by Wendy Vella
The man grunted then rolled away from them several times before Wolf could stop him. He got to his feet and stumbled off down the alley. Wolf’s thigh wasn’t up to chasing him; the deep ache told him he would be uncomfortable for the remainder of the day.
“He is getting away, sir!”
“So he is.”
“B-but should we not chase him?”
We not you, which he found interesting. Most women would assume he was responsible for catching the thief.
“He is gone, as is the other one, and I’m not sure what we would have done with either had they stayed.”
She exhaled loudly, and Wolf wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.
“Yes, you are likely right. I’m sure there is too much petty thievery in London to concern the Watch.”
“Very likely, but this is more than petty thievery. Those men wanted to harm you personally, madam. You were lured into this alley for nefarious purposes.”
She looked at him then, and due to the fact he could see clearly in the darkened alley, he now knew she had soft brown eyes, the left significantly darker, appearing almost black, set in a pale heart-shaped face. A small rounded chin and nose framed her soft lips, the lower plumper than the upper. Not overly tall, she came to his chin, and he could think of no other words to describe her except as exquisitely beautiful.
Those eyes were wide with concern as she looked up at him. Wolf felt the charge of awareness again. Unsettled, he took a step back.
“I am indebted to you then, sir, for coming to my aid, as surely I would not have been able to escape had you not.”
“You do realize that what you did was extremely foolhardy, madam. Following that man into this alley could have cost you your life.”
Her chin rose. “He took my money, and as I have need of it, I did what I could to recover it.”
“But you could even now be struggling while they hurt you.”
“I know what you say is likely true, sir, but I worked for this money, and as I want to eat and pay my lodging, I had to retrieve it.”
“Even if it cost you your life?”
There was something about this woman that made him feel as if he had woken up from a long sleep. All his senses were suddenly on high alert.
Very strange.
“Come, madam, I will see you out of here and back among the people in the street.” He lifted a hand and motioned her to walk before him. “I must see to my horse before someone tries to steal him also.”
She did as he asked, and his eyes fell to the long tail of her braid. By the thickness of it, when released it would be quite something.
What is the matter with you? Wolf liked women, and yet rarely did the sight of a braid make his body twitch.
Chapter 2
Raising his eyes as they approached the street, he found Apollo where he’d left him. A handful of children were admiring him, which usually happened wherever they went. Apollo had a large ego and enjoyed any attention. The children’s faces were thin and some smeared with dirt, and he tried not to think about the lives circumstance had forced them to lead.
“I did not mean to sound ungrateful, sir. But I worked for this money, and while it may seem reckless to you to do as I did, it was important to me. Perhaps my actions were rash—”
“Perhaps?”
She ground her teeth, he knew this as he was watching her instead of Apollo. She intrigued him, and Wolf could honestly say no woman had done so for a long time. The sunlight showed him just how beautiful she truly was. Soft arched brows and lashes tipped in gold framed her eyes. Alive with emotion, they were focused on him.
“I do thank you for coming to my aid. I realize now my spleen has cooled that I should not have run foolishly after that man.”
“No, you should not.”
Her face showed displeasure at his words.
“I merely agreed with you, madam. But as you are already displeased with me, I will add that it is not the action of a sensible person to be walking about on these streets alone... at any time of the day.”
She exhaled a breath, her lips forming a sweet kissable pout.
“I assure you, sir, I am extremely sensible—”
“What’s his name?” a young boy asked Wolf, cutting off the woman’s words.
“Apollo.” Wolf dragged his eyes from her.
“He’s so big,” a little girl said.
“He is, but he will not harm you. If you will stand back, I shall get him to show you a trick.”
They all hurried to do as he bid. Wolf felt the woman move closer.
“Apollo, bow.” The horse dropped to his knees and lowered his head.
The children laughed and clapped hands, enjoying the show.
“Shake, Apollo.” He got to his feet and held out a hoof.
Wolf put him through a few tricks, and then handed out coins because he had plenty, and doubted many of these children had much.
“That was very kind of you.”
Wolf faced the woman again.
“I have enough money that I can give some away to those with so little.”
Her face softened.
“Again, that’s very kind of you when many don’t.”
Wolf didn’t offer anything else, instead running a hand down Apollo’s soft neck to acknowledge he had been a good boy.
“He is a lovely animal.”
She moved to Apollo’s head and placed a kiss on his nose. Wolf was sure his horse sighed.
Her hair was a deep, rich copper. She wore a brown dress and gray shawl. Nothing flattering or designed to enhance her figure, so why then was he so aware of her?
“You are a clever boy,” she said, rubbing Apollo’s forehead.
“That is enough, madam, or he will be impossible to ride for the remainder of the day.”
“Surely not? He is far too well-mannered to be impossible.”
Apollo turned slightly to look at Wolf, and loosely interpreted, that look said “at least someone appreciates me.”
Other than his sight, Wolf also had the ability to communicate with animals. Since returning injured that had not been so prevalent, likely because he’d become less open to such things, having shut part of himself off.
