Into the large bag made of carpet that she’d used when they’d stolen into the night three months ago after everything else was taken from them, she stuffed what clothing remained to her, her pearl-handled hairbrush and mirror, and her small bottle of gardenia-scented perfume that she used so sparingly she doubted anyone could actually smell it, but dabbing just a bit behind each ear always made her feel as though all was not lost. She left the blankets, folded neatly in the corner, because she was certain Griffith, possibly Marcus, could make use of them. On top of the stack she placed her earnings from the Mermaid, the three sovereigns Benedict Trewlove had given her, and the few pence that remained from her two earlier attempts at employment. She knew Griffith had too much pride to take the money outright but if she left the coins there, when he came to retrieve the blankets, he would have no choice except to add them to his coffers. She felt better knowing that perhaps they might serve her brothers well.
She didn’t even consider pocketing a few coins for the hansom cab because she knew, simply knew, she wouldn’t need them.
When she, with Griffith at her side, stepped out of the residence, she saw that she had the right of it.
“Good morning, Miss Stanwick,” the hansom driver who’d brought them here last night called down from his seat.
“Good morning, sir.”
Griffith helped her climb into the conveyance, then followed her in, holding her bag on his lap. They’d not spoken a word to each other since waking. She hated that things between them were so tense.
She studied his profile, striving to memorize it in case they never crossed paths again. This man had been in her life since she was born, and yet she could describe Benedict Trewlove in greater detail than she could her own brother. “What are you going to tell them at the docks regarding your absence this morning?”
“Nothing. I’m done working the docks. I’ll pick up my wages this afternoon, and then I’ll be moving on.”
“Are you going to seek out Marcus?”
He finally slid his gaze over to her, offered a wry grin. “Yes. I feel guilty for being so relieved...”
“To be rid of me?”
He shook his head. “Never that. But to be able to assist him. I just hope this works out for you.”
“It will. I left the blankets for you and”—she hadn’t planned to tell him about the money but wanted to ensure he did return to the residence, did go into her room—“and all my earnings.”
As she’d known he would, he looked less than pleased at that. “You might have need of them.”
“I won’t. I’ll have him advance me this week’s wages, and I’ll be set.”
“You’ve certainly placed a lot of trust in him.”
“I’ve had no cause not to.”
“You’ve misjudged a man before.”
She knew he was referring to her betrothed. “That’s unfair. And we all misjudged Father.”
That seemed to take the wind from his sails. “Yes, we did.”
The hansom cab slowed and came to a stop outside her new residence.
“I know this place,” Griffith said. He jerked his gaze to her. “It’s a brothel.”
“Have you visited?”
“No.” He swung his gaze to the building, then back to her. “Some of the chaps from work suggested it. You can’t possibly think I’m going to let you walk in there.”
She sighed. “Ah, Griff, I’ve already been in there twice. I’m going in there to teach, not to do the... other thing.”
The doors of the vehicle sprung open and she clambered out. She wrapped her fingers around the handle of her bag. “Let go.”
Holding tightly to her bag, he leapt out and placed it at her feet. “Althea—”
“I’m going to be all right. I promise.”
“Shall I wait for you, sir?” the driver asked.
“No.” Once the horse and carriage were on their way, Griffith gave her a wry grin. “I don’t think Trewlove would have paid for my return home. If things don’t work out here as you expect them to or if you should have need of us”—he pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket, placed it against her palm, closed her fingers around it—“go to that address, knock on the door, and tell the gent who answers that you have a package for Wolf that needs to be picked up straightaway. Word will get to Marcus and that night you should hear a tapping on your window. When you do, meet us outside. But only contact us if it’s crucial.”
