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It had been a secret dream of hers to seek a more peaceful existence somewhere in the country, as far from the trials and tribulations of the city—and her father’s self-destruction—as possible. There was certainly enough in the packet of money to take her out of London. After that, she could walk until she found a place she liked.
“But what if he’s in serious trouble?” she asked aloud, hesitating. She was aware of her place in society as a woman and a daughter, and the duties she had to uphold toward her father. Nevertheless, even if it was not tonight, she was determined to leave this city and never give her father a single penny again.
Grumbling under her breath, she put back the broken floorboard and made her way out of the lodgings. It was much too late for her to travel to the countryside tonight, and she knew she needed more time to squirrel away more funds before she could abscond completely. For, in truth, she did not much like the idea of having to walk in unknown territory, with no idea about her destination.
Just for now, I’ll stay. Just for now, I’ll keep bailing you out.
After all, if she was going to remain awhile, she had no other choice than to give her father the money he had asked for. If she did not, he would only resort to violence when he returned, and she could not work to her best ability at the sewing house if she had one eye swollen shut from a drunkard’s punch… or worse.
Walking quickly and keeping her wits about her as she navigated the shadowed streets of London at night, she took a right down onto the riverbank. At least there, she had the space to run if anyone tried to accost her. And she could be incredibly fast when she wanted to be.
Keeping the flowing current to her left, she followed the water’s edge until she came to Tower Bridge. It lay eerily empty of people, despite it being a favored spot for the gamblers and inebriates who staggered out of the nearby alehouses and halls. It made her feel strangely uneasy, as though some higher power were telling her not to cross. She hesitated on her side of the river, patting the pocket where she had stowed her money.
“There’s nothing to fear,” she told herself. “There’s certainly nothing more frightening than my father if I don’t get this money to him.” That thought proved to be a potent motivator, prompting her to put one foot in front of the other as she crossed over to the other side and headed in the direction of Renfrew’s Gambling Hall, where she would undoubtedly find her father.
Cutting through a side-street, which would lead onto the alley that ran along the back of the gambling hall, she stopped at the sound of an odd cracking sound. Panic rose up to her throat in an acidic swell. Her hands bunched into fists, her breath rasping in her throat as she waited to hear the sound again. It came a few seconds later, from behind her.
I shouldn’t have come. I should have run. I should have fled while I had the chance.Slowly, she turned, bracing herself for what she might face. But the connecting alley lay empty of danger, with only the deep shadows to make her nervous.
“Who’s there?” She straightened her shoulders to try and make herself look less afraid. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“Ah, well, that’s a shame for you, then.” A voice hissed in her ear, as hot, sour breath crept up the side of her neck.
She tried to twist around, but two strong arms shot forward and gripped her about the waist, sandwiching her arms to her sides until she could not move at all. She attempted to kick back with her leg, to try and dent his shin or catch him in his groin, but he was too fast. He chuckled darkly, gripping her tighter until she felt as though her ribs might crack under the pressure.
“Let me go,” she wheezed, writhing in his grasp.
The man licked the side of her neck, making her shudder in disgust. “Nah, not yet. We ain’t done with you.”
We?She stared in horror as a man skulked out of the shadows up ahead, tossing a stone up and down in his right hand. He leered at her as he dropped the stone to the ground. It made that same cracking sound she had heard a moment ago when she had made the fatal error of turning around. As her heart thudded violently in her chest, she realized she had been fooled. And these men clearly did not intend to release her unharmed.
“Pretty little thing, ain’t you?” The stone-thrower smirked as he drew nearer. Rose flinched as he lifted a hand to her face, tracing a filthy line across her cheek with his dirtied fingernails.
“My father and my uncle are going to walk down this alley at any moment, so don’t you dare try and do anything to me,” she spat, hoping she might be able to trick them in return. “They’re way bigger than you, and one of them is a constable. I’ll give you a warning—they don’t take kindly to people hurting their family. So, if you want to avoid getting locked up for the rest of your life, I suggest you let me go while you still can.”
The stone-thrower laughed coldly. “Nice story. I don’t believe you. Now, I’m goin’ to give you a tender pat-down, so you can get an idea of what’s comin’.” He held his foul hands to her throat, so close that she could smell the rot of his mouth. He grinned down at her as he slid his palms down over her chest and moved them across to her breasts. She scrunched her eyes shut as he squeezed them hard and wriggled wildly to try and break free of the other man’s grasp. “Ooh, now I like that. Firm but soft. Very nice.”
“Get off me!” she shouted, realizing that she was in a dire position. They had not believed her tale, and no-one was coming to her aid. If she could not get away from them on her own, there was no telling what might happen. Perhaps, they would only dishonor her and leave her in the dirt. Perhaps, they would kill her after so she could not tell anyone what they had done. Either way, she knew they would not leave her until they had thoroughly violated her, and that terrified her to her core.
The stone-thrower snaked his palms further down her body, digging his fingernails into the supple flesh of her waist. She tried to buck away from him, to spare herself the humiliation, but it only made him dig his fingernails in harder. As he got to her hips, he paused and patted the pocket where she carried her money. Anger twisted her face into a scowl as he slid his hand inside the pocket and took out what belonged to her.
“Coinandtail. Must be our lucky day, Larry.” The stone-thrower grinned as he stuffed the packet into his own pocket. “Now, let’s see what’s under all these skirts, eh?” He crouched down and began to slither his hand up her calf, drawing up the edge of her skirt as his hand rose higher.
“I said, get off!” Rose roared, kicking out with her foot. The sole of her shoe caught him square in the face, while the movement knocked the other man slightly off balance. The latter’s arms loosened for a fleeting moment, giving her the lung capacity to scream as loud as she possibly could.
The stone-thrower glared at her, blood trickling out of his nose. “You little whore! I was goin’ to be gentle, but it looks like you need to be taught a lesson.” He grabbed her by the arms and threw her against the nearby wall. Her head smacked against the hard stone, black spots dancing in her field of vision as a blinding pain ricocheted between her temples. A cold, wet sensation trickled from the back of her skull to the base of her neck as she struggled to blink away the spots and stay conscious. Meanwhile, her attacker lunged for her skirts, his eyes glinting with malevolence.
She opened her mouth to expel one last scream when a blur rushed from the darkness and called out, “Unhand her, and you might live. Disobey, and I will gut you like a fish.” A blade glinted in the moonlight, the reflection cutting a silver slice down her savior’s face.
“How aboutyourun along. Else you’ll be the one with your innards as outards. This ain’t none of your business.” The stone-thrower drew away from Rose to face off against the armed newcomer.
Her savior smiled and twirled the knife as though it were an extension of his hand. “Very well, but do not say you were not warned.”
