Lydia instinctively stepped in front of her friend. This was all her fault. She would be damned if she would allow them to lay a finger on Susannah. The man seemed amused by this show of valor. The other men chuckled as well. Everything Lydia did was mere amusement to them while she felt as if her own spirit was leaving her body, little by little with each passing second.
“If you are going to do something, do it to me,” she ordered much more forcefully than she thought she was capable of. “But you leave her alone.”
All the men stopped laughing. Something told her that her outburst of courage not only amused them, but it also shocked them now. They were stunned that a woman would not yield to fear and promise to do whatever they wanted just so they wouldn’t hurt her. Lydia was not certain whether the men would hurt them or not, but she knew one thing, and that was the simple fact that she would not beg, no matter what monstrosities the men had in store for them. She would not give the men that pleasure. They could take away everything else from her but not her dignity. That was the one thing she vowed to keep to herself, no matter what.
“You would sacrifice yourself for a mere servant?” the man spoke, approaching Lydia.
He had come so close to her that she could smell liquor on his breath. She considered pushing him, attacking him, but that would only aggravate the others more. She couldn’t risk that.
“She is not a mere servant,” Lydia snarled, squeezing Susannah’s hand even more firmly. “She is my friend.”
“Oh, how lovely,” the man mocked her show of camaraderie. “If she is your friend then by all means, we shall –”
The man wasn’t allowed to continue his sentiment as someone’s daring voice tore through the veil of cowardice that these men had woven.
“So, you attack young ladies in dark alleys now?” the voice cried, piercing through the darkness and bringing forth hope.
* * *
The sight that awaited him in the alley was the last thing he expected. Edwin had asked about Baron Bolton inside the tavern, and after some coaxing in the form of cold, hard coins, he was told where to find the man. What he couldn’t even dream of was that he would find much more than he bargained for.
He didn’t even recognize Lydia at first. He thought the girls were just two unfortunate servant girls who had snuck out of the house they were employed in for some good times, and now, the good times had turned dark. Only upon a second glance did he recognize her. His heart danced at seeing her, but he instantly realized the trouble she was in. This enraged him. The thought of what could have happened to her if he hadn’t stumbled upon them was too terrifying to even consider.
“What are you doing here, Combston?” Bolton growled. Edwin had a powerful déjà vu feeling. It was the garden conversation all over again.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Edwin replied, walking over to the girls and stepping between them and Bolton, shielding them with his body. The message was clear.
“We are just conversing with the ladies here,” Bolton shrugged innocently. “Weren’t we, ladies?”
Edwin turned to Lydia. He could immediately see the fear in her eyes. The shock. The disbelief that this was happening.
Bolton was a scoundrel. Edwin could at once anticipate what he was planning on doing. The thought made him want to grab Bolton by the neck and wring it once so strongly that it would… But no. He couldn’t risk his investigation by doing such a stupid thing. He had to let Bolton go, regardless how much he wanted to hurt the man.
“I think the conversation has come to a sudden halt,” Edwin pointed out. “I shall be taking the ladies home as it has gotten quite late. What do you say, ladies?” All they could do was nod in response. He turned to Bolton once again. “Our own conversation is yet to take place.”
Bolton didn’t say anything to that. Instead, he pulled away, murmured something to the rest of the men, and instantly, they disappeared through the other end of the alley. Now, Edwin was alone with Lydia and her friend. He focused his attention solely on her, incredulous at what just happened.
“Do you mind telling me now, what on earth is going on here?” he demanded in a tone that would allow for nothing less than the entire truth.
Seeing her accosted by those brutes instantly made him think of his sister. He wondered if she was also accosted in such a manner, if she needed his help, and he was not there to provide it to her. The thought tortured him.
“I… I just wanted to have some fun,” Lydia explained, still sounding like a frightened little church mouse. “To experience life without being a lady but rather being someone ordinary, someone common.”
Edwin’s eyes glanced at Susannah then they were back on Lydia again. He understood exactly what she was telling him. However, it seemed that she didn’t quite grasp the gravity of what she wanted to have.
“You should know how dangerous it is to go to places such as this one alone without any men around whom you know and could ask for help if need be,” he told her, suspecting that she had learned that lesson the hard way. The last thing he wanted to do was drill this message into her frightened mind more, but it was crucial that she never forgot this.
“That was the man you spoke to in the garden,” she said, changing the subject.
He sighed, realizing that he could not keep that man’s identity concealed any longer. She would eventually find out who he was, so he might as well tell her himself and save her the trouble.
“Baron Bolton,” he announced the man’s name, which in polite circles still evoked nothing but awe and respect. How wrong they were, they would never know. “A known rake, but that isn’t the worst of his traits.” He paused to look around, to assure that they were alone then he continued, his voice down to a whisper. “The man is involved in various illegal activities. He even owns an illegal gaming establishment, and…” he paused again, wondering if he should even mention this, but then he decided to say it, “there have been rumors regarding his… bad behavior towards women.”
The ladies did not seem to be particularly surprised by this revelation, having witnessed it firsthand.
“He said that I need to be silenced,” Lydia suddenly seemed to remember something.
“He must think that you overheard him talk about those illegal activities,” Edwin revealed. “I myself had to dig deep in order to learn all about them. He has done a perfect job of hiding all trace of it.”