Page 55 of When the Duke Met His Match

The woman’s wink confused her, but she quickly realized what that meant.

No good man who cared about his reputation comes to this place, or they risked being called anything but a gentleman.

She nearly shivered at the thought, aware of the type of men that existed in those spaces and what they were willing to do to get what they wanted.

Recalling she needed to respond, Odette mustered, “What if I was the one to ask him to meet me here?”

Despite not feeling that way, she was surprisingly pleased by the increased confidence in her voice. She knew it was better that the patrons didn’t believe she was scared to be there.

“Then I pity yer poor fellow,” the woman chided, giving her a small smirk. Her light laugh helped ease the tension in Odette’s body. “What can I get for you?”

“Ale, please.”

“And she comes with manners,” the woman added, seemingly amused with her. She pulled a small smile before walking toward the bar. “I’ll have that ready for ye shortly.”

Deflating the moment the woman was gone, Odette regained her bearings and kept her eyes on the front door in case anyone suspicious came in.

As far as she could tell, she was safe enough, and nobody had called her out for being the Odette Toussaint, the French traitor and fugitive. She could only hope that nobody would recognize or suspect her.

Before long, the ale arrived at her table, and the server was pleasantly polite to her. It was a refreshing break after fearing for her life and wondering if anyone would spring up to attack her or question who she was.

Odette continued to spectate from her far corner of the room, fortunate enough to be left alone all the while. She sipped from her drink and let it settle on her empty stomach, wondering when she’d get another meal.

Time ticked by, and her keen eye began to falter. The music changed every so often, and more people came and went. She didn’t know any of them. She could scarcely keep her eyes open then, as she rested with her chin propped against her palm.

Any one of the people who walked in could be the man they were looking for, but there was no sign of her old crew or Theophilus.

The irritation bubbled beneath her skin when it felt like she had been there all night and her glass was empty. She wanted to shout at Theophilus for not being there, for leaving her alone that long.

Having had enough of being left alone, Odette stood from the table and made her way to the door, avoiding eye contact with anyone. She pushed through and made her way outside, sucking in a deep breath.

The fresh air offered her some relief as her breath returned to her in a small cloud. Hugging herself, she moved to the side to hide within the shadows.

She looked up at the night sky, surrounded by darkness. She didn’t know how long it had been since she last saw Theophilus, but it felt like a lifetime.

If he didn’t arrive, she wouldn’t know what to do or where to begin. She couldn’t possibly go back to London on her own and alert anyone of an impending assassination, not without him. She would be arrested on the spot without any chance of breaking free again. English soldiers would make sure of that.

The thought of trying to navigate on her own made her head spin, and she closed her eyes to try and relax again.

A hand covered her mouth before Odette knew what was happening, and her eyes widened with immediate fear. Dread trickled down her spine as she was roughly dragged further into the shadows.

Flailing as she was taken, she wasn’t prepared to give in willingly. Instead, she kicked and swung her arms, voice muffled by the hand. But with a lucky shot, her elbow crashed straight into the assailant’s stomach.

They let out a startled sound and released her. Free from their hold, she spun around with her fists up, prepared to hit again if she needed to. But the person was on the ground, groaning in pain and holding their stomach.

She had an equal measure of panic and fight in her system but deflated the moment she found that familiar pair of hazel eyes.

They gleamed back at her with pain laced within them, and she realized exactly what she had done.

Chapter Thirty-One

THEOPHILUS

Rubbing at his stomach, Theophilus knew he made a grave mistake far too late.

Pain pulsed in his gut as he lay flat on the cold ground, wincing as he looked up at the only woman he knew capable of taking down a man twice her size.

As the recognition entered her gaze, Odette gasped and dove to his side. “Theophilus! I didn’t know that was you.”