Page 59 of Her Duke in Shining Armor
Eleanor…thank God!
They started down the walkway and Aaron followed on the other side of the road with his heart beating triple time. By his position, he could see the attention Eleanor was unwittingly gaining.
These men were professionals in stripping people of their money. They knew the frame of men, women, and children with a single look and Aaron knew that they knew the taller form hurrying down the street was a woman.
Just as Eleanor passed by, Aaron saw a man emerge from an alleyway and nod his head to another man down the road. To his relief, the other man shook his head and went off but the other began to follow the two. This was what Aaron had feared.
If they try anything, I will not be responsible for my actions.
With gritted teeth, Aaron waited till a carriage rumbled by before he crossed the road. Following the man who was following Eleanor, Aaron primed himself to attack in a moment.
* * *
The smells of smoked meat, burnt sugar buns, and garbage were cloying but Eleanor had a mission to get Maria to her mother that night. She had one hand on Maria’s shoulder and the other on the handle of the letter opener as they hurried to Piccadilly.
Strange water pools filled with filth were on the walkways and Eleanor steered Maria away from the slop. She spotted a few drifting hackneys and was aiming to go over to one when suddenly, Maria was yanked from her hands.
Frightened, Eleanor spun and met the man’s eyes first before darting to see Maria’s wide terrified brown orbs.
“Let her go,” Eleanor demanded. “Now.”
“Not until you give me what I can hear is jingling in yer pockets, there miss,” the man sneered. “Or—”
“If you want your life, step away from her,” a dark menacing voice said from the shadows.
The vagrant spun, “Who the hell are you?”
“The last person you’ll see before you give your accounts to God,” the man stepped forward. “That is, if you choose to defy me.”
“Pish on yer—ach!” the man’s words were cut off at the quick when the mouth of a pistol was pressed in the middle of his brow. His hand started flapping like a chicken with its head cut off, “I-I-I will go me way, sirrah, don’t want any trouble here.”
Turning on his heels, the man ran off with the agility of one who was suddenly scared sober. Grateful for the help but scared that this man might be a greater danger than the drunkard, Eleanor pushed a trembling Maria behind her and found her voice, trembling as it was.
“W-who are you?”
The pistol was lowered as but the hand did not rise to tug the cowl off his head, “Don’t worry about who I am, I am here to help you. Where are you going?”
Eleanor was trembling inside but held her fear in, “Why should I trust you?”
“I just saved your life,” the man’s deep voice rumbled over her. “I think that’s proof enough.”
With Maria pressed in her side Eleanor looked down at the child’s frightened eyes and felt it was safe to take a chance. “Seven Dials in Convent Garden.”
“With the child? Why?”
“Her name is Maria and she needs to go to her mother,” Eleanor replied tightly. “And our time is slipping away, we need to go.”
The stranger nodded and held out his hand, “Come with me. I’ll get you there.”
“I don’t know you,” Eleanor said with a tight grip on Maria’s trembling shoulder.
“Do you want to risk the Seven Dials alone?” he asked.
“No,” Eleanor admitted.
“Then take my offer.”
Eleanor was not one to trust this easily, but the man’s suggestion made sense. There was no promising what would happen if she did go to the place alone. She was still very wary and ready to use the letter opener if she had to.
