An Inconvenient Trilogy Part 39

"I probably wouldn't believe her," Alfred replied coldly. He was not normally so emotional, but Laura's condition had caused his insides to twist and turn as thoughts raced through his head. He was being harsh with her, the last person in the world he would normally hurt, but at the moment he could not stop himself.

Laura felt a part of her die at his words, but carried on with her story. She explained how the news that the Baron had walked away a free man had not really affected them, since they had not expected their lives to ever cross again. Then she told him about Sarah and Veronica disappearing.

"Could they not just have left the area?" Alfred asked.

"No," Laura said firmly. "They had nowhere else to go. Veronica certainly did not have any family to go too. I didn't truly believe that they were dead until I saw what happened to Clara though."

She explained what had happened by the side of the Thames. "Was it the first time you had seen the man?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, I think so," Laura said, trying to remember. "The problem is that in the area that we live in, you don't tend to make eye contact with most of the men in the area, as it could cause problems. If he was only following Clara, I wouldn't have noticed him, we weren't together all the time."

"He probably wasn't following her for long anyway," Alfred admitted, more to himself than Laura. "You weren't exactly hiding, so he would have found it easy to track you down."

Laura shuddered at the thought of someone watching them without their knowledge. "If Clara hadn't wanted to wait another day," she said quietly.

"I don't think it would have saved her," Alfred said honestly. "If he was waiting to act, any sign from either of you that you were on the move, would just have made him act sooner. You were lucky that you had the presence of mind to get away."

"Yes and the help of a decent clergyman who believed what I said. He could have easily cast me out," Laura said.

"What now?" Alfred asked. "There is no hope of linking this back to Baron Kersal, if that was what you were hoping."

"Oh no!" Laura said quickly. "I never want to see that man again. I was being selfish. You are the only person in London who knows my background and who I trust. I was hoping you could help me to get away, hire a carriage and put as much distance between me and London as possible. I should have done it as soon as the Runners raided us."

"Yes, you should," Alfred said roughly. He was not being cruel, just practical. "Where are you going to go? Have you any family?"

"No," Laura replied. "It's the reason I know for certain that Veronica did not have any family, we talked a lot about our pasts, they were so similar. I just thought I would use the money you gave me to put as much distance between me and here as I can. I hadn't thought about much beyond that if I'm honest."

"You need to go somewhere where you are sure you will receive support, or you will just swap one set of problems for another," Alfred said. He sat and thought for a while before speaking again. He had thought of most options, some of which he knew were selfish and immediately had to be dismissed. He finally decided that in reality there was only one option that Laura had.

"We shall have to write to Lord Halkyn and ask for his a.s.sistance," Alfred said, sure that the peer would give it.

"I know I helped to give information about Baron Kersal, but why would he help now?" Laura asked.

"He will always feel obliged to you because of his wife," Alfred responded, smiling at the expressions that pa.s.sed over Laura's face as she realised the implications of Alfred's words.

"You mean he........she's gone and.........well I never!" she finally said, half laughing, half shocked.

Alfred smiled, "It seems she was a good match for him. There was no doubt that he was smitten with her from the first time that I met him," Alfred said, remembering the Lord who was determined to seek revenge for the girl who Baron Kersal had tried to wrong. It had only been through Laura's guidance and Lord Halkyn's help that Charlotte Webster had been able to escape.

The result had been that Lord Halkyn, a confirmed bachelor had then fallen in love with the girl. It had not been an easy journey for them, but Alfred had not been surprised when he had received notification of their recent marriage.

"Well I didn't expect that to happen," Laura said. "Who'd have thought that little innocent Charlotte could capture the cold hearted lord?"

"He wasn't very cold and aloof when it was anything to do with Lady Halkyn," Alfred said, remembering the times he had been with Lord Halkyn. The emotions had ranged from raging lord, determined to seek revenge, to drunken wastrel, wallowing in self-pity, when the romance was not going as he hoped.

"Lady Halkyn, how lovely that sounds," Laura said. There was no bitterness in her words, people like Charlotte seemed to deserve happy endings more than her own kind did. "Do you think they would help?"

"There's no reason why they wouldn't. But for you, they would never have met," Alfred responded. "You are only asking for a place to shelter, which, if they knew what has happened, I'm sure they would offer without hesitation."

