Page 34 of His Scandal
Chapter 10
Emmeline had thought her plan to spy on Alex and record his behavior was brilliant—until it was time to carry it out. It took two days even to find an opportunity to sneak out of the manor.
The only people usually on the street were commoners, but it seemed too risky to dress as a maidservant, and be at the mercy of every passing man.
When she thought of disguising herself as a boy, she felt a shiver of unease, followed by a mounting excitement.
It was easy to shuffle through the supply of servants’ garments to find a pair of breeches and a loose shirt. When she was dressed, she added a doublet to hide the curves that would mark her as a woman, and high boots to disguise her legs. She tucked her hair up beneath a round woolen cap.
When she was safely out the door she brokeinto a run through the garden, enjoying the freedom from her gown and the promise of a sunny day for her adventure. At the Thames, she hired a wherry boat to take her to Southwark.
Surely she would find Alex abed at the Rooster. The sun still hid behind the buildings as she tried to walk with a confident swagger from the dock to the tavern. More than once she had to fling herself into a doorway to keep from being run over by a fast-moving coach. She was deciding how to watch both entrances to the building, when the front door began to swing open. Ducking aside, she glanced over her shoulder and stared with surprise at Alex’s back as he strode away. He tossed his short cape back from his shoulders; the spurs on his long boots jingled. He looked awake and ready for the day, and a whistle trailed behind him.
Why had she thought him the type to be grumpy and ill from the effects of drinking? She had expected that to be the first fault on her list.
No matter. The day was young, and Alex was certainly capable of every kind of scandal, both large and small. She would have plenty of things to warn Blythe about.
The first place he visited was Paris Garden, only a few streets away from the Rooster. She knew what went on there—bear-baiting—and she repressed a shudder.
But as the crowd gathered, and she had to stand on the tips of her toes to see Alex’s dark hairand broad shoulders, she was determined to follow him.
All sizes of men closed about her, from hunched, toothless old grandfathers to eager youths much younger than she. She was elbowed and pushed along a path she hadn’t chosen, and the sudden roar of cheering men rose like a wave. After losing sight of Alex, she could only trot along to keep from being trampled. She dreaded that someone would notice she was a woman.
They went into a tunnel beneath the building, and Emmeline paid a penny. Soon she was standing beneath the gallery, with large men blocking her view of the sunlit pit. While a pack of dogs snarled, every roar of the bear made her wince as she imagined what was being done to the poor thing.
“Here now, lad,” said a gruff voice behind her. “Can ye not see?”
She looked over her shoulder to find an older man squinting down at her, his tanned face etched with white lines at his eyes and around his mouth.
“I don’t need to see, sir,” she said, remembering to deepen her voice. “I’m looking for my friend.”
“So he brings ye to the bear-baiting and leaves you for a doxy, right?”
“Well, no—”
“Worry not, lad, me boys here can make sure yehave a grand old time. Who has another pint of beer for me new friend here?”
Emmeline’s eyes widened. “Sir, you are too kind, but—”
“The name’s Robbie, lad.”
Someone thrust a tankard of beer at her, and as it sloshed all over her hands, everyone laughed.
“Now lad,” Robbie continued, “we can tell ye be taking a holiday from the manor to be with us common folk—”
She glanced nervously at the many curious faces peering down at her. Why had she spoken so formally?
“—but no need for fear. Ye’re among friends. Drink up!”
A couple of the boys cheered as she took a cautious sip, and then another. She’d had beer before, and though this was hardly the best she’d sampled, it did quench her thirst.
“Come on, it’ll put hair on your chin!” Robbie said with a laugh.
He put his big hand on her back and pushed her between two much taller men, whose elbows grazed her shoulders. She was pressed against a wooden balustrade, and she clutched the tankard to her chest to keep from spilling it. She could see a muddy pit encircled by three levels of galleries, all crowded with boisterous patrons. There were even women hanging on the arms of their men. Taking another sip of beer, she laughed as she realized she could have dressed plainly and come as herself.
The bear roared again, and her gaze was reluctantly drawn to the pit. A brown bear with scars about his muzzle and through his fur was chained from his iron collar to a stake in the very center of the pit. Circled by a pack of growling mastiffs, the poor bear didn’t know which way to turn.
Emmeline gasped when the first dog finally leapt at him. With a roar, the bear caught him in a bone-crushing hug. Feeling queasy, she turned away and took another swallow of beer. She knew the bear wouldn’t be allowed to die, for he was worth much to his handlers. But as for the dogs…she didn’t want to speculate. She sipped her beer and lifted her gaze to the gallery above her.
