Page 98 of From Rakes to Riches

At least his voice sounded as affected as hers.

“There won’t be a show tonight, with all this rain.” She kept her eyes on the window, not trusting she wouldn’t change her mind.

Theodore knocked on the ceiling and when the driver opened the trap door, the earl gave him Lola’s address. With the weather being what it was and their location in Mayfair, it would take some time to reach her part of town, but of one thing she was certain. There’d be no more kissing today.

It was halfseven in the evening, dinner was over and Lola was downstairs visiting Sofia and her brothers. With Vauxhall closed and her emotions recovering from her afternoon with the earl, she needed an effective distraction. Reading a book wouldn’t suffice.

“Dio mio, my cat loves you more than me,” Sofia complained, watching Topolina settle on Lola’s lap.

“That’s because I feed her scraps when you aren’t looking,” Lola confessed, stroking the cat’s velvety gray fur.

“Don’t get used to her affection. Topolina is fickle,” Alessandro remarked from the other side of the table. “She is like a ladybird in that respect.”

“And what would you know of ladybirds?” Sofia teased.

“Lightskirts are his passion, dear sister,” Francesco said from where he leaned against the wall. “He loves women too much to choose just one.”

“But not you, Francesco?” Lola asked, accustomed to their lively discussions. “You’re ready to settle down?”

Francesco stumbled back; his hand flung over his chest in a dramatic pantomime of his own death. “When I find the right woman, she will own my heart, but until then…” he paused fora rakish chuckle. “I will make good use of my youth and kiss as many women as possible.”

The room filled with laughter, although the mention of kissing evoked a slow heat inside Lola. The time spent with Theodore had made her hands tremble and pulse race. When she’d said goodbye and stepped from his carriage, her knees were weak. For a woman who balanced on a rope as her profession, that condition was dangerous indeed.

She reached for her glass of wine and took a hearty sip. “I, for one, am grateful for the poor weather. I needed a night away from Vauxhall.”

“Me too,” Sofia said. “Although tonight Morland was opening the Cascade for the first time this season. I was so looking forward to seeing it.”

The Cascade was an artificial waterfall located within a three-dimensional landscape at the center of Vauxhall Gardens. The mechanical showpiece used tiny tin sheets on belts to give the appearance of flowing water. Clever use of music and lighting added to the stunning display, making it a sought-after spectacle, especially since it only operated for ten minutes each evening. Otherwise, the Cascade remained hidden behind a decorated curtain waiting to be revealed dramatically for its single nightly presentation.

“It is beautiful,” Lola agreed. “But I’ve had enough excitement lately with what’s already happened.”

Both on the tightrope platform and inside the earl’s carriage.

“Sì,” Sofia said, her face lighting up as if she’d just remembered something. “Alessandro, tell Lola what you saw that evening.”

Immediately interested, Lola replaced her glass on the table. “What? You saw something?”

“Not at Vauxhall, no. Sofia makes more of it than what it is,” he replied, staring at his sister as if he’d wished she’d stayed quiet. “Strange things happen in London all the time. It’s nothing.”

“We don’t know that,” Sofia insisted. “Maybe itisimportant, maybe not.”

“What?” Lola prompted, impatient with their bickering.

“I’d just left Vauxhall, the exit along Lawn Lane because sometimes I go through the alleyway connected to Langley.” Alessandro waved his hands as he explained, his gestures flowing as quickly as his words. “But that night there was a horse there. In the alleyway by itself! A very beautiful stallion! And right in front of me, a man ran into the alley, jumped on the horse’s back and went flying out into the streets.Che roba!I couldn’t believe my eyes. I never saw anything like it. Who leaves such a fine horse unattended? Anyone could have stolen it. I still can’t believe it.”

Lola sat up so quickly, Topolina leapt from her lap with a yowl. “What did the man look like? Did you see him?”

“No, no.” Alessandro scowled, shaking his head as he spoke. “It all took me by surprise. I didn’t see anything more than a black horse, so black it blended in with the man’s greatcoat. Together they were like a giant shadow melting into the night.”

“Come la morte che viene a trovarci,”Francesco said solemnly, his expression grave.

“What does that mean?” Lola turned toward Sofia, waiting for her to translate her brother’s words.

“Like death coming to visit,” Sofia explained. “That’s why you should tell the Runners, Alessandro. I wish you would. It could be connected to what happened.”

Lola listened, hoping Alessandro would change his mind although she’d already decided she would share the information with Theodore.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Alessandro said. “I don’t want trouble and what happened cannot be changed. We all die sooner or later.”

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