Page 25 of West End Earl
“Eleven? Good God. How have you managed it?” She was so casual while mentioning something utterly remarkable.
Puppy shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve avoided making friends for the most part. If no one is close enough to ask questions, life is easier. You’re proof that deviating from that strategy was a bad idea.”
“Ouch.” He winced. “Rather brutal, don’t you think?”
The look she gave him told him without words to stop feeling sorry for himself, but he rubbed at a phantom ache under his breastbone anyway for dramatic effect.
“Eleven years, Calvin. Over a decade, and then you came along. You were supposed to be a job. A steady stream of reliable income until I inherited. Then you charmed your way into my life, and look at us now.”
“You make my charm sound like a bad thing. For the record, being charming is literally my most valuable skill.”
The hack lurched to a stop in time for her to roll her eyes before she opened the door and jumped to the pavement. Holding the door open for him, she said, “You and I both know that’s utter nonsense.”
He grinned at her, then paid the hack driver. They were only a few streets from the river now, and the smell of the Thames in summer was overwhelming here in a way it wasn’t in Mayfair. The stench dug into one’s nose with foul blades until it overwhelmed the other senses, coating the tongue, filling his head. At his side, Puppy moved with the loose-limbed grace of someone comfortable in her environment as they wove through the throngs of people, animals, carts, and hacks.
“Does Frankie still frequent the same pub?” he asked. It had been a while since he’d accompanied Puppy on one of these jaunts to the docks, but with a possible threat against her, he couldn’t in good conscience stay home.
“That’s her territory. She and her group cover the area from the pub to the dock at the end of this street, and the span of one block in either direction.”
“And if they stray from these specific streets?”
Puppy’s mouth twisted with an emotion he couldn’t name. “Then children start disappearing. Either gone altogether or roped into another gang.”
His stomach rolled at the thought. “My own childhood wasn’t idyllic, but that’s abhorrent.” At the pub, he opened the door and stepped back to let her enter first.
She shrugged. “No, that’s London.”
And she’d survived. Respect for this woman rose one more notch.
Inside the pub, a smoky haze hung in the air from lamps, customer’s cheroots and pipes, and a kitchen in continual use. Being this close to the shipping epicenter of the docks made the pub a favorite place of theirs to meet the right people to exchange information. Its ale was decent, and the daily loaf was consistently good.
Puppy took a seat toward the edge of the room, and Cal followed suit. Within moments, a buxom barmaid sauntered over with a cheery grin.
“Mr. Hardwick, good ta see ye. Oh, and you’ve brought your pretty friend with ye. Haven’ seen ye in a while, gov.” She threw a saucy wink at Cal and he grinned.
“Hello, Peg. You’re a lovely ray of sunshine as always. Do you have some of your delicious bread you could bring over?”
“And if Frankie is in the kitchen, could you send her our way?” Puppy asked.
Peggy shook her head. “Haven’ seen the scamp since last night. Can I pass along a message?”
Puppy said, “Maybe you could help. We were hoping for word on theWilhelmina.”
The barmaid headed toward the kitchen and called over her shoulder, “I’ll be back with yer loaf.”
“Translation: the information isn’t free, and the cost of our meal tripled,” Puppy murmured.
“Let’s hope the information is worth it.”
Within moments, Peggy returned and set down a crusty loaf of bread and a crock of butter on a wood platter scarred with deep grooves from years of knives. She leaned an ample hip against the table and crossed her arms. It wasn’t until Cal slipped a few coins across the table that she started talking.
“I got a letter yesterday, but the date was from a while ago. Ned says the storm off the Cape really tore up the ship. They limped into the nearest port. Were still there when he wrote it, but they might be headed home by now. I hope, anyway.”
“Any lives lost?” Puppy asked.
“Three men went over during the late watch. One second they were there, the next gone. The sea’s a brutal bitch, Mr. Hardwick.”
“I’m glad your Ned is safe, Peggy.” Cal slathered a slice of bread with butter and handed it to Puppy.