“He has a monumental ego that is in continual need of stroking.” Apollo bared his teeth.
“I almost believe he understands you.”
“He is a horse,” Wolf said, neither denying or confirming her words.
“And as such, unable to understand?”
Wolf decided to leave that question alone.
“May I suggest that next time you let the man have your money, or walk about with someone to protect you, madam.”
“I need no man to protect me nor have the luxury to do so, and yes, I know,” she lifted one gloveless hand, “my actions were not those of a sensible woman in your opinion, so we shall agree to disagree on that point.” She left the horse to stand before him.
Her eyes had darkened to slate, the left now almost black. She was fascinating to watch, as her expression kept changing.
“God’s blood, Amadeus!”
“Pardon?” Wolf turned to see what had her cursing.
“Him.” She pointed to where a feline sat glaring at them from the third story of a narrow building. “He is stuck again.”
The building was in a state of disrepair. Paint was chipped, windows cracked, and the sign declared it to be Putt’s Lodging House.
“You live here?”
As she was still looking at the cat, she did not see the horror on Wolf’s face. To think of this beautiful creature living in such a place made his stomach clench. Why, when so many were forced to, he had no idea, and it merely confirmed that he needed to get away from her as soon as he could.
“He got himself out there, he’ll get himself back again, madam.”
“No, I will have to rescue him, as I do at least twice a day. He is one of the tenant’s cats, but as she is elderly, it falls to me to save him.” The frown
grew, and her brogue had thickened.
The roof did not look sound and was some distance above the ground, so a fall would seriously harm her.
“He’s a cat, madam. He’ll land on his feet if he falls off that roof, and likely walk away with his tail in the air. You however, will not. If the fall didn’t kill you, it would at the very least break several bones.”
She shot him a look, eyes narrowed. The braid swished to the right as she shook her head.
“Yes, well, thank you, but I can look after myself.”
“I can see how well that is going for you.”
“I assure you I am capable of caring for myself, and have been doing so for weeks. I’m sure I would have evaded those men eventually, as I am much faster and more nimble than both.”
“You cannot be serious. They had several pounds on you, and one blow from a fist would have knocked you senseless. Plus, you admitted before you should not have followed him.”
Her lips pursed, and Wolf had the urge to kiss her, which had him clenching his fists.
“I said that to appease you. I would have outwitted and outrun them. They were muttonheaded... as many are,” she added under her breath, which Wolf heard clearly.
“I hope you are not suggesting I fall under that category?”
She exhaled loudly.
“Forgive me, that was rude after you saved me; therefore I shall again thank you and ignore your rude manner.”
“I was not rude, I was honest.”
“And rude,” she said, turning away to look up at the cat once more, who was still on the roof watching them.
Wolf felt a perverse need to make her acknowledge the danger she’d been in.
“Madam, you would not have escaped those men had I not followed you into that alley, and I insist you acknowledge that.”
Her eyes turned swiftly back to his, now narrowed.
“Do you always like to be right, sir?”
Did he? It wasn’t always the case in his family, but yes, in his life Wolf usually liked to be right, and often was.
“I do not make rash statements or decisions that put me into a position to be wrong.”
“How very restrained of you, sir. I wish I had such rigid control over myself.”
Was she actually daring to mock him?
“I find it keeps me safe and out of situations that would place me in trouble, madam.” Wolf’s words were clipped.
“As I was just in?”
He didn’t say anything, just held her eyes.
“Oh very well, I concede. Will that make you happy now?”
“I did not know I was unhappy.”
“Perhaps the correct term is stuffy, instead of unhappy.”
Wolf had no words... actually could not form any for a matter of seconds. How dare she call him stuffy!
“Good day, sir, and let me say again that I am grateful for your help, and likely you are right, I was in peril.”
She turned from him again, this time walking to stand beneath the cat.
“Likely!” Wolf thundered. “You were in peril, and I am not stuffy!”
She ignored him, and instead made a noise that she obviously hoped would get the feline’s attention.
“Come down here at once, Amadeus!”
The cat yowled, loud and off-key.
“He certainly doesn’t have the dulcet tones of his namesake,” Wolf muttered, coming to her side and not sure why. He should simply get on Apollo and ride away, and yet here he still stood, beside her.
“How do you know he is named after Mozart?” Her eyes remained on the cat.
“Amadeus is not a terribly common name, and to repeat what I just said, I am not stuffy.” His voice sounded stuffy, and he wished he’d kept his thoughts to himself. But for some reason she was getting a reaction from him, and usually there were only a few people who could do that. Most carried Sinclair blood.
Her smile was small, but suddenly her face moved again, and the effect was stunning.
“How very clever of you, sir, Mrs. Little did indeed name him after the famous composer. Now I must get Amadeus down before he hurts himself. Forgive me if my words upset you; perhaps I am still a little off-balance since the incident.”
It was a concession, not an apology, but it would be petty of him to continue.
“I was not upset.”
