beg your pardon, my lord?” The coachman opened the door for his employer.
“Nothing. Take me a block away from the Clayton townhouse.” He stepped up into his carriage.
“A block away, sir?”
“Yes, you heard me correctly. One block away from the house.”
The driver closed the door without another word.
When they arrived at the destination, Gabriel stepped down unassisted and walked the last block to her house. Hoping to find Belinda tucked away in a parlor reading a book or sewing, he was unsurprised to see her slip out the gate at the side garden.
She wore her hair tied back away from her face. She reminded him of the child he had known and grown to love. A long, dark cape covered her dress and she quickly pulled the hood over her head.
Gabriel ducked behind a tall shrub before she passed.
The hood did not mask her face. The intense look on her face was an intriguing difference from the daughterly concern he’d admired earlier.
She is right. I do not know her at all anymore. His gut clenched.
He followed at a discreet distance.
Belinda never turned or gave any indication that she knew he was behind her. They had walked nearly ten blocks when a carriage with a strange emblem on the door stopped, and she climbed in unassisted. She had not even waited for a coachman to pull the steps down for her. She swung up into that vehicle with the ease of a very fit man.
None of it made sense.
Within a block, the streets of London became crowded and her carriage made little progress. It was easy for Gabriel to follow on foot. However, he knew that wouldn’t last if they left the area. He found a hack.
“Where to, gov?” The driver asked.
“Do you see that carriage with the winged lion and the sword on the door?”
The man looked, squinted and then nodded.
“If you can follow it without being noticed, it is worth ten crown to you.”
The driver’s face lit up and he showed his yellowed teeth. “No problem, gov. I’m the finest hack driver in London. I’ll not be spotted.”
“See that you’re not and do not dare lose them.” Gabriel’s heart pounded as he jumped into the carriage. Sweat dotted his face and the tightness in his chest ached painfully. He wanted to know who was in the carriage with her and where she was going. How do I protect her?
The hack driver was as good as his word. He never lost sight of Belinda’s carriage nor did he ever get close enough to be seen in the crowded areas of London. Once they were near the port, the carriage stopped and so did Gabriel’s hack, though nearly two blocks away and around a corner.
“Two people just got out and walked down the alley on the right, gov.”
“Well done. Here is my card. Call on me tomorrow. I may have other work for you. You are indeed a fine driver.” Gabriel handed the money and the card to the driver who had jumped down from his perch.
The driver’s eyes widened. “How’s about I wait right here for you, my lord? That way you’ll be sure to get home. This is a bit of a rough neighborhood.”
“Much appreciated.” Gabriel hardly had the words out of his mouth and he ran toward the alley, where Belinda had disappeared.
Only a few steps down the alley the smells of vomit, urine, sweat and ale assailed his nose. Nothing else but a tavern, and a well-frequented one, could boast quite the same odor. He remembered it well from his school days. Belinda couldn’t have gone into such a place. When the door opened, a group of men stumbled out into the street.
Gabriel wished he’d worn different clothes. Still, some action was required. “Gentlemen, can you tell me if a young woman just entered the tavern?”
The three men turned. One stumbled badly, the effects of drink, no doubt. They looked him up and down. Their eyes were wide as were their mouths then two of them burst out in laughter.
The third only wobbled.
“Must be a night for the swells to come out with the salt of the earth,” one with a barrel chest and beady eyes said.
“I feels like a swell myself, Bob. Never spoke to so many upper-crusters before in me life,” the short skinny one replied.
The one who had stumbled stared dumbly at Gabriel.
Gabriel smiled, pulled two coins from his purse and tossed them to the coherent pair. They each caught one coin and looked down into their hands.
Bob recovered first. “Yeah she’s in there. Keepin’ good company too.”
“Who is she with?” He tried to sound unconcerned but the strain in his voice belied that.
Bob’s eyes narrowed and he looked back down at the crown in his hand. “Reece Foxjohn. He comes by now and then for information. Only seen the woman once or twice before. Usually he’s got Lilly with him.”
“What type of information?”
“That will cost you,” the skinny one spoke up.
“Tell me what I want to know and I will double what’s in your hand.” He didn’t have time for haggling with drunks.
“He always wants to know who has gone missing or been killed. Seems real concerned about crime and asks about strange types of people lurking around.”
“And what do you tell this Foxjohn?”
Bob said, “Dave Cobbie up and disappeared last week. Strange that, since he’s a real family man. Wife don’t know what to make of it. Jannie O’Hurly got killed by someone who took a bite out of her face two days ago. Must have been a madman.”
“How odd,” Gabriel said.
“Yeah,” Bob continued. “Not too often that one of your type cares what’s happening down here with the scum.”
Gabriel tossed them each a coin, which they caught. “Thank you for your time, gentlemen.” He nodded once and slipped into the shadows to wait for Belinda to leave the tavern.
The two men hoisted the third by his shoulders and started down the alley away from him. The sounds of them boasting their good fortune drifted back toward Gabriel.
Gabriel watched the tavern door. His muscles grew stiff from skulking in the shadows and he’d grown used to the foul stench. Several people stumbled from the door and each time it opened, his heart pounded.
Belinda and Foxjohn stepped from the tavern and walked quickly back to the street where they’d left their carriage.
“I appreciate you coming along, Belinda. It always goes better with a lady along to smooth any ruffled feathers. It is also preferable to have some backup, in case it goes bad.” The narrow
