from the ragman. It’s very important. You see, it’s my work—”
“The ragman?” he asked, somewhat stupidly, for his mind suddenly didn’t want to focus.
“My landlord evicted me last night while I was out—”
“You were evicted?”
She nodded. She wouldn’t look at him.
“What about your protector?”
Her small, white teeth sank into her full lower lip. She glanced up through thick, dark lashes. “I haven’t one.”
Her words landed like lead in his guts. He pictured her out in the cold, dangerous night with nowhere to take shelter. His hands tightened on her. “Where the devil did you sleep last night?”
“Uh…a neighbour in my boarding house took me in.”
Relief washed through him. “Why were you evicted?”
“I couldn’t pay my rent. But that’s not what’s important now. He sold my things to the ragman. I simply must get them back. My whole life’s—”
Her voice faded out, for a buzzing began at base of his skull, followed by a most unpleasant tightness in his innards.
“Which ragman?” he interrupted impatiently, as he released her and stepped back a couple of paces. He inhaled deeply to clear the lust from his senses.
“I don’t know—I suppose the one on Water Street, between Key’s Alley and Coat Street. I’m not sure.”
Compressing his lips, he reached for his pocket watch and glanced at it.
“God, I am so late… Well, no help for it.” James and the congressmen would have to wait. He thrust the watch back into his pocket. “Hurry, now—I shall take you.”
Her pretty mouth dropped open. “I can walk there. It’s no problem. I—I just need a little money. Not much.”
He took her arm. “I’d better escort you.”
* * * *
Emily sat in the far corner of the carriage, unable to dispel a knot of uneasiness in her middle as she watched Alex tap his fingers against his knee. Light seeping in through the cracks of the curtains illuminated his hair in shimmering gold and highlighted every perfect line of his face.
God, what was she doing here? Was she dreaming? Was it a good dream or the barest beginning of a nightmare?
Lord, what a thought. She took a deep breath but couldn’t will the uneasiness away. Even though she should be grateful for his help, the way he’d just assumed he should take control of the situation rankled her.
Yet the moment he had taken her hand and told her not to worry—that he would take care of everything—the weight of the past few weeks had lifted and she had seemed to melt. That had been the most disconcerting thing of all. Was she so spoilt, so sheltered by her grandmother, that she would never, ever stand on her own now?
No—it couldn’t be. She’d begun to make decisions on her own—not the least of those decisions being to be this man’s temporary lover in exchange for her rent money.
Goodness, what a decision to lay claim to! Yet in a city still beaten down by the yellow fever, what else could a girl with few skills beyond the domestic and no references to hope for?
“Why didn’t you want to come with me last night?”
Alex’s tone was light but he turned towards her and his eyes revealed that he’d been stung by her decision to go home. She drew her breath in sharply.
It had never occurred to her that she could hurt him that easily. She hadn’t thought of their connection like that—in any true sense of give and take. She had thought they would have mostly shallow and impersonal relations, aside from the carnal aspect.
“I don’t know,” she lied with a small shrug.
The corner of his mouth quirked up, a shaft of sunlight accentuating the fine lines that crinkled the skin around his eyes. “You must know you are absolutely maddening, in all the ways a woman can be.”
His voice held a lazy quality that warmed her, relaxing her tenseness away. His eyes were shining pools of periwinkle blue, the pupils dark and enlarged, the lids heavy as if he was sleepy.
So perhaps he had not slept much the
“The ragman?” he asked, somewhat stupidly, for his mind suddenly didn’t want to focus.
“My landlord evicted me last night while I was out—”
“You were evicted?”
She nodded. She wouldn’t look at him.
“What about your protector?”
Her small, white teeth sank into her full lower lip. She glanced up through thick, dark lashes. “I haven’t one.”
Her words landed like lead in his guts. He pictured her out in the cold, dangerous night with nowhere to take shelter. His hands tightened on her. “Where the devil did you sleep last night?”
“Uh…a neighbour in my boarding house took me in.”
Relief washed through him. “Why were you evicted?”
“I couldn’t pay my rent. But that’s not what’s important now. He sold my things to the ragman. I simply must get them back. My whole life’s—”
Her voice faded out, for a buzzing began at base of his skull, followed by a most unpleasant tightness in his innards.
“Which ragman?” he interrupted impatiently, as he released her and stepped back a couple of paces. He inhaled deeply to clear the lust from his senses.
“I don’t know—I suppose the one on Water Street, between Key’s Alley and Coat Street. I’m not sure.”
Compressing his lips, he reached for his pocket watch and glanced at it.
“God, I am so late… Well, no help for it.” James and the congressmen would have to wait. He thrust the watch back into his pocket. “Hurry, now—I shall take you.”
Her pretty mouth dropped open. “I can walk there. It’s no problem. I—I just need a little money. Not much.”
He took her arm. “I’d better escort you.”
* * * *
Emily sat in the far corner of the carriage, unable to dispel a knot of uneasiness in her middle as she watched Alex tap his fingers against his knee. Light seeping in through the cracks of the curtains illuminated his hair in shimmering gold and highlighted every perfect line of his face.
God, what was she doing here? Was she dreaming? Was it a good dream or the barest beginning of a nightmare?
Lord, what a thought. She took a deep breath but couldn’t will the uneasiness away. Even though she should be grateful for his help, the way he’d just assumed he should take control of the situation rankled her.
Yet the moment he had taken her hand and told her not to worry—that he would take care of everything—the weight of the past few weeks had lifted and she had seemed to melt. That had been the most disconcerting thing of all. Was she so spoilt, so sheltered by her grandmother, that she would never, ever stand on her own now?
No—it couldn’t be. She’d begun to make decisions on her own—not the least of those decisions being to be this man’s temporary lover in exchange for her rent money.
Goodness, what a decision to lay claim to! Yet in a city still beaten down by the yellow fever, what else could a girl with few skills beyond the domestic and no references to hope for?
“Why didn’t you want to come with me last night?”
Alex’s tone was light but he turned towards her and his eyes revealed that he’d been stung by her decision to go home. She drew her breath in sharply.
It had never occurred to her that she could hurt him that easily. She hadn’t thought of their connection like that—in any true sense of give and take. She had thought they would have mostly shallow and impersonal relations, aside from the carnal aspect.
“I don’t know,” she lied with a small shrug.
The corner of his mouth quirked up, a shaft of sunlight accentuating the fine lines that crinkled the skin around his eyes. “You must know you are absolutely maddening, in all the ways a woman can be.”
His voice held a lazy quality that warmed her, relaxing her tenseness away. His eyes were shining pools of periwinkle blue, the pupils dark and enlarged, the lids heavy as if he was sleepy.
So perhaps he had not slept much the
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