Page 23 of Highland Jewel
She nodded, but he wondered how much of what he’d said had gotten through to her. Her eyes were huge, and they continued to stare after the wagon.
“We can’t stand here.” He wasn’t confident that they wouldn’t come back.
She made no protest when Niall took her by the arm and led her in the direction of Nicolson Square.
“Did he ask your name?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“He was following you. I wonder for how long,” Niall mused aloud.
Maisie glanced over her shoulder and shivered. “I put a handbill up on the side of a building on my way to the printer. He might have seen me do it.”
He gestured to her satchel. “You have more in there?”
“I have a hundred.”
“Get rid of them,” he ordered.
“I can’t. They cost too much to print, and we need them for the meeting tonight.”
He stopped short and turned to face her. She wasn’t getting it. The same way that Fiona wasn’t understanding just how dangerous the game was they were playing.
“I’ll show you what’s on these pages.” She started to reach into her bag. “There’s nothing illegal. I don’t thinkso, anyway. It’s simply an explanation of the Six Acts. It’s no different from what theEdinburgh Reviewprinted.”
Niall stopped her from producing one of the handbills. He had a good understanding of the legislation. The newly minted laws—the work of Lord Sidmouth and his allies—aimed at suppressing all opposition to the Crown and to Parliament itself. One of the laws, the Seditious Meetings Act, made any gathering that was held for the purpose of radical reform tantamount to treason. What Fiona and Maisie were doing fell far outside what was now permissible by law.
“If it’s in the newspapers, why the deuce do you need to make flyers?”
“To hand it out to our people. They need to know how to avoid getting in trouble for it. We have to know what the law is, so we can fight it.”
“But the very act of holding your meeting is now illegal. Don’t you see that?” He shook his head. “Throw the blasted things away.”
She put a hand on his arm. “I’ll not waste our money.”
He wanted to tell her, in explicit detail, what would have happened to her in that wagon on the way to the castle or to Bridewell Prison, wherever they were taking those they arrested. He’d said as much the first day he’d met her. And nothing had changed.
They were standing on a narrow sidewalk, and people trying to pass by were jostling them. When he was bumped a second time, Niall—already beyond annoyed—nearly grabbed the unfortunate clerk by the collar.
Maisie motioned toward a nearby tearoom. “Let’s get out of the cold for a few minutes. I’ll explain.”
Niall didn’t know if he’d be calm enough to listen, but getting off the street was a good idea.
The shop was small but looked clean and decent, and a warm coal fire gave the place a snug feel. Only half ofthe tables were occupied, and Niall led Maisie to a far corner, where he seated her with her back to the door. He wanted to keep an eye open for anyone following them in. A thin, balding waiter with bulging eyes and bowed legs took their order and hurried off. Only then, did she speak.
“This is the second time you’ve saved me. Thank you.”
Niall wasn’t about to be distracted by her large, blue eyes and the prettiest face in Edinburgh. He motioned to the satchel she was holding on her lap. “You think what you do is harmless. You think that the authorities are reasonable men who play fair. But they’re not. They’re men who don’t care who is hurt by what they do.”
She planted her elbows on the table, staring at his mouth. He forced himself to focus and not lose his train of thought.
“They have unlimited power under those laws that you hope to explain to your Society. And brainless dogs like the ones who nearly dragged you off are even less likely to care. There is no negotiating with these curs once you’re in their power. Their job is to gather up bodies and drag them back to their masters. Innocence or guilt means nothing to them. They are truly little more than animals. And when a woman falls into their vile hands…” He left the thought hanging.
Her hand slid across the tablecloth and touched his. Her fingers were shards of ice. He clasped both of her hands in his to warm them, drawing a breath to continue with his harangue.
“Thank you,” she whispered again.
His eyes fell on her upturned lips. They were full and red, and he thought of what it would be like to kiss them. He shook his head to break the spell. “Don’t distract me.”
