Page 51 of When the Duke Met His Match

Despite their hoods, they exited the room together, careful not to draw any attention to themselves. The marketplace would be their best place to find someone who could offer them information, and they needed to be discreet about it.

As Odette moved down the stairs behind his tall frame, she tried to keep her eyes low enough not to seem suspicious.

A crowd had already gathered in the inn for the evening, which offered them a slight amount of coverage. She hoped to blend in as they had before and not seem like obvious criminals. It was difficult to pull that off with nerves swimming in her belly.

Releasing a deep breath, she calmed her slight panic and told herself it would be fine. But the moment she made eye contact with the innkeeper’s inquisitive gaze, her heart felt like it was in her throat.

The owner’s eyes were laced with a silent accusation that made alarms ring inside her mind. Even if it were an exaggeration of her paranoia, the curiosity in them was unmissable.

Sticking close to Theophilus, they made it through the front door, and she could finally breathe despite the many bodies around them. She glanced up at him and whispered, “Do you think he knows?”

Her heart raced in her chest as the cold air nipped at her skin despite the cloak. She wrapped her arms around herself and kept moving.

He looked just as uneasy as she felt, but Odette knew he would try his best to keep it from her. He dipped his head to be closer to her ear. “I don’t know, but the sooner we leave this place, the better. It’s not wise for us to stick around one place for too long.”

“And where will we go next?” she wondered, hoping it wouldn’t be another exhausting journey.

“I don’t know that either, but we’ll figure it out.”

She knew he was right, but the thought of running any longer had her stomach in knots.

How long can we keep this up? she wondered silently, pushing through the busy street despite how the sun gave off its golden glow for the evening. Is there even a place we can be safe?

It all felt like wishful thinking, but Odette wanted to believe something good could come from their escape and desire to be with one another.

Pushing her worries away, she reminded herself that no good would come from being afraid. Instead, she ducked her head with the hood over her hair and tried to protect her identity long enough to be truly free.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

THEOPHILUS

The streets were still bustling by the time they found someone capable of giving them information about the establishment they needed to find.

The man they spoke to was tall, with tattered clothes that hung from his body. Dirt was smudged against his face, and he didn’t smell like someone one wanted to be near. His appearance didn’t matter, though. All that mattered was what he knew.

He was intimidating, but he seemed harmless enough.

“The Red Sparrow, huh?” the man asked, looking between them with his dark, beady eyes. He wiped beneath his nose with the back of his hand. “What do you folks need with a place like that?”

“That information doesn’t concern you,” Theophilus assured him, face hardened. “What do you know about it?”

The man eyed him and crossed his arms, dropping a palm in front of them. A mischievous grin spread across his face. “That kind of intel will cost you.”

Theophilus exchanged a quick look with Odette, wondering if sparing what money they had to the man was a wise idea. She shrugged.

“Cough it up if you need to know so badly.”

Reluctantly, Theophilus reached into his waistcoat pocket and pulled out some money. He placed it in the man’s palm, who wasted no time counting it. He let out a displeased sound.

“A handsome man like yourself must have more than that. This won’t do.”

Irritated then, Theophilus wanted to snatch his money back and say to hell with him, but he knew how critical reaching the Red Sparrow in time was. The knowing look on the man’s face was practically asking for a fist in it, but he refrained.

Gritting his teeth, he reached in and withdrew more. It was most of what they had left. The rest could offer them another night at an inn, but nothing longer than that.

Slapping the rest of the amount in his hand, the man withdrew and gave them a pleased smile. “A wise choice.”

“You have your money; now tell us what you know,” Odette demanded of him, taking a step closer to him despite the stranger’s height.