The Lord’s Dangerous Obsession (Dangerous Desires Book 2), page 16
part #2 of Dangerous Desires Series
There was a little garden near the lake that the Countess of Derby had set up the year before, a little rock garden with a smattering of brightly colored flowers. There was also a little pond with a stone statue of a little angel pouring water into the pond from an urn in her arms. Anna had delighted in her daughter’s creativity, and she and Arabella had spent many hours walking around it. She knew the somewhat small space - small by the Earl of Derby’s standards - like the back of her hand.
She did find Anna there, sitting on a stone bench beside the pond. She had a parasol out, protecting herself from the sun behind her. She had changed from her morning clothes into a bright yellow dress. Arabella had to take a moment to stop herself from staring. Her mistress had no idea how much she stood out from other people. If you put her past to one side, Anna Day was a striking woman all on her own.
No wonder Viscount Harrison was enamored with her.
Arabella walked around the pond and dropped to a curtsy beside the bench.
“Mrs. Day.”
“Arabella.” Anna patted the bench beside her. “Come and sit down.”
It wasn’t unusual for her mistress to let her sit, but Arabella still hesitated before she took a seat. Anna set her parasol away and closed it.
“I was beginning to wonder if you had got lost.”
“I was instructed to take Mr. Harrison to your cottage. Get him settled in.”
“Oh?” Anna raised her eyebrows. “I don’t recall hearing anything about that.”
Arabella bit back a groan. She had been duped, but she couldn’t bring herself to be angry at David for that. Anna laughed and patted Arabella’s hand.
“He got you on your own finally, did he? Don’t worry, my dear, I’m not going to scold you for that. I think you two need to sit down and talk sometime soon, though. There’s a lot to go through.”
“Mrs. Day, there’s a lot of mess to sort out before we can even discuss anything involving us,” Arabella pointed out. “I can’t be having a relationship of any sort with a fugitive.”
“Do you think he killed that man?”
“Of course not. David’s not that kind of person.” Arabella was very steadfast in that belief. Years may have passed and they were not the same as before, but Arabella was still certain about David’s innocence. “David wouldn’t kill anyone.”
Anna nodded thoughtfully. She was tapping the end of the parasol against the ground.
“I know that David couldn’t kill anyone,” she said quietly. “But it’s the people we least suspect who are the most dangerous.”
Arabella didn’t need to guess who she was talking about. Anna’s previous marriages had been quite high-profile, and Arabella had witnessed it from afar. How she and her family hadn’t become victims themselves was startling to her; James Day hadn’t appeared to be very discriminate on who he killed towards the end.
“Not everyone is like Doctor Day,” Arabella pointed out. “We can’t compare David to him.”
“I know that, and I don’t want to.” Anna sighed. Her sunny disposition had faded a little. She twirled the parasol on its end. “It took a long time for my trust to get back to how it was after James. I couldn’t bring myself to be around anyone except my daughter. Now I’m mellowing out in my old age. My judgement isn’t as clouded as it had been before.”
“Everything is much clearer for you,” Arabella murmured.
“Precisely.”
Arabella could understand that. She squeezed Anna’s hand.
“I understand where you’re coming from. After everything you’ve been through, I’m surprised you’ve got any faith in humanity at all.”
“There was a point when I wondered if I would at all.” Anna lifted her chin and squared her shoulders as she took a deep breath. “Life may be throwing everything at me, but I can throw it back. I’m a fighter, Arabella. And I know you are as well.”
“I don’t think I follow, Mrs. Day.”
Anna turned to Arabella, her eyes bright, her expression set. She was up to something, Arabella knew it.
“Would you fight for David Harrison?” Anna asked. “If you were given a chance, would you fight for him?”
“Absolutely.”
Arabella didn’t even need to think. She would do whatever it took to prove David’s innocence. She wasn’t one to sit back and let things happen.
Oh, how much of a hypocrite she sounded. Arabella had plans on changing that.
