Page 52 of The Duke's Bride in Disguise
More work? Raff didn't think that any of the lads looked capable of another step, let alone more work, and yet they meekly followed the older boys through the door, evidently aware that there were jobs to be done before anyone would feed them.
A burning anger filled Raff, as the door to the house slammed shut behind the boys. That woman, Mother Brownrigg, had every look of a person who lived an idle life; soft hands, plump cheeks—all funded by the cruel labour of a dozen helpless boys.
He rather wished that he had his Flintlock with him, so that he could barge through the doors and rescue the poor boys from the clutches of Mother Brownrigg. However, it was not just this dozen boys who needed saving; there were hundreds, if not thousands, of climbing boys all over London and what was needed was law reform.
The thought of Mother Brownrigg festering in Newgate was at the forefront of Raff's mind as he turned toward home. He was so occupied, in fact, that as he passed onto East India Road, he almost failed to notice the two familiar figures scurrying along the footpath on the opposite side of the road.
It was Mary whom he noticed first, and then only because he heard her before he saw her. The Irish woman appeared to be in foul form, loudly remonstrating her companion for some indiscretion as they hurried along their way.
Raff blinked, then blinked again, when he realised that the young woman walking beside Mary looked rather familiar. Initially, given her clothing and the starched white cap upon her head, Raff had assumed the girl to be a servant, but her svelte figure and the black curls which peeked out from under her cap told him otherwise.
What on earth?
Raff paused, nearly knocking over a young man in the process. The lad let out a yelp and turned, as though to start an argument, but took one look at Raff's bulk and quickly continued on his way. What were they up to, Raff wondered again, hanging back lest the two women caught a glimpse of him. There was no business, that Raff could think of, that would require a well-bred young lady to venture into this part of town.
Careful not to be seen, Raff crossed the road and followed the two, at a distance, as they made their way back down to the West India Docks. They stopped outside the door of The Star of the Sea, an inn which evidently catered to sailors and tars, and to Raff's horror, after conferring for a moment, both women ventured inside.
Lud, he cursed under his breath, the silly girl—anything could happen to her inside. Spurred by a sense of masculine protectiveness, Raff hurried to follow the pair inside. The Star of the Sea was, mercifully, one of the dock's more sedate establishments. When Raff entered into the warm bar, it was deserted, though a fire danced in the grate and the murmur of voices could be heard from the room beyond.
Feeling rather conspicuous, Raff tiptoed across the rough, wooden floor, and positioned himself near the open door from which the voices were drifting.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he heard a woman say hotly, "I ain't never heard of no Lady Anna Darlington."
Lady Anna Darlington? The name sounded familiar to Raff's ears, but he could not quite place it.
"You have," Emily spoke then, her voice was instantly recognisable, and equally as heated as the woman's she was arguing with; "We spoke with Mrs Blythe just yesterday, and she said that after Lady Anna disappeared, you left to open an inn by the docks."
"And so what if I did?"
"Well, Mrs Blythe thinks it rather strange that after Lady Anna disappeared, you suddenly inherited enough money to open this fine establishment."
Raff blinked as he registered what Emily had just said—of course, Lady Anna was the daughter of Lord and Lady Darlington. The girl had disappeared some twenty years ago, when Raff was but a boy himself, but he knew of the tale—though why Emily was so concerned with it was beyond him.
"Are you saying I had something to do with her vanishing like that?"
The woman with whom Emily was arguing sounded very, very angry, and Raff wondered should he intervene or bide his time a tad longer.
"I don't think you're the reason why she vanished," Emily retorted, "But I think you know why. Was Lady Anna with child?"
"With child?" the woman snorted, "She wasn't expecting no bairn. If you want to know why she vanished, then why don't you find her and ask her yourself? Now, sling your hook, before I call for my Jimmy to throw you out on your ar—"
"Excuse me ladies, I believe it's time to leave."
Raff ignored the astonished look on the face of all three women, who evidently had not expected a duke to come rushing through the door. Mary's mouth was opening and closing with shock and she rather resembled a fish out of water.
"Who's this now?" the proprietress of the inn shrieked, turning to Emily with a scowl, "You didn't tell me you'd a gentleman with you."
"I didn't know that I had."
Instead of being grateful for his intervention, Emily was clearly annoyed by Raff's presence. She shot him an angry glare, which he ignored; she had no right to be indignant, not when she had put herself in such danger.
"Thank you for your time," Raff continued, ignoring Emily's protests, "We must be on our way."
Assuming the same commanding, no-nonsense air, that had served him so well in the army, Raff corralled the two women out of the inn, and back onto East India Road.
"Don't say a word," he warned Emily darkly, as he lifted his arm to hail a passing hackney, "Until we're inside."
It had been eons since Raff had last travelled in a public carriage, and as he, Emily and Mary settled inside, he remembered why; the lining of the seats were torn to shreds, there was a puddle of something unidentifiable under his feet, and the stench was so rancid that, had he not had Emily and Mary with him, he would have walked.
