Page 67 of Sacrificing the Untamed Lady Henrietta
Now that she could look at them at her leisure, there was no mistaking the frame of Mr. Booth, as the two individuals spoke animatedly. It appeared that the young woman was cross with him about something, her expression shifting from fear to anger in steady waves. His body language gave off a similar suggestion of ire, his shoulders tense and his hands waving wildly as they gesticulated something she could not hear.
Who are you?
“What is the matter?” Ewan hissed in her ear.
“Mr. Booth is just up the street, speaking with the young lady,” she whispered back.
“Are you sure?” he gasped.
“Oh yes. I would know that man anywhere.”
She kept her eye on the unlikely pair for a few moments longer, before the young lady shoved Mr. Booth in the arm and stormed off. Mr. Booth waited there for a couple of seconds, before turning and disappearing down the right-hand street, in the opposite direction to the young lady. Whatever their discussion had been, he didnotlook happy. Indeed, thunderclouds seemed to have gathered over his head as he strode away.
“You must return to the Old Bell,” Henrietta insisted, realizing she only had a small window of opportunity to utilize.
Ewan frowned. “Not without you.”
“I have to go after that woman,” she replied firmly. “If you come with me, you are like to scare her away. Please, allow me to do this. If you have any faith in me at all, then let me discover the truth from her.”
“And put you in harm’s way?” He shook his head in disbelief.
“I am able to protect myself, my Lord. Please, trust me.”
“Unacceptable.”
Henrietta cast him a withering look. “Then, if you will not do as I ask, follow at a reasonable distance and do not seek to come between us. You cannot be seen by her, do you understand?”
He nodded slowly. “That is infinitely more reasonable.”
“Very well, then come on before she disappears from sight.” Darting out of the alleyway, Henrietta took off up the street and turned left where the young woman had. She could make out the girl’s thin frame in the distance, about to turn right. Despite her heavy dress and her unsuitable boots, Henrietta broke into a run, determined to catch up with the stranger. Behind her, she could hear Ewan’s footsteps following at a distance.
In truth, she felt safer, knowing he was there. Still, danger was the last thing on her mind. Instead, she felt only anticipation.
Now, I shall find some answers. You will not escape me.
Chapter 26
Henrietta followed the young woman through a labyrinth of streets, always conscious of Ewan close by, before finally catching up to her outside a terraced house. It looked somewhat dilapidated, the paintwork peeling off the exterior and one of the upper windows cracked like the veins of a spider’s web.
“Excuse me!” Henrietta called out. The woman whirled around in fright, her big eyes even wider. She struggled with the key in the lock, trying to gain entry faster. However, Henrietta was beside her before she could get inside. “I only want to talk,” she said softly, laying her hand on the young woman’s arm.
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“That is of little consequence. I just wish to ask you a few questions.”
“What kind of questions?” Her accent was hard to place, though it had the clipped tones of the South. Indeed, it sounded as though her upbringing had been good, though it was hard to decipher that much from a voice.
“First, I should like to know your name.”
“Why?”
“I shall explain everything soon enough,” Henrietta promised.
“Isobel Booth,” she answered, after a lengthy pause.
“That man you were talking to on the corner, not a moment ago. That was Mr. Booth, yes?”
She nodded uncertainly. “Does this concern him? If so, you ought to speak with him yourself.”
