A hand on his heaving chest, he sagged onto the seat, wondering why he wasn’t crying. But then again, he wouldn’t believe he was truly free until the circus left London. Until some time passed.
“Don’t be afraid.” Vivienne touched his hand, and he was startled hard enough to jump on his seat and hit the wall with his knee.
“Again?” the driver called. “Enough, or I’ll kick you out.”
Dobkins grabbed Vivienne and pulled her back. “Don’t touch him.”
The captain gazed from Dobkins to him. “Everything is fine, lad. Vivienne, don’t touch him for now.”
When she nodded, Lion Boy’s heart sank. He hadn’t meant to scare her, but her touch felt so good it was painful. He longed for someone to hold his hand or hug him although he knew he was too repulsive for that.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, withdrawing from him.
He shook his head, wishing to let her know she’d done nothing wrong. Freedom had been granted to him, and instead of showing gratitude, he was scaring his rescuers. Not a great start.
They stopped in a dark alleyway, and aside from red brick walls and wet cobblestones, he couldn’t see much. His legs shook so badly he needed the captain’s help to climb out of the cab.
A cold gust blew against his face, clearing his mind. He looked up. The stars twinkled against the black velvet of the sky, and he wondered when the last time he’d seen a starry night had been.
Perhaps months ago in summer when Murdock had let him sleep in his cage outside the tent.
When he looked away, he found Vivienne staring at him with concern. She stretched out her hand as if to touch him, but then she moved back from him. That hurt, but not being able to speak to her hurt more.
He had heard both Dobkins and the captain warn her away from touching him. He watched as she folded her hands in front of her.
“This way.” Captain Jackson led him to a narrow door barely visible in the darkness. He pushed it open and paused on the threshold. “You’d better go home now.”
“But he might need me,” Vivienne said.
“Not now. I’ll take care of him.” Captain Jackson waved him in. “Don’t challenge our luck, Lady Vivienne. Someone might have realised you’re missing.”
“He’s right. Let’s go.” Dobkins tugged at her hand. “And it’s almost dawn. The household will wake up soon.”
Vivienne hesitated. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Lion Boy could only nod.
“Get inside, lad,” the captain said.
He did as told, wishing he could stay outside and watch the sky.
As he stood in the middle of an untidy room, he glanced over his shoulder. Dobkins handed a bundle to the captain. A few whispered words were exchanged before Vivienne raised a hand in farewell. Then she disappeared into the night, and the captain shut the door.
Taken by another moment of panic, he moved to follow her—he needed her presence to keep the darkness at bay.
But the captain stopped him before he reached the door.
“Lad, you must trust me. If you follow her, you’ll cause only problems for her and yourself. You’ll see her tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. There hadn’t been a tomorrow in his life until now.
Each day had been the same.
Now he had a ‘tomorrow.’ And it was terrifying.
