AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTERNINE
Elizabeth broke out of her shock and pulled the hood of her cloak down her forehead then she stepped away from the path where there appeared to be a lot of activity related to Rhys’ arrival.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him climb down from his carriage and walk into the building, several men following him inside. She released a relieved breath and removed a black fan from her reticule and covered the lower part of her face before walking inside.
The halls of the building bustled with viewers and sportsmen, and Elizabeth smiled. It was a place where both aristocrats and commoners met to find entertainment, fortune, and misfortune. A thrill ran through her, and she walked into the hall where a large ring had been drawn on the floor with a smaller ring at the center. Ropes circled the boundary of the ring to separate the fighters from the viewers.
Stella had already placed a bet for her, and thus, Elizabeth found a corner to stand where she was sure her view would not be obstructed. The room quickly filled, and a man announced the names of the pugilists that would participate in the first fight.
As William the Hammer walked into the ring, the crowd erupted in cheer, and “Hammer! Hammer! Hammer!” was all Elizabeth could hear for a while.
She did not partake in the cheering because she shared Myers’ opinion that William had dominated the ring and had refused to retire and allow younger fighters to find success. She had come here to watch the fight after his. Reaching into her reticule, she retrieved a small sheet and a pencil then the last report Myers had written.
After the first round, Elizabeth looked up to a pair of sharp blue eyes watching her. She quickly looked away, hoping that Rhys had not recognized her. Curious, she looked up again, and he was coming toward her.
No one here knew who she was, but he could expose her. “Excuse me,” she said to the two men beside her before pushing past them to the back of the hall. She found a door and escaped into a narrow hallway. Unfortunately, she was not very familiar with this building even though she had attended four fights here.
Rhys’ footfalls sounded behind her, and she knew escaping him was futile. She stopped and turned to face him.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“What people come here to do, My Lord,” she answered, defiantly raising her chin.
“Does your father know you are here?”
Elizabeth clenched her teeth and said, “No.”
“Do you know he is here?”
Her eyes widened. “He is?” Her father had always informed her before attending a fight, and she used that knowledge to avoid him. Perhaps he had forgotten this time.
“Yes.” Rhys glanced behind him before taking her hand. “We are exposed here. Come with me.” He led her down the narrow hallway, turning left at the end and then down another hallway before he opened a door and nudged her into the room. He walked in after her and turned the key in the lock. They were in an office of some sort.
“What were you thinking coming here, Elizabeth?” he asked, and she blinked in surprise at his use of her Christian name and wondered what had brought about the change. “What if someone had seen you?”
“This is not the first time I have come here.” She regained her pluck. “If you are afraid of scandal, I assure you that no one will recognize me.”
“Yes, because you have a common face,” he said, and she was uncertain whether that was an insult or a compliment. “Do you know how unsafe this place is for a gently bred lady?”
“I do not look like a gently bred lady today, do I?” She placed her hands on her hips, and his eyes moved over her attire, his frown deepening.
“You are a woman, and you should be protected.”
Elizabeth understood what he meant, but she disliked his overbearing manner. “I can protect myself. Do not speak to me as though I am a child. I am here to watch a fight like everyone else, and there are quite a few gently bred ladies here.”
He closed his eyes and softened his tone. “Those ladies did not come here unaccompanied. You did.”
“This is the first time. I usually come with my lady’s maid and friend, Stella,” she confessed.
“And why did you not come with her today?”
“She would not allow me because of my foot. She did not know that I came anyway."
“God! I forgot your foot.” He added a curse under his breath. “You came out here with an injured foot.”
“I am not in pain,” she lied.
Rhys sighed. “Tell me the truth.”