“Of course,” she said quickly, and to Wolf’s ears her tone was mocking.
“You are a long way from home, madam.”
“I am” was all she said, focusing on the cat once more, making those noises people did when trying to get them to come, which they usually ignored. Cats, Wolf had always found, were notoriously fickle creatures.
“He will come down when he is ready.”
“I know that cat, and no he won’t. Plus, Miss Martin lives beneath and does not like cats overly. Should he leap down to her window she will shriek, and Mrs. Putt’s nefarious son said once more and Mrs. Little will be forced to find other accommodation.”
“Nefarious?”
“I believe it means flagrantly wicked, sir.”
“I know what it means,” Wolf bit out. The side of her lips tilted, suggesting she was deliberately annoying him.
“Why is he nefarious?”
“Many reasons, but the main one is that he is a penny-pinching thug with lecherous intent. As you can see by the state of the building, he has not spent money on repairs for years, and the inside is little better.”
The thought of any man having lecherous intentions toward this woman made his fists clench.
What the hell was the matter with him?
“Stay away from him then.”
“I do where I can.”
“Or find other lodgings, if this one is in such a state.”
The look she shot him was pitying, and made Wolf’s teeth snap together.
“Yes of course, silly me, I had not thought of that.”
He’d sounded like a fool, and realized that of course it would cost less to live here than in many of the other lodging houses in better condition.
“Forgive me, I had no right to speak as I did.”
She waved his words away with a flick of her slender wrist.
“Amadeus, come down at once!” she yelled.
The cat yawned.
Come down here, you fiend. Or this foolish woman will break her neck trying to rescue you.
The cat meowed at him.
Were you mine, I would leave you out there without food and shelter.
“Amadeus, come down at once,” he said, loud enough for the animal to hear.
He stretched, letting Wolf know he wasn’t the one in control of the situation, and then with a flick of his tail he strolled toward the open window and jumped through.
“Oh!” The woman clapped her hands together. “How did you get him to do that?”
“It was not me. Cats rarely do what anyone wants them to. He was just ready to come inside, which he would have done eventually, so there is now no need for you to risk your health to retrieve him again.”
Wolf turned back to face her and switched his vision before he could stop himself. Shock had him quickly switching back. Her color was the exact match to his.
The people we choose, and who eventually hold our hearts, Wolf, must have our colors. He could hear Dev’s words inside his head. Run, was his next thought.
“Well then, I shall bid you good day.” He bowed. Turning on his heel, he kept his stride slow and even as he walked back to Apollo.
Mounting, he didn’t look at her again, but a force stronger than he could resist had him seeking her out one last time at the end of the street. She stood there watching him, and because he could see farther and clearer than others, he saw the line between her eyes as she frowned.
Look away, Wolf. But something made him keep eye contact until a carriage hid her from his sight. Only then did he exhale and unclench his fists.
Chapter 3
Two hours later, after meeting with his
solicitors, Wolf was still left with a feeling something monumental had taken place in his life. A life changing event that involved a woman with flame colored hair and a smart mouth.
Tilting his head, he let the sun settle on his face.
Why her, and why now? No one had made him feel since his return from the war, and yet today he did.
Guiding Apollo through the busy London traffic, he wondered if it was just a coincidence, and he’d been changing without his knowledge. Had his soul finally found some light, and only now, today, was he acknowledging it?
Perhaps that woman had triggered something, and that was why he’d felt as he had. Surely it could have been any woman? Even if she did have his colors; after all, surely plenty did?
You’ve never seen one.
Wolf’s nightmares were becoming less frequent, so surely this was another sign he was improving. His last had been nearly two weeks ago, when he’d contemplated seeking oblivion in the bottle of laudanum he had hidden in his night table.
Pushing the disturbing Scotswoman from his thoughts, as he was unlikely to ever see her again unless he sought her out, which he absolutely would not do, he entered Fleet Street.
Having invested in The Trumpeter, Cam’s newspaper, he often checked on the business and helped with maintaining the machinery.
Wolf liked to work with his hands. Liked taking things apart and putting them back together again, hopefully working better.
After stabling Apollo and telling him to behave or there would be no treat upon Wolf’s return, he headed to the small tea shop next door to his cousin’s newspaper. He purchased several cakes, and ate one as he walked in through the door and up the stairs of the The Trumpeter.
He found his cousin in the office with his wife, Emily. Also two other cousins, Eden, Duchess of Raven, and Warwick, youngest brother of the Sinclair clan.
“You cannot actually expect me to start a fashion supplement, Eden. Have mercy, we are a serious paper!”
Wolf heard Cam’s words as he entered. Tall, yet not as big in stature as Wolf and Dev, he had the Sinclair green eyes and black hair.
There were subtle changes in his cousin since his marriage to Emily. Small things that those closest to him had noticed. He’d lost the cynical edge he’d often carried. Emily too had come out of hiding, and now lived comfortably at her husband’s side. Each had been carrying burdens from their pasts the other had healed. Their love, like the others in his family, was a wonderful thing.
