Theodora

by Christina McKnight

  Theo wanted to scream that hearing of his man from Scotland was the first interesting thing to come out of Gladstone’s mouth.

  Instead, she smiled, acting as if the revelation were agreeable to her. She had no intention of pushing him to start a formal courtship. His requirements for a suitable wife meant naught to her.

  The dowager viewed her only daughter as the quiet, timid mouse that had departed for school six years before—a girl who did her utmost to please her mother. Little did the dowager realize, Theo had never been that girl. Her brother and his wife knew that, and they’d never force Theo to marry a man not to her liking, especially since their marriage was one of mutual love.

  Her mother hurriedly entered the room, Olivia on her heels pushing a cart heavy with tea and sandwiches. Theo could not think of a worse way to spend her day than continuing her time with Mr. Gladstone.

  “Mother, I—“ she started.

  “Thank you ever so much for allowing me to call on Lady Theodora,” Gladstone gushed, standing. “But I must be going. My father is expecting me shortly.”

  If Theo didn’t despise the man so much, she’d hug him. Hopefully, he’d seen much in her he didn’t favor and would move on to another innocent miss to court—hopefully one of an acceptable age.

  “May I call on your daughter again in the near future, my lady?” he asked Theo’s mother, ignoring her once more.

  It was galling when others acted as if she weren’t present—or in possession of the ability to speak for herself. No, she did not favor a future call from Gladstone. In fact, she’d far more favor a swim in the River Thames, stark naked, than endure this man’s droning on and on about his ideal wife.

  “I, and my daughter, would enjoy that very much, Mr. Gladstone,” her mother replied, dashing all hopes of being rid of the man for good. “If you are certain you cannot stay for tea. Do give my best regards to your mother and father.”

  “It pains me gravely to say I cannot stay,” Gladstone said, placing his hand—his fingers fat as holiday sausages—over his heart as if it seized. “I will certainly pass on your good tidings. And I look forward to visiting with your daughter again.”

  “I will show you out.” Her mother bustled to his side, slipping her arm through his as they departed the room. Gladstone did not so much as glance in her direction when he left—similar to when he’d arrived. It appeared he favored a wife seen but not heard, or likely never seen or heard except when he deemed he was in need of a meal.

  After the love her mother and father had shared, despite it being cut short, Theo was highly disconcerted by the notion that her mother would doom her to a life devoid of such mutual affection.

  However, Theo did not have time to dwell on that fact—she had a friend to warn and a room to depart before her mother returned.

  She was in no jeopardy of being betrothed to Gladstone before her season officially started.

  Though she did fear her dearest friend would not make it to her first season if Mr. Price found her before Theo did.

  Theo heard the thud of the front door closing as she slipped from the room and ran towards her brother’s study—and the drawer he’d set up for his mother and sister’s pin money. She took only enough for the hackney fare and fled through the double doors and around the side of the house—only pausing for a moment to consider leaving a note about the missing funds.

  Their alleyway led to a busy street on the border of Mayfair—the perfect place to hail her first London hackney driver.

  Chapter 5

  Alistair fought his baser instincts—to return home and badger all his siblings into confessing where Adeline had run off to and demand to know who was in cahoots with her, but his bid for patience was rewarded when Gladstone slunk from Lady Theodora’s townhouse only a brief twenty-five minutes after his arrival. If Alistair had wagered correctly, Lady Theo would shortly send word to Adeline about his fury.

  It would leave him only the need to follow the servant directly to his errant sister.

  A slip of pale blue caught his eye as it flashed out a side door and disappeared down the alley bordering the back of the row of townhouses.

  “What in the damn hell…” Alistair’s words trailed off as he spurred his horse from the shadows across the street and into action, traversing the lane that ran parallel to the alley used to deliver goods to the many houses on her street. His sister must be close if Lady Theo had departed on foot. He needs must keep her in sight, for if he lost her, there was little chance of him tracking down Adeline and bringing her home. Passing another long drive, he caught sight of her once more as she continued down the rutted alley. There were only three more homes on the street before intersecting with Piccadilly towards his own townhouse on St. James.

  “On, Saber,” he pushed his mount.

  If she made it to the main street, he would likely lose sight of her in the crowd.

  Alistair reached the end of the byway where Lady Theo emerged from the alley and waved her arms wildly. A moment later, a hack pulled up beside her. Holding her gown high, she climbed aboard without assistance. He was too far away to hear what was said, but he pulled his horse back a few steps as the hack picked up speed and entered traffic once more, passing in front of him on Piccadilly.

  She didn’t spy him as the hack moved past, her hair whipping in the breeze.

  Alistair allowed several carriages to pass before following her onto the busy thoroughfare. He could not risk following too closely, for she’d likely spot him trailing her and keep moving in an attempt to lead him astray.

  However, the fashionable part of London turned to less desirable areas as they approached the River Thames, continuing outside the city wall. It was an area that even Alistair avoided as the streets were rife with pickpockets and those not against harming another for their own gain—and here Lady Theo was, risking her safety in such a brazen manner. This was far more disconcerting than her association with Gladstone, and another subject he’d bring to the earl’s attention when soon they spoke.