“Then maybe we can help him.”
Now Anna was talking in riddles. At least, she was sounding strange. Something was up. Anna had an idea. Arabella wasn’t sure she wanted to know where this was going; somehow, this also involved her.
“How do you mean, Mrs. Day?”
Anna looked around them, but the garden was still deserted besides them. Then she turned back to Arabella, lowering her voice to a loud whisper.
“Some of the answers we need to this problem are in London. But Mr. Harrison won’t be able to go back and find them for himself, so he needs somebody else to go for him.”
What was she…? Then realization dawned. Arabella’s mouth fell open.
“Are you saying that I should go to London to find out what’s going on?”
“Not just you. I’m coming as well.”
“What?”
Arabella wasn’t quite sure if she was hearing this correctly. Anna was suggesting that she should go to London in David’s place to find something that could help him and that she would come along as well. Had she gone mad? From the look on Anna’s face, she was absolutely dead set on this.
“David is Ian’s son, and this is Ian’s family reputation on the line.” Anna’s hand squeezed Arabella’s fingers. “You said you would fight for David. I would fight for Ian.”
She was adamant about this choice. Arabella knew there was little she could do to sway her mistress once she got an idea into her head. For a woman of their time, Anna Day certainly didn’t follow expectations. Then again, she had been married and widowed twice. It was probably natural for her to carry on being different to every other woman. Viscount Harrison didn’t deserve her.
Arabella wasn’t sure whether to admire her or shake her.
“Mrs. Day, it’s too dangerous,” she insisted. “If people find out what we’re doing and that we know where David is, the authorities are going to arrest us or follow us. Either way, that won’t help him.”
Anna grinned. “I’m full of resources, Arabella. I can handle it, and I’m very good at lying when I want to.”
“That I don’t believe. You’ve never been good at lying to me.”
“That’s because you can spot a liar a mile off, Arabella.” Anna stood, tapping the end of her parasol on the ground. “Well, I’m going to tomorrow, with or without you. If you want to come along, you can meet me in the stables at six in the morning.”
“Six?” Arabella frowned. “Why so early?”
“We don’t want to be caught and shut up inside, do we?” Anna winked and started to walk away. “See you tomorrow.”
“How do you know I’m going to come along with you?” Arabella called after her.
But Anna simply waved over her shoulder without turning around and left the garden.
Chapter Eighteen
“I still think this is a bad idea,” Arabella grumbled as the carriage lurched again. She had to brace herself against the side to stop from jarring her shoulder for the umpteenth time.
Sitting across from her, wrapped up in a simple, bland-looking cloak, Anna shook her head.
“If you thought this was a bad idea, why did you meet me this morning?”
“Because I was sure if I let you go alone, not only would your daughter scold me for not chaperoning you, you would end up getting into even more trouble.”
Anna laughed. “Trouble follows me around, certainly. I think my father wanted it as my middle name when I was born. He must have foreseen all this.”
Arabella grunted as she rubbed her shoulder.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he really did.”
“Well, my middle name is Jezebel, and she was known for being the cause of a lot of trouble in the Bible.”
“Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.” Anna pressed a finger to her lips. “Nobody knows about it, so don’t tell anyone.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Arabella murmured.
Her parents either hadn’t read the Bible or knew anything about Jezebel, or they had sensed that Anna was going to get into a lot of trouble when she was all grown up. Arabella was leaning towards the latter.
She had to be mad to have come along with her mistress. Then again, Anna was mad to have even come up with this. What could they possibly achieve by going to London? Sure, they could get there and back in a day or two, but people were going to notice they were gone. Once Anna’s daughter and son-in-law realized that Anna had vanished, they were going to start a search. Arabella hoped that Anna had left a note to say where they had gone, otherwise they were going to cause a panic.
Chances are they were causing panic now. Arabella wasn’t looking forward to going back. But, she couldn’t leave Anna alone. God only knew what she was going to do to find answers to this problem. Arabella didn’t even know where to start.
