Helen Dickson - The Earl and the Pickpocket

‘Why did you stay with him?’ Adam asked gently. ‘Why didn’t you run away sooner?’

‘I couldn’t. I was afraid—and no one runs away from Jack,’ she said quietly. Those few words held a world of meaning that Adam fully understood. ‘Jack humbled me, confused me and seriously diminished my own sense of worth, and I could not seem to be able to clamber out of the dark hole into which I had fallen. Besides, it was inconceivable for me to return to my former life. I had nowhere to run to. I couldn’t see the point in exchanging one hell for another.’ She shrugged. ‘What’s the difference? When I did finally pluck up the courage and left Jack, hoping to find your Toby and receive payment, I staunchly decided to take charge of my own life and to choose its direction. I made up my mind to live decently, to find work of some kind to support myself.’

‘Dolly may be able to help you there,’ Adam suggested casually.

Offended by what she thought he was implying, Edwina drew herself up proudly and raised her chin to a lofty angle. ‘I may not be honest, sir, but I would never stoop so low as to become a whore.’

Observing that her eyes were dark with anger, Adam suppressed a smile and directed a stern countenance at her. ‘I was not suggesting that you should. That was certainly not what I meant.’

‘Besides, I’m unattractive and skinny, with none of the curves required to be one of Dolly’s girls, and not much hair to speak of, either,’ she said, running her fingers through the short, wispy tresses.

Perching his tall frame on the edge of a dresser and folding his arms across his chest, Adam arched his eyebrows, squinting at her with his head cocked to one side as he made a study of her. The purity of her face was quite striking. With her large eyes and unbelievably long dark eyelashes resting against her smooth, high cheeks, she looked innocent and incredibly lovely. She glowed with that strange fragile beauty of a young woman newly awakened to her sex, a nymph, clothed in bright yellow finery. Not for the first time, he wished he could immortalise her on canvas, but could he—or any artist—do justice to her flawless beauty? He smiled inwardly at the poetic bent of his thoughts and the challenge she presented.

‘Allow me to disagree. You are a remarkably beautiful young woman. You have the kind of unusual looks that put you in a class by yourself. The colour of your hair is divine—such radiance. You have a good neck and an excellent bone structure, and your features, particularly your eyes, are perfect.’

Edwina’s lips twitched slightly as she tried to suppress a smile. ‘In the past I’ve often been called sweet and sometimes pretty, but no one has ever complimented me—in such a matter-of-fact way—about my bone structure or my long neck. I don’t quite know whether to feel flattered or offended.’

‘I meant it as a compliment. I speak as I find. What happened to the five guineas I gave you?’

‘I had to give them to Jack.’

‘Had to? I gave the money to you, not Jack,’ he admonished sharply, coming to his feet.

‘I know better than to cheat him.’ Edwina was downcast. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be. Having witnessed his brutality at first hand, perhaps it was as well. Did you manage to make enquiries about Toby?’

‘Yes. As you know, cripples are a common sight, and no one I asked remembered seeing a boy who answered to that name. One woman vaguely recalled seeing a man and woman with a boy, a crippled boy, about a week ago, but they left St Giles and took to the road.’

Interest flickered in Adam’s eyes. ‘Anything else?’

‘Yes. They had a bear with them.’

Adam lowered his eyelids and reflected for a moment. ‘A man and woman, you say?’

She nodded. ‘Do you think the boy might be Toby?’

‘It’s possible,’ he replied absently as he began to pace restlessly about the room, frowning thoughtfully.

‘Who is this boy? What does he mean to you?’

‘He is my cousin’s child—the son of a young woman who died a while back. Even though I have never laid eyes on Toby, he means a great deal to me.’

‘Do you fear for his safety?’

‘Naturally, but I don’t think he’ll come to harm while he can earn money at freak shows.’ His frown deepened. ‘A crippled boy and a bear,’ he murmured, tossing the image around in his head. ‘A useful combination. Unless they have transport of some kind I don’t believe they will leave London. I can only surmise the man and woman are to display them to the curious at fairs and markets, and if so I’ll find them.’

Edwina’s eyes lit with interest. ‘Are you going to look for them? If so, will you take me with you?’ she asked enthusiastically. ‘Two pairs of eyes will be better than one.’

Her words caught all Adam’s attention. He ceased pacing and looked at her with narrowed eyes. What she was asking was out of the question. But what was he going to do with her? As a lad he’d have no qualms about taking her along—but this young woman was a different matter entirely.

‘No.’

Watching his finely moulded lips form his answer, Edwina was surprised and mortified by his refusal, and also a little angry, but she was even more surprised by the unmistakable regret she’d heard in his voice. ‘But why not?’ she argued.

‘For a start, fairs are known to attract violence and vice. Some are also well known centres for the distribution of stolen goods, places where criminals congregate—although I’m sure you will know all about that,’ he remarked with meaningful sarcasm. ‘Not only do you run the risk of meeting Jack, but you also risk being robbed or crushed to death—as small as you are.’