  Not that Alistair was one to criticize another man on his methods of raising his siblings—at the moment, Adeline was missing and very likely the one leading Theodora into the East End of London.

  Navigating around a cart piled high with vegetables and being pulled by a horse not long from expiring, Alistair kept the hack in sight as they entered Whitechapel. The driver turned down several streets, cutting off pedestrians and almost hitting a man on horseback. All the while, he watched Lady Theo careen from side to side.

  Alistair was utterly useless to aid her.

  The many carriages, horses, carts, and people on foot intensified as they traveled deeper into Whitechapel, the hack slowing to a snail’s pace before pulling to a halt before a crowded field, the closest thing to a park Whitechapel had.

  A sign proclaimed, Archery Tourney—Open to all!

  Lady Theo handed the driver his fare and jumped down from the hack. She spoke with a man at the park entrance before sliding past him into the crowd beyond. The park was not so large he worried about locating her inside.

  Dismounting, Alistair nodded to a young boy sitting against a dilapidated building bordering the park. “What is going on here?”

  “Can ye no’ read?” the boy responded, smiling to reveal two missing front teeth. “It be a bow tourney. Gonna be a good one, me thinks.”

  “Why are you not inside, then?” Alistair asked, holding Saber’s reins at his side.

  “I doona have the coin, m’lord. So I be listen’n from ‘ere.”

  “Would you like the coin to enter and watch from the stands?” Alistair said as the boy’s eyes lit up but quickly turned skeptical.

  “I doona reckon I know, sir.” He stood from his place against the wall. “No one be jus’ giv’n away shillings.”

  “Oh, certainly not,” Alistair confided with a chuckle. “If you hold tight to my horse until I return, I will give you the coin to enter the park.”

  The boy smiled once mor
e. “I can be do’n that. How long ye be gone?”

  “Not long, I promise.” He held the reins out to the boy. “My friends call me Alistair, and this is Saber.”

  “I be Alger, sir.”

  “Noble spearman?” At the boy’s look of confusion Alistair continued. “Your name means ‘noble spearman.’ With a name as such, you cannot be anything but trustworthy.”

  “Me mum thinks so,” the boy answered. “I keep good watch on Saber while ye be gone.”

  “Thank you, Alger. I will hurry so you do not miss much of the action.” Alistair patted the boy on the shoulder before walking the short distance to the entrance Lady Theo had gone through—her driver waiting.

  “Mister?” Alistair called to him, struggling to be heard over the growing crowd moving down the walk.

  “Fare’s paid, and I be wait’n for me customer,” the driver responded without so much as a look at Alistair, but the man’s comment was all he needed to hear.

  Lady Theodora did not plan to be long within the tourney before departing once more. If his sister were within the park, Theo was either collecting her or giving her fair warning. He needed to locate them both before something untoward happened. The area was certainly not safe for any woman, chaperoned or not.

  He tried to slip past the man who’d allowed Lady Theo entrance only a few moments before.

  “Ye be enter’n the tourney?” the man asked, blocking Alistair’s entrance.

  “Yes,” he replied without thinking, only knowing Theo was beyond.

  “Where ye equipment be?”

  “Ummm—“

  “View’n people go round ta the other side.”

  Alistair needed to enter here—it was his best chance of finding Lady Theo quickly. “My companion entered with my equipment earlier.”

  The burly man eyed him from head to toe, most likely noting his less than suitable attire, but eventually stepped aside. “Very well. First round starts soon. Practice area be that way.”

  “Thank you, my good man.” Alistair didn’t wait before entering, fearing the guard would change his mind.

  His hope of finding Theodora—along with Adeline—quickly and departing before they were recognized was dashed as soon as he entered. Hundreds of people milled about the grassy area beyond, raising bows and aiming at various targets. It was a wonder no one was injured by a stray arrow—it was utter chaos. How was he to spot anyone—especially a woman he’d only known for a day—in this horde of people?

  Chapter 6

  Theo paused, rising to her tiptoes once again to search the many tourney competitors. The smell of unwashed bodies had invaded her nose the second she entered the park—there were certainly more people present than the small area could allow, making practice far more dangerous in such close quarters. Nevertheless, men—with a few women mingling—pulled their bowstrings taut and released, sending their arrows flying toward a row of crudely made targets—unlike the expertly crafted targets provided to them at Miss Emmeline’s. Many arrows whizzed right past their intended mark, landing on the ground beyond, either due to a horrible shot or poorly constructed arrows.

  Men shouted and laughed, teasing one another. Others called for quiet as they prepared to release their arrows. Vendors moved in and out of the crowd, offering their foodstuffs and wares for sale to anyone who’d stop long enough to listen. The drone of the shouting and cart wheels upon the hard-packed ground echoed in Theo’s head.

  It was evident from the piles of discarded waste that many had arrived before sunup to ready for the competition—and to guarantee themselves a spot in the tourney. The grand prize, while not large by upper-class standards, was enough to draw archers from all over London. Theo had located The Post advertisement for the tourney after Adeline had voiced her intention to attend. There was said to be an entry all the way from France.

  A man carrying a longbow collided with her, almost causing her to stumble to the ground.

