“Put these on.” Jackson handed him his jacket, hat, and scarf. “Hide your face as much as you can. We can’t do anything about shoes for now.”
The fabric smelled of tobacco but was warm and soft, definitely the finest garment he’d ever worn. He ignored the stings in his bare soles as they sped up across the field. They climbed over the low fence enclosing the racecourse, and hepaused to glance back at the circus. The tent loomed over the ground, like a giant hand stretching out towards him.
He hated that place intimately. Escaping had been so easy as to be almost ridiculous.
All it’d taken had been a pair of thin tools.
The captain tapping his shoulder interrupted his flowing hatred.
“Lad,” Captain Jackson urged him on. “We’re nearly there. Come on.”
The circus disappeared from view when they turned a corner. The more distance he put between Murdock and himself, the more his head became dizzy. He doubted it was only happiness. There was something else lurking. Something he couldn’t name.
His pulse sped up when he saw Vivienne wrapped in a dark cloak. She rushed towards them, coming out of a quiet spot.
“You made it.” She sounded breathless.
He wanted to take her hand and kneel in front of her in gratitude but thought better of it. He was dirty, and they shouldn’t linger.
“The cab?” Captain Jackson asked.
“Waiting with Dobkins. We’ll have to walk for a few minutes. I didn’t want the driver to see you two coming out of the racecourse.”
“Good thinking.” The captain patted his shoulder, encouraging him to go on.
“For you.” Vivienne handed him a pair of trousers and a shirt. “I didn’t think about the shoes. Sorry.”
Sorry? She was saving his life.
He slid on the trousers and the shirt. He’d never been so finely dressed in all his life.
Captain Jackson helped him. “Come on, lad. Almost done.”
It had to be a dream. It had.
He followed Captain Jackson in a trance, wishing he could thank his rescuers for giving him a life again.
The walk might have been a long or a short one; he couldn’t tell, but they left the racecourse well behind to follow meandering cobbled streets.
If the area was a rookery or a place fit for a king, he couldn’t tell. In the semidarkness, the brick walls, the smooth pavement, and the diamond windows looked spectacular, new, and beautiful. The lamp posts lit the city, hiding the ugly side of it, and he needed that for now. He only wanted to focus on beauty.
Vivienne tossed a few smiles at him, and his heart stuttered. Next to her radiant beauty and fine clothes, he became painfully aware of his wild looks. Dirty long hair, untidy beard, and bare feet. He had to look like the wild man Murdock wanted everyone to believe he was. Yet her smile was sincere.
“The cab is over there,” she said.
They stopped in front of a public house where a cab was waiting. A bright yellow glow came from the window, along with happy voices. For once, he was happy, too. Almost.
“Can we go now?” the driver asked from the box.
“Yes, go.” Vivienne handed him a few coins.
Lion Boy sat on the seat next to Captain Jackson while Vivienne and Dobkins sat in front of him.
He was sitting, but his body was still running, fleeing. He touched the carriage wall and the leather seat, needing to make sure everything was real.
“You’re free.” Vivienne’s shining eyes replaced the moonlight. “You don’t have to see Cade ever again. You have a whole new life ahead of you.”
“Let’s keep the optimism to a minimum,” Captain Jackson said, glancing out of the window. “We’ve barely left the circus. The hardest part starts now.”
