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“Yes, I heard that,” Eustace replied. His head swivelled from Marguerite to Joe, who had yet to take his eyes off his daughter. A scowl began to appear on his brow.
“He also works for the Star Elite,” she added. “These are his colleagues.” She waved a hand by way of introduction.
Joe sucked in a deep breath and looked at his colleagues. He was immediately drawn back to their current predicament, and that fact that Marguerite was wearing her undergarments, freezing cold, and still soaking wet. If they didn’t get moving, with Marcus and Ben, and even Eustace, in their battered and weakened states, they were all going to be ill.
“We need to get moving,” he murmured.
Tugging his sodden shirt off, he draped it around Marguerite’s bared shoulders. He wasn’t at all sure it made her problem any better but at least her decency was covered.
Everyone slowly pushed to their feet and looked for a path out of the area. Eventually, they found a narrow route that wound its way around the buildings and came out at the end of a quiet, residential neighbourhood.
“Where are we?” Marguerite asked with a frown.
“I don’t know,” Kerrigan replied with a sneeze. “But we need to persuade a coachman to stop and take us home before we all die of influenza.”
When he sneezed again, Marguerite grinned.
“You don’t have to look so happy,” Joe muttered with a grin. “We just cheated death.”
“I know,” she replied. “Isn’t that a reason to be happy?”
Joe thought about that but had to concede that she had a point.
Eustace fell into step beside her, and looked at his daughter. She had a rosy glow to her cheeks he had never seen before and she just looked far more, well, alive than ever. He looked upon the man walking close by her side with renewed suspicion but no apprehension.
“Are you and him-?”
Marguerite smiled at her father.
Joe suddenly stepped forward and held a hand out. “Joseph Haversham, at your service, sir.”
Eustace looked a little stunned but shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet
you, sir. I-”
“I know who you are,” Joe interrupted, looking at Marguerite. “I should like to ask your permission to court your daughter, sir.”
Marguerite bit back on her smile, not least because it seemed such a bizarre way for a man to ask something like that.
“Of course, you have it. I just-” Eustace looked at the pair of them, completely happy and totally unperturbed by the entire situation they had just battled through. “I have no idea what is going on. To be fair, as long as you are fighting the likes of Sayers you are alright in my book. I should like to ask you if you are able to look after her, but I am sure she can look after herself after what I have seen tonight.”
“Of course I can,” Joe and Marguerite answered together.
Marguerite scowled at Joe, her eyes alight with mischief. Joe felt something warm and wonderful settle in his chest and swept an arm around her so she was flush against him.
Thankfully, the street they wandered down was almost deserted, but the same couldn’t be said for the main street they turned into. Although dawn had started to bathe the streets in a hazy glow of morning sunshine only a few hardy tradespeople who were setting up their stalls for the day.
Marguerite tried to ignore them but was painfully aware of the curious looks she received.
“I am perfectly capable of looking after myself thank you,” she informed everyone.
She threw a look at Ben over his shoulder when he snorted.
“You need to learn to swim,” he scolded.
“I was hindered by my skirts,” she argued. “They are heavy when wet and wrapped me up.”
Eustace then seemed to realise that his daughter was in her undergarments and looked around in alarm.