  “Watch it, miss,” he barked, continuing on his way without another look her direction.

  Her unease grew as she cast her gaze across the vast park, knowing she should return to her waiting hack and journey back to Mayfair. There was little chance of her finding Adeline and Georgie in the crowded area. Let the women learn of their trouble when they arrived home. That would be the safest way to handle the situation, but Theo wasn’t the kind of person to forsake a friend in need, no matter how much bother they were to her.

  Truly, Adeline and Georgie should never have entered the tourney to begin with. They needed practice and time, or they would lose what little money Georgie had been able to scrape together. They should not have risked being outshot in the first round. Taking in the caliber of sportsmen around her, Theo knew she’d need practice to best some of them—and she was by far the superior archer of their group. The chance to speak with Georgie hadn’t presented itself since yesterday, and Theo feared the girl’s nerves would get the best of her long before it was her turn to compete. If Georgie were in trouble, then Adeline was wasting her time entering the competition.

  Theo searched the crowd once more for her friends’ hooded frames. They’d agreed to conceal their identities to reduce the chances of being noticed. It was a smart decision as Adeline pointed out it would also draw merriment from the crowd, happy to cheer on a masked archer—and not only that, but a female masked archer. The mystery in itself would be enough to keep the crowd’s attention. Theo only feared their ruse would incite the crowd’s need to unmask Adeline and Georgie—that was if they were not bested and cast out in the first round. A voracious crowd’s attention would wane quickly if they deemed the mystery not grand enough.

  “Ye be look’n for me, sweetie?” a voice hissed in her ear as a strong hand latched on to her upper arm, squeezing until she winced from the pressure. The putrid smell of alcohol assaulted her nose as his hold on her tightened further. “Let us be seek’n some privacy, me little lassie.”

  Theo felt the burly man pulling her toward an open doorway leading into a warehouse that bordered the tournament grounds.

  “Unhand me this moment, before I sound an alarm,” Theo shouted, turning toward the man attempting to accost her.

  Her warning only served to cause him to pull her closer, his leering smile daring her to try and break free or call for help.

  Theo glanced around the tourney quickly, hoping someone was paying attention and would come to her rescue; however, not a single person made eye contact with her, each busy with his or her own task.

  “Come now, ye a might pretty thing.” He pulled her a few feet closer to the doorway, the darkness beyond leaving no doubt about her chances of escaping once within. “Jus’ a few pecks in the dark.”

  Her heart pounded as everything around her began to spin. Theo was unable to focus on anything as she frantically searched the crowd. A bead of sweat slipped down her forehead, over her brow, and into her eyes, causing a blinding pain. Theo blinked away the sting and strained to focus on the many faces around her, but they all blended into one.

  Her skin felt as if a thousand tiny bugs bit at the spot where he grasped her arm, her terror causing her knees to buckle as he dragged her ever closer to the darkened building. She should not have come, she should have awaited word from Adeline and hoped she’d fared well, she should have told Mr. Price where to find his sister—she’d had so many options, but Theo had chosen the wrong one. Maybe her mother and Mr. Gladstone were right: education was wasted on feeble-minded females.

  How could she have put herself in such a situation?

  The stranger’s hold became ever stronger as they approached the doorway. “Ye go’n ta like a few minutes with ol’ Donnie-boy, ye see.”

  His breath washed over her, assaulting her senses with the stench of alcohol once more. Her eyes watered, and her arm throbbed as her feet tried to gain purchase and stop him from dragging her the remaining distance.

  Cart and Jude would never find her. Her mother would wonder what had happened to
her. And her friends…they wouldn’t even know she’d come—to help them. On a positive note, she needn’t worry about being in Mr. Oliver Gladstone’s company again, though that fate did not seem as dire now in her moment of need.

  “Help,” Theo called to a man, grabbing his shoulder with her free hand, but he only shrugged from her grasp and turned away.

  She must do something, anything, or she’d be another casualty of the East End, a place where no proper woman should venture. An area that, if she’d confided in her brother, Cart would have argued against her traveling to.

  The darkness was getting closer, and Theo was still unable to break free. In only a few more feet, any further fight would be unnecessary for she’d never be able to see in the dark to find an escape. She stumbled, attempting to throw the brute off balance and slow his pace, giving her a moment to think. To flee.

  It worked well enough that she regained her footing somewhat. She raised her foot and slammed her heel down, hoping to make contact with his toes, and she was surprised when the man let out a yelp as her heel solidly struck the top of his foot. Donnie-boy—as he’d called himself—released her arm and lifted his injured appendage, hopping on the other leg as he cried out in agony.

  And still, no one paid attention. At least it was satisfying to know even though no one came to her rescue, they also paid no mind to his shouts of pain.

  It took Theo a moment to realize she needed to run, and fast, before he recovered and made another grab for her. It was unlikely he’d allow her an easy escape once more.

  Frantically, Theo searched the crowd for a place to hide or at least an area where people would help her. A lock of the fairest blonde hair escaped a cloaked figure only a short sprint from where Theo stood. It could be Adeline—or some other female, but there wasn’t enough time for Theo to ponder her decision.