Ican only pray that Lord Foster forgives me.
Walking as quickly as she could, but keeping her eyes downcast, Alice hurried after the one gentleman she hoped would offer Lord Foster some sort of answer, the gentleman who had been in the room while she and Lord Foster had been hiding. He was not someone she recognized but, at present, she had no other thought than to follow him, quite certain that he was somehow involved in Lord Gillespie’s death - and may have pulled Lord Foster’s fortune from his unwilling hands. Why else would such a person be in the study of a dead man? Through a slight chink in the curtains, she had watched as the gentleman and his servant had searched through the very same documents that she and Lord Foster had been looking through a short while before. The first gentleman was rather small and scrawny, with a darkness in his expression that made her shudder. The second man, the man she assumed to be his servant, was broad-shouldered, with a great deal of strength to his frame. She did not want to imagine what such a fellow might do, should she be discovered, and yet that had not been warning enough for her to stay away from them both. Having very little idea as to where Lord Foster had hidden, Alice had not had any opportunity to search for him, fearful that the two men would escape from her if she lingered. Whispering to him that she was going after them, she had slipped from the room and followed the two intruders.
Which was precisely what she was still doing now. The gentleman had seemed not have a carriage, for he walked with great purpose and did not slow down for a single moment. Whether or not they had been able to find anything of importance in Lord Gillespie’s study, Alice was unable to tell. The letter she held in her pockets, however, might well be the one they had been looking for. Her fingers stole to her pockets, and she touched the corner of the letter gently, a little concerned that somehow it had gone missing in her hurry. To her relief, it was still there.
At this moment it is something of a blessing to be rather invisible.
A wry smile tugged at her lips as the two gentlemen turned and made their way into a gentlemen’s club. The smaller man walked directly inside while the second turned to stand beside it, his hands clasped behind his back. Alison ducked her head, hiding her face, and hurried past them, quite certain that the broad-shouldered man would not so much as glance at her. Daring a look herself, she turned her head over her shoulder, but the fellow was not watching her. He stared directly ahead, evidently waiting for his master’s return, and willing to protect him in the interim from any unwanted guests.
Alice hesitated, slowing her steps as she came to a corner, unwilling to walk around it for fear that she would lose sight of this man. Crossing the quiet road on quick feet, she looked back towards him.
I have very little idea as to whether or not his master will return before the evening is out.
Lifting one finger to her mouth, she tapped at her lips a moment, trying to think of what she could do. It was early in the evening still, and no doubt the gentleman inside, being a member of theton, would find something to occupy himself. Perhaps he had an invitation to some ball or another, or mayhap he would spend the entirety of his evening in the gentlemen’s club. What was she to do? Stand on the corner and wait for him to emerge? She could very easily miss him, and with that awareness came another dark thought - that standing alone on a street corner was not wise for a young lady. A greater danger could overtake her.
And yet she did not want to lose sight of this fellow. To return to Lord Foster, only to tell him that she had followed the man but did not know anything about either him or his servant would be a spectacular failure. She forced herself to drop her hand to her side, to stand calmly, even as an edge of panic began to rise in her heart. She would have to dosomething.
Her eyes flared as she realized with relief that this particular gentlemen’s club would surely have a ledger containing the names of the gentleman who came and went on any particular night. All she needed to do was to find out the name of this establishment, and Lord Foster could do the rest. After all, she knew the day, and near enough the time, that this gentleman had entered the establishment. It would not take much for Lord Foster to discover his name, surely.
Taking a deep breath, Alice nodded to herself. A little irritated that she had not taken note of the name on the sign as she had walked past, she gathered her strength and began to walk along the street once more, crossing the road to the other side. The broad-shouldered man was still standing there, silent and foreboding and, as she walked past him, his hand reached out and grasped her shoulder.
“Release me!”
Her skin crawled with fright as his fingers tightened on her shoulder all the more. She had tried to speak with great firmness, but Alice’s face burned at the weakness of her voice as she spoke. She tried to twist away, but the man’s fingers tightened, and he leaned toward her.
“This is the second time that you have walked past this establishment.” A low voice made her shiver in fright. “You shall have no company here this evening. You shall not make a single penny from the gentlemen in this club. Might I suggest you take your… wares…” his dark eyes flickered down over her form and back again towards her eyes, “…elsewhere.”
It took a moment for Alice to realize what he meant. The moment she did, however, such a heat overtook her that she felt as though she might burn up with sheer mortification. He thought her a lady of the night? She opened her mouth to correct him, only to snap it closed again. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage.
“You cannot blame young women such as myself for being eager. These men here will pay a high price.”
A little relieved that the gloom would hide her hot cheeks, she let out a small breath of relief as the man lifted his hand from her shoulder.
“Be that as it may, you will get nothing here tonight.”
She released what she hoped was a sorrowful sigh. “That is disappointing. Could you remind me of the name of this place, just so that I can tell my… friends not to bother coming here themselves? We have only a few short hours and I wouldn’t like them to waste their time as I have done.”
“That is very kind of you, I’m sure.” The man’s voice was a little lifted now, no longer as dark. “Or maybe you will send them here while you get your fill from their usual spots, no?” He chuckled and Alice tried to join in. “Well, you may tell your friends that they should avoid Donley’s. The gentlemen here spend all of their hours inside and do not often emerge until they are quite ready to retire to bed…withoutcompany, I might add.”
Another dark chuckle sent a thrill of horror down Alice’s spine, but she forced a laugh regardless.
“How very kind you are.” Forcing herself to play a part, she moved a little closer, her eyebrow lifting. “What about yourself? I could give you a penny or two less off the price since you’ve been so good to me.”
The man grinned, a flash of white in the gloom.
“Askindan offer as that is, I’ve got my orders.”
Alice let out what she hoped was a heavy sigh.
“That is a pity. I won’t trouble you anymore.”
Forcing her steps to be slow rather than the hurried rush her whole body desired, Alice took her time walking away from Donley’s and the broad-shouldered man. Her heart was pounding so furiously that it seemed as though she could not find enough breath, for her chest grew tight and stars began to flicker in the edges of her vision.
You are safe, Alice.
Pausing for a moment, she took in deep breaths as one hand went to her heart. She had been more daring than she had ever expected herself to be. In one night, she had broken into a gentleman’s house, hidden from unknown intruders, and pretended to be a lady of the night to garner particular information from a fellow standing outside a gentlemen’s club. Despite the fear that she felt at this moment, it had been worth it.
All she had to do now was tell Lord Foster.