Clearly, Anna did.
It was close to midday when they finally entered the outskirts of London. Immediately, Arabella could smell the change in the air. They went past a factory, which looked like it was bustling, and Arabella had to hold her breath so she didn’t suck in the foul smoke. People milled around outside, lugging bags or carrying boxes. Arabella found herself staring as they went past. Men, women and children were working there, covered in soot and grime. They looked thin and exhausted, some of them managing to stand upright just by sheer willpower.
Arabella was glad she had such a privileged job.
“You’ve never been to London, have you?” Anna asked.
Arabella shook her head. “No, never.”
“It’s…” Anna waved a hand back and forth as she dithered. “It’s intense. Just stick close to me and you’ll be fine.”
That didn’t make Arabella feel any better. Her father had been raised in London and had told his children many stories of his life growing up. It had been fascinating to hear, but Arabella had been glad they had grown up in the country. She didn’t like the thought of being raised in a tight space with two other families, fighting for every penny so they could survive solely on bread. At least in the country they could live off the land, grow their own food. Arabella didn’t think they would be as they were now if they had been in London.
Chances were she wouldn’t have met David, and Katherine wouldn’t be here now. City life was not for her, but she was willing to give it a try for a few hours if it meant she could help. Arabella would do it even if she did want to run away.
The carriage pulled up outside the Earl’s London townhouse, in one of the more cleaner streets. Arabella was startled at the comparison between the street they had stopped in and the others they had headed through. It had been a mix of clean, attractive streets and filthier places. The houses, rich and poor, were magnificent, and Arabella couldn’t stop from staring at everything. This was what her father had grown up in?
It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Derby was nothing like this.
Lewis, the footman, opened the door for them and helped Anna out first before assisting Arabella. Even as she allowed the young man to help her onto the pavement, Arabella wondered what would happen to Lewis and their driver, Roberts. They had to have known about this before the journey. Would they get into trouble? Arabella hoped not. It wasn’t their fault.
“Is…” Arabella watched her mistress as she looked about her. “Is your contact waiting for us?”
“He should be.” Then Anna brightened and she pointed across the street. “There he is. Roberts, would you take the carriage around the back and wait for us there?”
“Yes, Mrs. Day.”
The carriage pulled away, Lewis hopping onto the back as it started off, and Arabella caught sight of a man in his early forties wearing simple, but well-cut clothes in fawn color heading towards them from across the street. She found herself staring. He was reaching middle-age, but he still carried a clearly handsome figure. His rugged jaw was dusted with a dark beard and moustache, his dark hair short but still unruly. As he got closer, Arabella saw his eyes. They had her transfixed. She had never seen anyone with eyes the color of amethysts before.
Anna beamed at the man as he reached them, and reached for him.
“Stuart.”
Arabella watched as the newcomer took one look at Anna and a warm smile spread across his face. Whoa. That smile could certainly have people stopping in their tracks. Arabella watched as he took Anna’s hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“Anna.”
“Oh, you.”
Anna laughed and hugged him. Arabella couldn’t believe it. They were in the middle of a public street and Anna was embracing a strange man. She tried not to look at the people moving around them; she didn’t need to see their expressions to know they thought it was atrocious behaviour.
“Nice to see you haven’t changed.” Stuart chuckled as he set Anna away. “You’re looking much better. The country is certainly doing you good.”
“It certainly is.” Anna squeezed his hands. “Thank you for doing this. I appreciate it.”
“Anything for my favorite sister-in-law.” Stuart’s smile faded a little. “Although I do think what you’re doing is rather dangerous.”
“Compared to what’s happened to me before, this is nothing.”
“Even so…”
“Don’t fuss over me so. No harm is going to come to me.” Anna beckoned Arabella over. “This is my maid, Arabella Powell. She’s keeping an eye on me here. Arabella, this is my second husband’s brother, Stuart Day.”
