Page 33 of When the Duke Met His Match

He took a deep breath and pulled her forward to glide into the crowd seamlessly. He released her hand gently when they began walking to not draw any attention to themselves. While she knew that, it still made her chest squeeze.

“We need to reach the Bull and Mouth Inn, located on St. Martin’s Le Grand,” he murmured while maintaining a suitable proximity to her. “It’s a coach inn that serves as a hub for many different routes, including the route to Dover.”

Odette nodded and tried to swallow back the persistent nerves.

“But we must be careful,” he added, dipping his head to speak to her. “From there, we can sneak into a merchant transport wagon that will take us to Dover. Prepare yourself for a long trip. It may take six to eight hours depending on the weather.”

“I can manage,” she assured him with her eyes ahead.

“Good. We will pull this off.”

The uneasiness in her belly hoped he was right.

Chapter Twenty

ODETTE

St. Martin’s Le Grand was teeming with activity. Pedestrians went on their way, walking to merchant stands that caught their attention. Horse-drawn carriages rattled by, stirring up dust all around them, though nobody paid any mind to it.

The air was thick with the smell of roasted meat and fresh bread, all of which made Odette’s stomach grumble through her hunger. It made her quickly realize they never broke their fast, but there wasn’t time.

She stayed close to Theophilus, instinctively reaching for his coat occasionally out of fear of losing him in the crowd.

They walked along the sea of bodies, and she looked up at the imposing buildings that surrounded them, facades made of stone and brick. She had no doubt they were owned by wealthy, powerful individuals, from the clean steps to the ornate handrails and their statues.

From the look of them, the ground floors were shops and businesses rich enough to expand beyond merchant stalls. She had known the top floors to be warehouses and anything else that was useful to the owners.

While her parents were well-to-do enough to garner her the comforts she had experienced since moving to London, they weren’t wealthy enough to own half of St. Martin’s Le Grand. She wondered if they would ever find themselves in that fortunate position when she was gone.

She tried to keep herself small while she followed behind Theophilus, not wanting to stand out in any way. Glancing over her shoulder, fear gripped her heart. She was afraid of finding a swarm of English guards behind her, all poised to grab and return her to that dreadful prison.

Fortunately, she only saw other civilians and took a deep breath of relief.

The noise was overwhelming for Odette as she tried to focus but found herself distracted by it all. Vendors called out to them in passing while street musicians played their lively tunes. She wondered if the rise in energy encouraged people to buy or keep moving at a fast pace.

The occasional coachman shouted into the crowd while he tried to navigate through the bust street. She dodged away from a carriage, finding herself pulled forward by her companion. Overwhelmed by the sensory overload, she struggled to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the unfamiliar street, all while trying to keep from getting lost.

She needed a moment to breathe, but that moment never arrived.

After some time of walking, Theophilus stopped and pointed in the distance. “There is our ride. Lay low until we get there.”

She spotted various merchant carts, and while she didn’t know which one, she nodded anyway. Trailing him with her head bowed, she watched his heels and made sure she didn’t lose track of them.

She spotted a flash of navy blue through her peripheral and glanced over, heart pounding. An officer strode by them, not sparing them a glance.

While it should’ve made her feel better, it was a close enough call to have stolen her breath. Surely, they knew she was gone by then, but perhaps an alert didn’t reach all the guards and officers yet.

Odette stayed on alert as she went, her blood running cold each time she spotted a familiar uniform. She urged herself to remain calm. Most of them were likely on their way to their posts, and it had nothing to do with her.

Even so, the thought of coming so close to them each time while in the middle of fleeing made her stomach ache.

The pressure of it all made her dizzy, but she didn’t have time to stop and collect herself. They needed to leave London as soon as possible to save their skin and give her peace of mind for the first time in weeks.

The two of them moved toward the merchants, and Theophilus lingered around them without fully approaching. She stayed behind and waited, aware he was trying to listen in on their conversations.

It seemed he didn’t know which one they would be taking either.

Something bumped into Odette’s back, and she whizzed around despite trying to remain concealed. She softened when she found a young couple walking with their daughter in her father’s arms.