Page 60 of Her Duke in Shining Armor
“You promise to…” Eleanor was cautious, “…keep us safe?”
“On my word,” he said and offered his hand once more.
Eleanor’s dark eyes dropped to his, and the question of if she could trust this stranger was clear in her eyes. She released the letter opener and reached over to take his gloved hand, “Please do not make me regret this.”
Chapter 17
Half of his question was answered about why Eleanor was running away with the girl was answered but Aaron was getting angry. In retrospect it was more fear for her life than actual rage because he had believed that Eleanor was smarter than that.
Did she really think that she could go into the slum and come out unharmed? Convent Garden was bad enough but Seven Dials? One of the worst rookeries in London? Was Eleanor mad?
With her hand in his, Aaron felt a little more secure and made off to the lone hackney lingering in the area. The driver was leaned back with his cap on his eyes, clearly asleep. Aaron pounded on the side of the carriage and jolted him awake.
A mottled hand reached up to grab the cap before it fell off and the man, round-faced with thinning hair wiped his hand across his mouth. His first look to Aaron’s cloaked body was one of fright.
“I ain’t got no blunt, guv.”
“Do you want to earn some?” Aaron said, purposely dipping his voice lower than his usual.
That made the man sit straighter, “Aye, never gonna say no to a few dimes, what do you need?”
“My companions and I need to get to Seven Dials,” Aaron said anticipating the man’s pending refusal as it was incredibly dangerous to go to the Dials in broad daylight much less the middle of the night.
“Guv, I’d like to, I honestly would but I…I fear for my life,” the driver replied truthfully. “I don’t happen to be carrying a pistol with me or nothing.”
“I have mine and I’ll ride with you,” Aaron replied. “We must go, now.”
The driver nodded, “Which way?”
Aaron looked at Eleanor who said, “Through Long Acre, it's shorter.”
“We would be very near to St. Giles,” Aaron replied. “A dangerous place.”
“But we’ll just have to pray for no trouble then, won’t we?” Eleanor said tightly. “Long Acre, and then Shelton Street, please.”
Shaking his head Aaron said, “You heard the lady.”
“Get in then.”
Aaron pulled the door open and after a cursory look inside, helped Eleanor and Maria in. He then nimbly hopped onto the carriage driver’s seat as the man slapped the reins. The horse jolted away and with another slap started to trot off. Aaron regretted not being inside to hear Eleanor and Maria talk but he knew he would get an explanation soon enough.
The night seemed to get darker as the carriage hit the Long Acre. It was decidedly strange how the tall buildings would hem in on the rather wide road and make it feel smaller than it was. The man turned off and went down a smaller street that took them into the very heart of the roughneck community.
Seven Dials was the home of every pickpocket, thief, highwayman or murderer, a mirror of Whitechapel and St. Giles. As the carriage ran through the street, bordered by the filthy sidewalks, Aaron was filled with a mixture of disgust and sympathy. It was clear that living in this neighborhood made it hard to eke out a living. These people did not know where the next day’s bread would come from. It made him appreciate the comforts of home.
He made sure to keep his pistol obvious to those passing by to dissuade them from trying anything foolish. The driver’s forehead was already shimmering with nervous sweat. Aaron realized one flaw in this plan, he knew where they were going but not exactly where.
Every ragged, dilapidated building looked like the next and it was not like there was a sign advertising the owner of the tenement house. He had begun to wonder how to solve the debacle when a loud knock came from the inside of the carriage.
The carriage stopped immediately at the foundation of a brick building. A drunk man, clad in tatters, was slumped against the wall, solidly asleep and clutching his bottle like it was a purse of gold.
“I suppose this is the place,” Aaron said while alighting. He barely got to the door when it was pushed open. Eleanor came out and Aaron had to smile. There was no flash of a dress under that cloak; she was wearing tan breeches.
Oh, this lovely girl. As he had declared, she would surprise him at every turn. Pride—swift and familiar—took his chest while Eleanor dug into her coat and produced a few coins which she handed over, “Can I persuade you to stay? It will only take a moment.”
The man looked unsure but nodded, “Er, is the gentleman going to be with me?”
“No,” Aaron said.
