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Faith nodded, and they went on to talk of other things, until Marion departed to visit her previous parents-in-law. Faith went out into the hall, intending to go up to her rooms, only to be stopped by one of the maids.
“My Lady, if I could speak to you for a moment?”
“Of course Janie.”
Faith regarded the maid curiously, and stepped back into the parlour with her.
“My Lady, did you really apply your knee to a gentleman’s privates? At a Ball???”
“I did, and very effective it was.”
“I’m sorry for eavesdropping, my Lady, but when I heard you say that, as I passed the door, I stopped, shocked. But what really caught my attention was when you said it would be better if more young women knew how to defend themselves. My Lady… some of us have been learning a bit about that. My cousin, who works at Lady Cobbett’s heard about it first, and she told me. There’s a man, who owns a shop – he’s been making ladies weapons for commoner women like me, and teaching them how to use them. It’s a pity no one does that for the ladies of the ton – although perhaps the ladies of the ton don’t need to defend themselves so often?”
Faith laughed, shaking her head.
“Sadly, I think that the ladies of the ton have almost as much unwanted attention to deal with as any other woman – but we at least sometimes have powerful relatives to help us. But… tell me more about this man and his shop. What sort of weapons does he make for ladies?”
Janie glanced around, as if worried that someone would overhear, or see them, then reached into the large pockets of her skirts, and pulled out a tube, made of leather. It looked like one of those things that ladies kept sewing or knitting implements in. Faith eyed it curiously.
“Like this, my Lady. If I open the lid here, it has a space for needles and the like, just as you’d expect, but if I then push this little button inside…”
Janie demonstrated, and part of the interior of the case popped up. Janie grasped it, and pulled, producing a wickedly sharp small dagger.
“Oh my! That would make most men pause, I should think.”
Janie nodded.
“It certainly made that odious groom from next door pause, when he thought to kiss me in the lane.”
Faith studied the maid for a moment, her mind full of questions and ideas. And hope – for if someone was making this possible for the maids and women of the streets, then perhaps it would be possible for women of the aristocracy too.
“Tell me, who is this man, and where is his shop?”
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Books in the A Duke’s Daughters – the Elbury Bouquet Series
Books in the Regency Gothic Series
Books in the Nettlefold Chronicles
Books in the Regency Scandals Series
Themed Regency Collections
Books in the His Majesty’s Hounds Series
Claiming the Heart of a Duke
Intriguing the Viscount
Giving a Heart of Lace