‘Do you mean to frighten me with a description of what it is like to come into contact with thieves and cutthroats, when I have lived among them for six months of my life?’

‘Aye, as an insignificant lad. If you were to appear among them now, looking as you do, you wouldn’t last five minutes. You are not an easy woman to ignore.’

Edwina was indignant. Her head lifted and her chin squared up to him, the action saying quite clearly that she was contemptuous of being told what to do by anyone. ‘I don’t need to be protected,’ she said boldly. Her anger made her eyes gleam like green stones, and her mouth hardened to unsmiling resentment.

‘And I don’t expect to have my decision questioned,’ Adam rapped out. Despite his anger he admired her courage. She did not cower, but flashed her sparkling eyes in a defiant challenge to his authority.

Edwina clenched her teeth and held back her retort. Adam’s stern, stiff-backed hauteur irritated her. All trace of softness had vanished from his face. His dark brows were drawn together, and his blue eyes were cold. The words were an order, one he expected her to obey.

‘The majority of the men swilling ale will be drunk out of their minds, and there is always the possibility of you bumping into Jack. The man is dangerous. It’s advisable not to put yourself in his path.’

Edwina met his dark scowl with a heated glower, her fingers drumming upon her slim hips. Her expression dared him to attempt control of her. ‘Thank you for your concern, but I don’t remember giving you the right to tell me what I can and cannot do. Who do you think you are, anyway?’

‘Your saviour, it would seem,’ Adam replied drily. ‘Listen to what I’m saying, will you, and take heed? I’m more advanced in years than you, so I know what I’m talking about. It’s a man’s world out there, Ed.’

‘You’re right, but that does not mean that I have to submit to their will. My own strength was my only weapon when I defied Jack Pierce and ran away, and that will is still as strong as it ever was.’

‘Nevertheless, the places I intend searching are no place for a respectable young woman.’

‘I am not a respectable young woman,’ she argued heatedly, firmly, ‘who needs cosseting—to be treated like some fragile sugar confection. I can handle myself.’

‘As you did last night? If you could handle yourself you wouldn’t be here now,’ he pointed out. ‘I will not take you with me and that is my final word on the subject.’

These words were delivered in a cold, lethal voice, and Edwina grew pale beneath her own anger. ‘If I have a mind I shall return to the streets, and there’s not a thing you can do about it.’ She was adamant and not to be put off by his anger. He was standing not three feet away from her, looming over her, his blue eyes gleaming with deadly purpose, and the uncompromising lines at the sides of his mouth had not been there before. She could see that same cold rage as when she’d stolen his watch, and also a cynicism and ruthless set of his jaw—things she’d obviously been too blinded by her predicament to see before. ‘You can’t stop me. I’ll disguise myself as a boy again,’ Edwina persisted.

‘And then Jack would be sure to recognise you—and if he’s as angry as you say he is, he’ll be looking for you. No, Ed. You must abandon your disguise for good.’

‘I will do as I please,’ she persisted crossly.

‘I’m sure you will, you stubborn, wilful little fool,’ Adam retorted, combing his fingers through his hair in exasperation. ‘I have been in your company twice and each time you’ve been in some scrape or other. Little did I realise when I rescued you from that animal’s clutches that I was committing myself to certain disaster.’

‘My, a proper knight in shining armour, aren’t you, Adam? I didn’t ask you to interfere,’ Edwina snapped.

‘Why, you—damn you for an ingrate.’ He stood in front of her, looking down at her upturned face. It had whitened with her anger, revealing the pale freckles across her nose. The sunlight lancing through the window brightened her hair to a living flame, making an aureole of light around her small, proud head. He looked at her thoughtfully, touched by her vulnerability. He felt himself dwelling with a good deal of pleasure on what it would be like to get to know her better. But as he looked at her, a kind of rage welled up in him against Jack Pierce, and also against the person or persons who had abandoned her to a life of crime, alone on the streets, through no fault of her own.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so brutal. But can’t you see that I am concerned about your present distress and offer my assistance only with the kindest intent?’ he said on a softer note.

The faintest of smiles curved his lips, so slight it was scarcely discernible. Edwina felt a poignant emotion welling up inside her, a tenderness she never believed she could feel for any human being. Immediately the fight went out of her. She moved closer to him.

‘If I offended you, then I beg your pardon. I’ve been on my own and had to look out for myself for too long. It’s such a long time since anyone showed any concern about me, about what I do, that it takes some getting used to. I’m sorry I made you angry. Please don’t be. I’d rather we were friends than enemies.’ She offered him her hand as was proper.

The gesture made Adam smile suddenly, a slow, startlingly lazy smile as he took her hand in his firm grasp. His gaze scanned her face, and when he raised her hand to his lips the pressure of his mouth lingered longer than was customary.

‘Friends we are, Ed, or may I call you Edwina?’

‘As you please.’

‘Then Edwina it is. So, now that is established, what am I supposed to do with you? You’ve made it plain that you will feel uncomfortable living here. And you can forget any notion you have of donning your boy’s clothes and taking to the streets. You’ve done with that.’