Page 165 of Rakes & Reticules
Dottie nodded, so thankful that Sampson had been there. “Will you come and check on her?”
“Of course. Once she’s home, get her into bed and use a cool compress to ease the pain in her head. I’d imagine she has a megrim after all this.” He straightened. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”
* * *
Sam wonderedhow he would tell Dottie what the girl had done. At the time, his main concern was for the health of the child. She was a little thief and had probably been at it all afternoon. He imagined she’d been taught by the age of four how to pick pockets. But why today? Habit? After arranging for Dottie’s cart to be returned, he’d stopped by his office for his satchel and a tincture in case Violet was restless.
He knocked on the back door of the tavern, and Mrs. Clatterly answered it, spying his bag. “Oh, Dr. Brooks. You’re a saint. The poor little mite is asleep now, but Mrs. Brown is…” The landlady sighed and showed him to the room, leaving the door open as she backed away. “I’ll get you some tea.”
Dottie sat at a wooden table, staring at four small purses in front of her. When he entered, she looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
It seemed his explanation might not be as lengthy as he’d thought. “You found them in her pelisse?” He removed his greatcoat and hung it on a hook next to the door. Setting his satchel on the table, he took out the tincture and handed it to her.
“If she becomes restless during the night, give her two drops of this, no more. It will make her drowsy, so she can relax and go back to sleep.”
She nodded, then pointed to the stolen pouches. “Why?”
“I was wondering the same thing.” He sank into a chair next to her and took her hand. “When I caught her reaching into my greatcoat and snatched her up, she went berserk. I thought bringing her to you might calm her. And it did, eventually.”
“She s-stole from you?” Her voice cracked with pain. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why don’t we start at the beginning. Tell me how the two of you met.”
At this, the tears streamed down her face, a sob escaping. “I was going to tell you on Wednesday, explain everything.”
Apprehension skittered down his spine. “Explain what?”
“We met at a hanging.” She gazed at him with pleading eyes.
“The same day I first saw you?” he asked, releasing her hand. “We’ve never discussed that.”
Dottie closed her eyes and nodded.
“In hindsight, I realize she was being chased. But I asked her if she was there with someone, and she pointed to the gallows.” She swallowed and opened her eyes. “Her brother was the young man standing next to Robert.”
He blinked. “Robert Dunn?” His heart pounded as he waited for a trap door to open beneathhim. “And how would you know Robert Dunn?”
“He was my husband. Brown is my family name.”
Sam shook his head in disbelief. “You couldn’t have been married to that man. He was… he was—”
“A murderer. Yes, I know.” She reached for his hand, and he pulled it back. “I had no idea who he was. I thought he worked for a vicar of a wealthy parish.”
“The Vicar, a criminal with no conscience who we’ve been after for years. How could you not know?” He was shouting now and stood, sucking in a deep breath to calm himself.
“I was naïve and believed his façade of a gentleman. There was no one to guide me except a spinster who ran a girls’ school. She was fooled as well. I didn’t know until the constable knocked on our door and arrested him.”
“Your husbandworked for the man who was responsible for my mother’s death.” He ran his hand through his hair, pacing the room. “He sold the insurance certificate to my father. When I was finally able to pay off the debt, it was too late. My mother’s health was so poor, she only lived another six months. My father died within the year. Most likely of a broken heart.”
“Why were you at Newgate that day?” she asked, her voice growing cold.
“To watch The Vicar’s men hang.”
“And the man responsible for their arrest?”
“Paddy O’Brien.”
They stared at one another, at an impossible impasse.