Arabella should have guessed. There had been something about Stuart that seemed familiar. Physically, they differed, but that smile was just the same. From the way he was dressed, he was of a middling class with just enough money to blend in with the higher social circle. There was nothing about him that said he was struggling in life for anything. She smiled at Stuart and held out a hand.
“How do you do, Mr. Day?”
“Charmed.” Stuart took her hand and gave her a bow. “I will say, you two will need to be on your guard. Society has already got a certain opinion about this murder, and Simpson’s friends are baying for blood.”
Arabella snorted. “I wouldn’t think he’d have any friends.”
“You would be surprised. Even the darkest of footpads would have friends worse than they are.” Stuart turned to Anna. “If they find out you two are connected to David Harrison or even know where he is, they’ll lynch you.”
Arabella didn’t like the sound of that. Anna had said it would be easy to sneak in, get whatever they could, and sneak back out again. Even though they were wearing simple clothing that Anna managed to sneak from the servants’ quarters, it was clear that they were more refined than the lower classes.
“I told you this was a bad idea,” she muttered to Anna.
“You want to help David, don’t you?” Anna shot back. She looked up at Stuart. “Can you get us into Simpson’s rooms? We need to take a look around.”
Stuart looked unsure. Arabella was half-hoping that he would say that he couldn’t and they needed to head home. They could spend a day having a look around London with Anna showing Arabella the sights and then they could head home. But Stuart sighed and nodded.
“I can get you into his rooms. I know these streets like the back of my hand. But, you need to keep close to me and don’t talk to anyone. The moment you open your mouths, people will know you’re not one of them.” He reached under his coat and withdrew two sheathed daggers. “And also carry these.”
Anna took one of the daggers, tucking it under her cloak. Arabella stared at the other one. She had used a dagger before, but this was beginning to make her realize that she was taking a step closer into something she probably wouldn’t be able to get out of so easily.
“Why...why do we need these?”
“Men are brutes in that area of London.” Stuart didn’t even blink. “You need to be able to protect yourself.”
“I don’t like violence.”
Anna made a funny noise, and Arabella saw her mistress’ face screwed up as she covered her mouth. Stuart raised his eyebrows. Then he took Arabella’s hand and pressed the dagger into her palm, closing her fingers around it.
She did find Anna there, sitting on a stone bench beside the pond. She had a parasol out, protecting herself from the sun behind her. She had changed from her morning clothes into a bright yellow dress. Arabella had to take a moment to stop herself from staring. Her mistress had no idea how much she stood out from other people. If you put her past to one side, Anna Day was a striking woman all on her own.
No wonder Viscount Harrison was enamored with her.
Arabella walked around the pond and dropped to a curtsy beside the bench.
“Mrs. Day.”
“Arabella.” Anna patted the bench beside her. “Come and sit down.”
It wasn’t unusual for her mistress to let her sit, but Arabella still hesitated before she took a seat. Anna set her parasol away and closed it.
“I was beginning to wonder if you had got lost.”
“I was instructed to take Mr. Harrison to your cottage. Get him settled in.”
“Oh?” Anna raised her eyebrows. “I don’t recall hearing anything about that.”
Arabella bit back a groan. She had been duped, but she couldn’t bring herself to be angry at David for that. Anna laughed and patted Arabella’s hand.
“He got you on your own finally, did he? Don’t worry, my dear, I’m not going to scold you for that. I think you two need to sit down and talk sometime soon, though. There’s a lot to go through.”
“Mrs. Day, there’s a lot of mess to sort out before we can even discuss anything involving us,” Arabella pointed out. “I can’t be having a relationship of any sort with a fugitive.”
“Do you think he killed that man?”
“Of course not. David’s not that kind of person.” Arabella was very steadfast in that belief. Years may have passed and they were not the same as before, but Arabella was still certain about David’s innocence. “David wouldn’t kill anyone.”
Anna nodded thoughtfully. She was tapping the end of the parasol against the ground.
