Page 68 of My Kind of Scoundel
Theo watched Emily intently, looking for signs of discomfort or anything that suggested she was about to lie. She seemed calm and rational.
“Uncle Jack sent me to beg for more work,” Emily uttered. “He said I wasn’t to come home until you’d agreed. I saw the mess when I arrived, and ran home and told him.”
Theo wondered why she’d not called a constable, but after taking a deep breath, Emily answered the question.
“I was too scared to fetch a watchman in case he thought I’d done it. Then Uncle Jack made me return with the cart and take the silk. When Mr Franklin saw me out his window, my uncle said it would look like I was saving your stock.”
Indeed, Eleanor may have been none the wiser had the silversmith not kept a close watch on the street.
“It’s time I had a word with Uncle Jack.” Theo spokeloud enough for the buffoon to hear. There’d be hell to pay if Jack had attacked Eleanor in the yard.
“Please don’t,” Emily begged.
But Uncle Jack pushed out of the seat and strode towards them, swaying like he was on deck in a storm. “They pay the girl to serve, not to keep you entertained.”
Some syllables were slurred, and his pronunciation was anything but precise. He reminded Theo of his father. A pathetic fool who thought gambling and liquor could solve life’s problems.
“This is Miss Darrow,” Emily blurted. “She’s come to offer me more work. Says I can have two full days next week.”
Jack looked at Eleanor, his beady eyes narrowing. “So you’re the dressmaker Emily’s so fond of. My niece thinks the sun shines out of your arse, but I reckon?—”
Theo shot to his feet. “You’ll mind your tone and language, or else I’ll wrap your tongue around your scrawny neck.”
Jack’s head pitched left, then right. “What did you say?”
“I said I’ll knock your crooked teeth down your throat.” Theo rounded the table, hoping the fool would throw a punch. “Then I’ll have you arrested for theft. You stole silk and a silver hat pin from Miss Darrow’s shop. We have a witness statement placing you at the scene.”
Jack laughed, then burped, releasing a waft of rum. “I ain’t stolen a thing. I went to the shop with Emily because she had to collect work to bring home. As far as I know, the silk is in her room.”
Eleanor stood, keen to join the fray. “You sold the silk, or did you force Emily to do that too? I suspect her father isturning in his grave, angered by your mistreatment. I’ll be keen to hear what your wife says on the matter.”
That’s when the drink got the better of Jack, and he raised his clenched fist. “You keep my Daisy out of this. If you?—”
Theo grabbed the drunkard’s arm and twisted it behind his back. “I’ve warned you once. Let’s take this conversation outside.”
Men at the bar stared.
One stepped forward, debating whether to intervene.
A scuffle ensued as Jack tried to tug his arm free. He was in no shape to fight and fell on his backside when Theo released him.
Much to Theo’s horror, Eleanor rushed over, planting her foot firmly on Jack’s chest, pinning him to the ground, a ferocious look in her eyes.
“You’ll confess in front of these men,” she said in a thunder of anger. “You’ll admit you forced Emily to act unlawfully. You’re supposed to protect the women in your family, not treat them like slaves and dogs.”
As Theo watched Eleanor’s cheeks turn red with rage, a painful truth was revealed. Her sudden outburst was more than just anger. It was a raw wound from her past. She was not merely shouting; she was confronting her father, berating him for the hurt he had caused her.
“Is it not enough that Emily has lost her parents? Must you continue to make her life miserable just for a few coins?”
Jack didn’t grab her foot and twist until she cried in pain. Perhaps he knew Theo would throttle him if he dared lay a hand on her.
Instead, Jack looked at Emily as if he meant to punishher and said, “Happen you inherited your mother’s gumption, Miss Darrow. You got a hearty plate of courage while poor Emily was left with the scraps.”
While Eleanor frowned, Emily cried, “Don’t say another word, or I’ll report you to Bow Street myself.”
Jack cackled. “And you’ll hang with me unless your sister here takes pity on you. I suspect she’ll be mad you’ve kept your mother’s dirty secret.”
It was as if time stilled.
