Akash glanced at her briefly. Gideon didn’t look at them at all. He was once again the contained, courteous man she’d first met. The fight’s wild berserker might never have existed. In a fever of nerves, she watched as Gideon pressed a wad of banknotes into the man’s hand, then turned away.
A few curious onlookers hung around, but everyone else had gone on their way. Charis still couldn’t see Tulliver. She’d faced rape and death, yet no trace remained of her ordeal apart from the blood and mud on the street.
“Wait a moment,” Akash said when she made to leave the doorway.
Three well-dressed men strolled toward Gideon. One stopped, stared, and let out an exclamation of delighted surprise. “By gum! It’s the Hero of Rangy whatsit.”
Gideon paused at the first loud hail. Charis had a clear view of his face. So often, the sheer beauty of his features made it difficult to read his expression. Now she couldn’t mistake how the blood drained from his cheeks and his brows contracted. He looked annoyed and on edge.
Hunted.
“Oh, hell,” Akash breathed at her side, tensing.
The man who greeted Gideon turned in open excitement to his two companions. “You know who he is. The cove the King just knighted. Lasted a year in some filthy hole in India. Bravest fellow in the empire, Wellington called him.”
His mouth stern with displeasure, Gideon retreated along the street toward Charis and Akash. He was close enough for her to hear him say in a forbidding voice, “I’m afraid you’ve made an error, sir.”
The man advanced, his hand extended. “Dash it, man! There’s no error. Your sketch is in every newspaper from here to John O’Groats, I’ll warrant. Anyway, I cheered you in Pall Mall when you and the cavalry rode by on your parade of honor.”
“You don’t…”
“Let me shake the hand of the Hero of…What was that heathen place they had you locked up? Some benighted name no Christian can get his tongue around.”
“Rangapindhi,” one of his companions said with audible enthusiasm. “By George, it’s a privilege to meet you, sir. By George, it is!”
The fuss attracted notice and quickly another crowd built up. But this time, it clamored with approval.
Wearing a coldly aloof expression, Gideon stood stock-still in the midst of the noisy mob. He looked like he had nothing but contempt for the congratulatory throng. His jaw was set, his lips thinned, his eyes veiled. He could never be less than handsome, but his frigid demeanor and stilted gestures repelled human warmth.
“Where in God’s name is Tulliver?” Akash muttered beside Charis.
“I haven’t seen him.” Charis craned her neck to observe Gideon. Curiosity and confusion warred in her mind. She thought she’d begun to understand the man who rescued her in Winchester. It turned out he was as unknown as the wastes of Greenland.
His admirers didn’t seem to mind Gideon’s lack of welcome. They shook his hand and clapped him on the shoulders. All to a man looked at him as if he’d just stepped off Mount Olympus.
Wheels clattered on cobblestones. A moving carriage forced people out of the way.
A familiar carriage with a familiar driver.
“About bloody time,” Akash said savagely, and wrapped an arm around Charis. “Come on. Run. And keep your head down.”
He didn’t need to tell her. She had no wish for anyone to see her face. She scuttled at his side, floundering to keep up with a man who made no allowance for her shorter legs or her injuries. The mad dash stirred all her fading aches into sharp agony, so her head rang when she finally reached the carriage.
Akash flung open the door and tossed her inside. She landed against the seat with a jolt that sent pain slicing through her. She stifled a cry and fisted her hands as she fought the giddiness. A breath hissed through her teeth. Another.
The worst of her dizziness ebbed. Ignoring her discomfort, she slid across the seat to press her face to the carriage window.
Both men were so tall, it was easy to locate them. Through the joyful hordes, Akash pushed his way toward his friend. Gideon retained that frozen, remote expression, but he didn’t break away from his devotees.
She couldn’t hear what Akash said to Gideon over the hubbub. She saw Gideon turn and head with jerkily precise movements toward the carriage. With visible reluctance, the crowd parted before him. Voracious hands stretched out to pluck at his clothing, delay his departure, compel his attention. Doggedly he continued his automaton-like progress.
He climbed in and sat opposite. He didn’t speak. He didn’t look at her. He didn’t appear to know she was there at all.
Akash slammed the door on them.
“Aren’t you coming with us?” she asked frantically. Suddenly, Gideon seemed a frightening stranger.
He shook his head. “I’m staying to see to the horses. I’ll follow in my own time.”