“I know that David couldn’t kill anyone,” she said quietly. “But it’s the people we least suspect who are the most dangerous.”
Arabella didn’t need to guess who she was talking about. Anna’s previous marriages had been quite high-profile, and Arabella had witnessed it from afar. How she and her family hadn’t become victims themselves was startling to her; James Day hadn’t appeared to be very discriminate on who he killed towards the end.
“Not everyone is like Doctor Day,” Arabella pointed out. “We can’t compare David to him.”
“I know that, and I don’t want to.” Anna sighed. Her sunny disposition had faded a little. She twirled the parasol on its end. “It took a long time for my trust to get back to how it was after James. I couldn’t bring myself to be around anyone except my daughter. Now I’m mellowing out in my old age. My judgement isn’t as clouded as it had been before.”
“Everything is much clearer for you,” Arabella murmured.
“Precisely.”
Arabella could understand that. She squeezed Anna’s hand.
“I understand where you’re coming from. After everything you’ve been through, I’m surprised you’ve got any faith in humanity at all.”
“There was a point when I wondered if I would at all.” Anna lifted her chin and squared her shoulders as she took a deep breath. “Life may be throwing everything at me, but I can throw it back. I’m a fighter, Arabella. And I know you are as well.”
“I don’t think I follow, Mrs. Day.”
Anna turned to Arabella, her eyes bright, her expression set. She was up to something, Arabella knew it.
“Would you fight for David Harrison?” Anna asked. “If you were given a chance, would you fight for him?”
“Absolutely.”
Arabella didn’t even need to think. She would do whatever it took to prove David’s innocence. She wasn’t one to sit back and let things happen.
Oh, how much of a hypocrite she sounded. Arabella had plans on changing that.
“Then maybe we can help him.”
Now Anna was talking in riddles. At least, she was sounding strange. Something was up. Anna had an idea. Arabella wasn’t sure she wanted to know where this was going; somehow, this also involved her.
“How do you mean, Mrs. Day?”
Anna looked around them, but the garden was still deserted besides them. Then she turned back to Arabella, lowering her voice to a loud whisper.
“Some of the answers we need to this problem are in London. But Mr. Harrison won’t be able to go back and find them for himself, so he needs somebody else to go for him.”
What was she…? Then realization dawned. Arabella’s mouth fell open.
“Are you saying that I should go to London to find out what’s going on?”
“Not just you. I’m coming as well.”
“What?”
Arabella wasn’t quite sure if she was hearing this correctly. Anna was suggesting that she should go to London in David’s place to find something that could help him and that she would come along as well. Had she gone mad? From the look on Anna’s face, she was absolutely dead set on this.
“David is Ian’s son, and this is Ian’s family reputation on the line.” Anna’s hand squeezed Arabella’s fingers. “You said you would fight for David. I would fight for Ian.”
She was adamant about this choice. Arabella knew there was little she could do to sway her mistress once she got an idea into her head. For a woman of their time, Anna Day certainly didn’t follow expectations. Then again, she had been married and widowed twice. It was probably natural for her to carry on being different to every other woman. Viscount Harrison didn’t deserve her.
Arabella wasn’t sure whether to admire her or shake her.
“Mrs. Day, it’s too dangerous,” she insisted. “If people find out what we’re doing and that we know where David is, the authorities are going to arrest us or follow us. Either way, that won’t help him.”
Anna grinned. “I’m full of resources, Arabella. I can handle it, and I’m very good at lying when I want to.”
“That I don’t believe. You’ve never been good at lying to me.”
“That’s because you can spot a liar a mile off, Arabella.” Anna stood, tapping the end of her parasol on the ground. “Well, I’m going to tomorrow, with or without you. If you want to come along, you can meet me in the stables at six in the morning.”
“Six?” Arabella frowned. “Why so early?”
“We don’t want to be caught and shut up inside, do we?” Anna winked and started to walk away. “See you tomorrow.”
