Page 19 of A Dream of Redemption
“I have faith in you too. I thought you needed to know the men were looking for you. This is their territory and—”
Warmth and pleasure hit hard and fast. She was concerned for him. “I grew up on these streets. I don’t need your protection or your concern.” Best stamp on any “friendliness” immediately. He didn’t want her to be thinking about him or worrying about him. Familiarity was not allowed. Not between the daughter of a marquis and a likely bastard of the streets who’d worked as a…
His terse words had the desired effect. She said no more but he hated the hurt he read in her eyes.
They had almost made it back to the orphanage—he’d taken the long way around, hoping the men Glover sent after him would not think to go this way—when they turned a corner and ran headfirst into three men. He did not think they were Glover’s men because they were more interested in Lady Helen than him.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here,” and the man reached out to pull the hood of Helen’s cloak off.
“Don’t touch her.” Clary’s words were deep and almost a growl. His hand grabbed the man’s arm before he could touch her.
“My, my, whatever is under this cloak must be pretty special to invoke such a response. Makes me want to see it even more.”
This was not good. His heart sank as he noted Helen had not slunk behind him. She stood tall and imperious as if these men would bow and scrape to her once they knew who she was. They’d more likely kidnap her—or worse.
He shoved her behind him and made to cross to the other side of the road but one of the men stepped in his path.
“I said show me the woman.” He tried to peer round him. “What are you hiding?”
Clary fingered the dagger in his pocket and knew surprise was his only hope of getting Helen out of this in one piece. In one swift movement he smashed his fist into the man’s nose and slashed out with his dagger in the other hand, catching the second man just under his ribs. The third man lunged at him with a knife but he ducked sideways.
“Run,” he yelled. “Bloody run.”
Thank God Helen didn’t need any further motivation. She took to her heels, and Clary took off after her. He must have created enough damage as no one followed.
He was gasping for breath by the time he caught Helen up and they ran through the entrance of the orphanage together; the guards he’d placed on the doors went on alert to anyone following.
As soon as they were safely inside he called for his men and began barking orders. He had no idea where Helen had gone; all he wanted was to get back to the warehouse before Glover moved anything he had stored in there—hopefully the children.
It took him and his men half an hour to go over the plan of how they would broach the warehouse. No doubt Glover had it well guarded. He made to stand to freshen up before they left, and as he stood the room began to rock and roll as if he was on the deck of a boat.
Just then the door opened and Helen entered. She took one look at him and screamed. That’s the last sound he heard before the room went dark.
Chapter 6
Helen raced to where Clary had collapsed on the floor. There was blood on his trousers and it was dripping down his legs. He must have been knifed in the scuffle with those men.
“Fetch a doctor and, Richard, help me get him upstairs to his room. He’s had a run-in with a knife.”
She couldn’t believe how calm she sounded when inside she was a scared young girl. Mary had come running in her nightwear at Helen’s scream. “Mary, hot water and brandy please,” she called as the men carried him up the stairs.
Clary came to just as they laid him on the bed and she’d bent to remove his jacket. “What the hell are you doing?” he said.
“You’ve been struck by a knife; you’re bleeding everywhere.”
“I—we have to raid the warehouse.”
She pushed him back down. “Richard and the men can go.” She looked at Richard as she said it.
“Of course. We’ll go now, if you don’t mind, before Glover learns we’re onto him. Besides, there is not a lot we can do here.” He smiled at Clary. “You look as though you’re in fine hands, anyway.”
When Clary didn’t argue, Helen really began to worry. She nodded at Richard. “Go and bring those children home.”
“Yes, my lady.”
As soon as the door closed behind Richard, Helen began stripping the jacket off Clary. She tried not to show her hands were shaking. She’d never taken a man’s clothes off before. Especially not the clothes of a man who not long ago had pulled her into his arms and kissed her in the street and then mentioned nothing about it.
She remembered everything about it.
