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However, Charlie was undeterred, and held his elbow out to Hetty almost officiously. As soon as she placed her hand on his arm, he ushered her out of the tavern without a backward look.
“Which way?” his voice sounded loud in the silence of the night as he looked up and down the quiet country lane. The cacophony within the busy tap was muted to a low din when the door closed behind them with a quiet thud. The quiet of the night immediately encased them in an intimacy that drew them closer.
“Over here,” Hetty replied quietly, vividly aware of Charlie’s protective strength beside her.
She had never felt so cared for in her life, and was secretly thrilled at the way he ushered her carefully across the road as though she might break if she stood on a pebble.
She looked up at him a little suspiciously. Nobody had ever treated her like this before. Her brothers certainly never made any attempt to escort her anywhere she wanted to go whether it was midnight, or the middle of the morning. She wasn’t sure whether she liked it or not.
On the one hand it was nice to be protected by someone so attractive. Unfortunately, on the other, it was a little unnerving, and brought forth a wave of discomfort that made conversation a little stilted as they ambled slowly past the long row of houses to the right of them.
“How do you find the village?” Hetty asked for want of something to say.
“It’s lovely,” Charlie sighed.
“How long are you here for?”
He puffed out his cheeks and peered down the lane. “A couple of weeks more probably,” he replied obliquely.
He couldn’t tell her his exact reason for being in the village. Not only did he not want her involved in his investigation, but he hated the thought of having to lie to her. He couldn’t lie to Hetty; he just couldn’t do it. He wanted everything to be pure and honest between them, mainly because he rather suspected that she was going to become an important part of his life, and he didn’t want to start their relationship on falsehoods.
Hetty went to look up at him only for her gaze to be captured by something further down the lane.
“Oh, no,” she whispered in horror.
She groaned, and watched a small group of men emerge from one of the houses at the end of the road.
“What? What is it?” He had no choice to stop too because he couldn’t continue without her. A frown creased his brow when he read the fear in her eyes. He immediately sidled closer, and placed a comforting hand on her waist as he looked for the source of her worry.
Hetty’s stomach dropped to her toes. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with Meldrew. Not now: not tonight.
She glanced around them frantically in an attempt to find somewhere to hide.
“Who is it?” Charlie demanded. He eyed the group of men who appeared to be nothing more than thugs of some sort. It was evident, even from several feet away, that they were all big, burly and, more worryingly, armed.
“Meldrew,” Hetty replied quietly, but made no attempt to explain just yet. “We need to go back to the tavern.”
“Why? What is it? Who is he?” Charlie persisted.
He knew exactly who the man was who had just left the house at the end of the road. However, he wanted Hetty to confirm how she had come to know Cedric Meldrew, the county’s somewhat sinister magistrate.
“Meldrew is the magistrate for Derby. He is, by far, the very last person who should be in any position of authority,” Hetty warned. “Let’s go back. Please, Charlie. I don’t want a confrontation with him.”
“It that a house of a criminal?” he asked as he nodded to the two-storey brick terrace. He stubbornly remained where he was, in spite of Hetty desperately trying to tug him back toward the tavern.
Hetty shook her head. “No. He owns the bakery.”
“It is a bit late for making house calls, isn’t it?” Charlie asked conversationally.
“Meldrew doesn’t need an excuse to demand anything from anyone,” Hetty whispered.
She turned her gaze away from the rather sinister sight of the group of men further ahead. All of them were dressed from head to foot in black, and looked more than a little forbidding.
Right then, she was very glad that she had Charlie beside her. If only she could persuade him to retur
n to the tavern then they may just avoid the confrontation she dreaded.
“Please Charlie, let’s just go. I don’t want to have to talk to him,” she pleaded.