“How do you know I’m going to come along with you?” Arabella called after her.
But Anna simply waved over her shoulder without turning around and left the garden.
Chapter Eighteen
“I still think this is a bad idea,” Arabella grumbled as the carriage lurched again. She had to brace herself against the side to stop from jarring her shoulder for the umpteenth time.
Sitting across from her, wrapped up in a simple, bland-looking cloak, Anna shook her head.
“If you thought this was a bad idea, why did you meet me this morning?”
“Because I was sure if I let you go alone, not only would your daughter scold me for not chaperoning you, you would end up getting into even more trouble.”
Anna laughed. “Trouble follows me around, certainly. I think my father wanted it as my middle name when I was born. He must have foreseen all this.”
Arabella grunted as she rubbed her shoulder.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he really did.”
“Well, my middle name is Jezebel, and she was known for being the cause of a lot of trouble in the Bible.”
“Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.” Anna pressed a finger to her lips. “Nobody knows about it, so don’t tell anyone.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Arabella murmured.
Her parents either hadn’t read the Bible or knew anything about Jezebel, or they had sensed that Anna was going to get into a lot of trouble when she was all grown up. Arabella was leaning towards the latter.
She had to be mad to have come along with her mistress. Then again, Anna was mad to have even come up with this. What could they possibly achieve by going to London? Sure, they could get there and back in a day or two, but people were going to notice they were gone. Once Anna’s daughter and son-in-law realized that Anna had vanished, they were going to start a search. Arabella hoped that Anna had left a note to say where they had gone, otherwise they were going to cause a panic.
Chances are they were causing panic now. Arabella wasn’t looking forward to going back. But, she couldn’t leave Anna alone. God only knew what she was going to do to find answers to this problem. Arabella didn’t even know where to start.
Clearly, Anna did.
It was close to midday when they finally entered the outskirts of London. Immediately, Arabella could smell the change in the air. They went past a factory, which looked like it was bustling, and Arabella had to hold her breath so she didn’t suck in the foul smoke. People milled around outside, lugging bags or carrying boxes. Arabella found herself staring as they went past. Men, women and children were working there, covered in soot and grime. They looked thin and exhausted, some of them managing to stand upright just by sheer willpower.
Arabella was glad she had such a privileged job.
“You’ve never been to London, have you?” Anna asked.
Arabella shook her head. “No, never.”
“It’s…” Anna waved a hand back and forth as she dithered. “It’s intense. Just stick close to me and you’ll be fine.”
That didn’t make Arabella feel any better. Her father had been raised in London and had told his children many stories of his life growing up. It had been fascinating to hear, but Arabella had been glad they had grown up in the country. She didn’t like the thought of being raised in a tight space with two other families, fighting for every penny so they could survive solely on bread. At least in the country they could live off the land, grow their own food. Arabella didn’t think they would be as they were now if they had been in London.
Chances were she wouldn’t have met David, and Katherine wouldn’t be here now. City life was not for her, but she was willing to give it a try for a few hours if it meant she could help. Arabella would do it even if she did want to run away.
The carriage pulled up outside the Earl’s London townhouse, in one of the more cleaner streets. Arabella was startled at the comparison between the street they had stopped in and the others they had headed through. It had been a mix of clean, attractive streets and filthier places. The houses, rich and poor, were magnificent, and Arabella couldn’t stop from staring at everything. This was what her father had grown up in?
It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Derby was nothing like this.
Lewis, the footman, opened the door for them and helped Anna out first before assisting Arabella. Even as she allowed the young man to help her onto the pavement, Arabella wondered what would happen to Lewis and their driver, Roberts. They had to have known about this before the journey. Would they get into trouble? Arabella hoped not. It wasn’t their fault.
“Is…” Arabella watched her mistress as she looked about her. “Is your contact waiting for us?”
“He should be.” Then Anna brightened and she pointed across the street. “There he is. Roberts, would you take the carriage around the back and wait for us there?”
