards his bedchambers. "You even come from Crater Peak. My wife was born there. I first met her on the veranda. You know the one?"

"Very much so. I've spent more than a little time walking along the forum that circles the whole peak," Hannah explained, remembering the place where upper- and middle-class got together for business.

"Perhaps you may have even seen her and I?"

"That was over twenty years ago, depending on when you met. I may have only been a child or infant."

"Oh." He almost seemed surprised to think of how long ago it all was. "Of course."

They walked in silence for a while until another noble, reading a dispatch as he walked, bumped into one of the Duke's bodyguards. The man seemed surprised that someone would be in his way, but his face turned to shock when he saw his duke.

"My lord?" It was as though he couldn't quite grasp what he was seeing. "You are out of your office?" As the man relaxed he regarded Hannah, and promptly turned white as if she were a ghost.

"This is Hannah, a guest from Crater Peak. She and I have matters to discuss," the Duke stated, as if grasping for an explanation.

"What kind of guest?" The noble asked, eying Hannah's bust - or the necklace resting on it.

Hannah knew the wrong lie would cause issues, so she decided to let the man lie for her. "What do you think? Who might you be anyways to speak to your Duke like that?"

The man was thrown off guard and bowed apologetically. "Forgive me, sir, I was caught unaware. Miss, I am the Duke's Steward, Lord Thot. The resemblance is unbelievable."

"That this young woman should look like her mother? How so?" The Duke asked, not quite telling a lie.

Hannah did look like her mother, though she got her red hair from her father, but she knew for a fact that it wasn't the duke's late wife. She knew better than to counter the duke, even though it was true, but she wondered if he was digging her into a hole.

"But your first wife never-" He was cut off by the duke.

"Not within wedlock, no."

It began to dawn on Lord Thot that Hannah was the illegitimate daughter of the couple prior to their wedding. Despite there never having been a statement saying so. "I see. When did you find her?"

"Eric found her. I only just met her today. I was going to show her some family items when you ran into us."

"How fortuitous, with your other daughter a few days too young to succeed you as an heir..." He trailed off as he considered the political implications.

Hannah inwardly cringed at the idea of being involved in local politics. "I'm not here to upset the political landscape. I am here as a... comforting presence."

"Indeed. Now if you will excuse us." As the Duke stepped forward to push past his Steward, Hannah felt a spray on her face the moment the Duke's head snapped backwards.

Hannah heard a distant pop an instant later and yelled on instinct. "Sniper!" She dove behind a supporting column before turning to see the Duke landing on Eric, who had been directly behind him.

The bodyguards went for cover themselves, but raised their rifles in the direction of the shot. To Hannah, they looked like old flintlocks that someone had decorated somewhere beyond ostentatious. Eric was dead from a chest wound, the bullet had hit him after passing through the Duke. Unsurprisingly, that meant the sniper was somewhere high up, but Hannah hadn't been looking around like she normally would have. She cursed her lack of awareness. Accepting her situation as it was, she looked to the Steward who cowered in a shallow alcove. It seemed doubtful that the Duke would have been the target if he was such a recluse, but it could have just been a matter of timing if it was the normal route he took to bed. Snipers tended to stay planted for a long time in order to get their shot. Hannah wanted to know for sure.

"You aren't safe there!" She shouted at him. "Get through that door!"

Hannah was pointing across the narrow courtyard where the bodyguards took cover behind statues and shrubbery. As to emphasise the point, the sniper hit the guard who had been following the necklace and refused cover as it would have taken him too far away from the charge. As soon as he hit the ground, the noble ran.

"Didn't you see where the shot came from? Look high!" Hannah shouted, wondering if they could be expected to hit anything with muskets.

Another shot came and the noble dropped, Hannah thought he had been hit until he started to crawl the rest of the way. The guard shouted and opened fire finally. It surprised Hannah that they kept firing, shell casings flying out of their rifles without even working the action. As she watched, she could see the rifles were much more modern in their function but made to look antiquated. As the shots died down, the men reloaded their weapons and waited. Then an all-clear call came from their leader after hearing a whistle from some distance away. Hannah got up, but stayed behind the pillar.

"It's safe now miss." He stated flatly.

"Are you sure? I'm certain you thought it was when the Duke walked in the open."

The man flinched as if struck. He took the barb personally. "Our men have taken the tower window where the shots came from."

"Spotter," Hannah demanded with an open hand that she kept behind cover.

He passed his over, and Hannah carefully took a quick glance through it to see a man in the uniform of the guards standing in the window framed with bullet holes.

"His daughter?" She asked, tersely.

"Secure in the south garden, Miss."

"A sniper slays your Duke in his own home and you think his daughter is secure in the open?! Get her inside behind a heavy locked door, now!"

The commanding tone or the previous implication of being the Duke's daughter made the man snap into action as he blew a few different tones in his whistle. A few moments later they heard a response.

"She is being escorted to her room."

Before Hannah could respond with additional criticism, she spotted a cloud of nobles marching into the courtyard in a panic. The Steward came back from where he had been hiding and went over the Duke's body. Nobody stopped him as he pulled a ring from his finger and handed it to Hannah.

"The heir is too young. There will be fighting amongst his nobles, and she won't survive to see her birthday. Accept this title now and feel free to abdicate when she is ready. Please!"

Hannah had not even decided anything when he took her hand to place the ring on her finger in time to greet the other nobles who were gasping at the dead bodies.

"Lords and Ladies, I regretfully say our Duke has been assassinated. However, inasmuch surprise to the Duke as it was to us, this young lady was born prior to the wedding of our Duke and his first wife. Kept secret for obvious reasons until I suspect the death of the Duke's son, and continued because of it. However, at this moment, being an adult and quite obviously resembling the first late Lady Stirling, I proclaim Lady Hannah Stirling, Duchess. Any objections?"

Hannah could see a number of faces that looked like they may have been hiding the disappointment of there being no room to assume the title, but none stuck out as having their plans thwarted. Although there were doubtless many objections, none voiced them. Instead, they all knelt towards Hannah, still covered in blood, wondering just what she had gotten into. She was about to say something when the Steward clutched his left arm in pain. Everyone busy kneeling, they left it to Hannah to check on him. She didn't find a pulse when she tried to stop him from flopping onto the floor. The old man had been pushed past his limit, and Hannah felt a pang of guilt using him for sniper bait even though she wasn't totally wrong about him being exposed.

Rising back to her feet, Hannah had something to say. "I'm going to need a new Steward."

****

Liddy was back at the door and greeting new clients when a man in a uniform too simple to be a client rushed up the ramp. He seemed stressed, as if his day had been a disaster.

"Hello, there," Liddy greeted.

"Lady Captain Trixie?" the man inquired.

Liddy gritted her teeth, knowing immediately that Hannah had something to do with him. "Yes, I am. Who might you be?"

"Errand of the Duchess. I was sent to summon you."

"Duchess? I thought Duke Stirling was presiding over this city?"

"He was assassinated less than an hour ago. Duchess Hannah Stirling now presides over the city and has proclaimed you as her Steward. I was sent to escort you and the rest of your...court..." He trailed off as Ving walked by wearing a silk dress, who was trying not to have a heart attack at the news while swiping Hannah's picture off the wall.