“Yes, Mrs. Day.”
The carriage pulled away, Lewis hopping onto the back as it started off, and Arabella caught sight of a man in his early forties wearing simple, but well-cut clothes in fawn color heading towards them from across the street. She found herself staring. He was reaching middle-age, but he still carried a clearly handsome figure. His rugged jaw was dusted with a dark beard and moustache, his dark hair short but still unruly. As he got closer, Arabella saw his eyes. They had her transfixed. She had never seen anyone with eyes the color of amethysts before.
Anna beamed at the man as he reached them, and reached for him.
“Stuart.”
Arabella watched as the newcomer took one look at Anna and a warm smile spread across his face. Whoa. That smile could certainly have people stopping in their tracks. Arabella watched as he took Anna’s hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“Anna.”
“Oh, you.”
Anna laughed and hugged him. Arabella couldn’t believe it. They were in the middle of a public street and Anna was embracing a strange man. She tried not to look at the people moving around them; she didn’t need to see their expressions to know they thought it was atrocious behaviour.
“Nice to see you haven’t changed.” Stuart chuckled as he set Anna away. “You’re looking much better. The country is certainly doing you good.”
“It certainly is.” Anna squeezed his hands. “Thank you for doing this. I appreciate it.”
“Anything for my favorite sister-in-law.” Stuart’s smile faded a little. “Although I do think what you’re doing is rather dangerous.”
“Compared to what’s happened to me before, this is nothing.”
“Even so…”
“Don’t fuss over me so. No harm is going to come to me.” Anna beckoned Arabella over. “This is my maid, Arabella Powell. She’s keeping an eye on me here. Arabella, this is my second husband’s brother, Stuart Day.”
Arabella should have guessed. There had been something about Stuart that seemed familiar. Physically, they differed, but that smile was just the same. From the way he was dressed, he was of a middling class with just enough money to blend in with the higher social circle. There was nothing about him that said he was struggling in life for anything. She smiled at Stuart and held out a hand.
“How do you do, Mr. Day?”
“Charmed.” Stuart took her hand and gave her a bow. “I will say, you two will need to be on your guard. Society has already got a certain opinion about this murder, and Simpson’s friends are baying for blood.”
Arabella snorted. “I wouldn’t think he’d have any friends.”
“You would be surprised. Even the darkest of footpads would have friends worse than they are.” Stuart turned to Anna. “If they find out you two are connected to David Harrison or even know where he is, they’ll lynch you.”
Arabella didn’t like the sound of that. Anna had said it would be easy to sneak in, get whatever they could, and sneak back out again. Even though they were wearing simple clothing that Anna managed to sneak from the servants’ quarters, it was clear that they were more refined than the lower classes.
“I told you this was a bad idea,” she muttered to Anna.
“You want to help David, don’t you?” Anna shot back. She looked up at Stuart. “Can you get us into Simpson’s rooms? We need to take a look around.”
Stuart looked unsure. Arabella was half-hoping that he would say that he couldn’t and they needed to head home. They could spend a day having a look around London with Anna showing Arabella the sights and then they could head home. But Stuart sighed and nodded.
“I can get you into his rooms. I know these streets like the back of my hand. But, you need to keep close to me and don’t talk to anyone. The moment you open your mouths, people will know you’re not one of them.” He reached under his coat and withdrew two sheathed daggers. “And also carry these.”
Anna took one of the daggers, tucking it under her cloak. Arabella stared at the other one. She had used a dagger before, but this was beginning to make her realize that she was taking a step closer into something she probably wouldn’t be able to get out of so easily.
“Why...why do we need these?”
“Men are brutes in that area of London.” Stuart didn’t even blink. “You need to be able to protect yourself.”
“I don’t like violence.”
Anna made a funny noise, and Arabella saw her mistress’ face screwed up as she covered her mouth. Stuart raised his eyebrows. Then he took Arabella’s hand and pressed the dagger into her palm, closing her fingers around it.