Laura felt the wave of relief wash over her at the possibility of a solution. "How will I contact them?" she asked.

"I will send a letter, I think it would be better if it came from me," ever the practical Alfred offered. "I will send it to Lord Halkyn's London house, even though I know he is not there. They will know where he is."

"Can you suggest somewhere safe I can stay until we get a reply?" Laura asked.

Alfred paused. He was being foolish he decided, as he uttered the next words. "You are in the safest place. You got here un.o.bserved, and to leave would put you at risk, so you can stay here."

"How can I?" Laura asked, but the jolt of pleasure that had shot through her at Alfred's words was the nicest feeling she had felt in a long time.

"It is going to be difficult," Alfred admitted. "I am going to have to feign illness, otherwise we are going to have Mrs Edwards, my landlady, coming in to clean."

Between them they concocted a plan that although far-fetched, because of Alfred's previous impeccable behaviour, was more likely to be believed.

Chapter 5.

Alfred sent off a letter straight away. He was not about to let Laura put herself at risk, but he did realise that the next few days would feel like an eternity. It had been hard enough to keep away from her when he had been working undercover in the Baron's household, but in his own rooms, it would be harder still. He would have to keep reminding himself that she was heavy with another man's child.

He managed to convince his landlady that he was ill and sent round a note to his workplace, to say that he was not well enough to be at work. Once everything was in place all they could do was wait.

Food was still provided for by Mrs Edwards, although it had to be split between two. Alfred tried not to dwell on what she thought when he returned every plate empty, while at the same time complaining that he could barely move due to illness.

Laura busied herself as best she could, but there were few books and even fewer that would interest her. Alfred unsurprisingly did not collect novels. She tried to move around as much as she could, but although the rooms were s.p.a.cious for a man of Alfred's means, in reality the s.p.a.ce was limited. The first day seemed to last an age.

As the evening closed in, Laura sighed, flopping herself on the sofa. "How long do you think it will take to receive a reply?"

Alfred smiled, it was the fourth time she had asked in the last hour. "It depends where they are. It could be days."

"I will be in Bedlam before then!" Laura said dramatically.

"I will go out tonight and see if I can gather anything that will distract us," Alfred said.

"Can I come?" Laura asked eagerly.

"Walking the streets of London, at night, when someone is looking to kill you is a wise plan of action, is it?" Alfred asked sarcastically.

"But I'll be with you," Laura responded.

Alfred paused before speaking, her words had flattered him, in that she had so much faith in him. "It is not safe Laura," he said gently. "I will bring what I can."

Alfred left the house when everything had gone quiet. He was used to coming and going without making a sound, so no one in the other rooms was disturbed. He checked the area once he was outside. He was fairly sure that Laura had not been followed, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He only left when he was sure that Laura would be secure.

He wandered the streets, enjoying the fact of being outside, even if the air was humid. He was not used to being inside so much, so he picked up his pace and burned off some energy before becoming focussed on his tasks.

He visited numerous establishments. Some parts of London never closed, if you knew where to go. He obtained everything he needed and returned to his rooms, being careful to double back and make sure he was not being followed.

He crept in the room and immediately knew that Laura was asleep. There was a stillness to the air that only occurred when everyone in a place was at rest. He had learned to recognise the different atmospheres in a building as part of his training for his job. He placed all his packages in the side room and settled on the sofa. It was going to be an uncomfortable night.

Laura woke as first light entered the room. She had not closed the curtains, for fear of being seen near the window. She lay in the sunlight, slowly going through the previous day's events. She stretched and climbed out of bed. She had hung her dress as best she could, to try and get the creases to drop out, but it would not be many days before she looked like a waif off the streets.

She entered the drawing room and stopped at the sight of Alfred lying on the sofa. He looked uncomfortable and she felt guilty at preventing him from having his own bed. She moved slowly across the room, but even though she had been careful, Alfred awoke at her movements.

"Good morning," he said groggily, sitting up and rubbing his hands over his face.

"You look awful," Laura said with sympathy.

"It will help me to be more believable then," Alfred croaked. "There are books on the table that you may be interested in."

Laura picked up the books in wonder. Novels! He had chosen well, f.a.n.n.y Burney, Maria Edgeworth, in addition to some by unnamed authors, plus books of poetry, Byron, Wordsworth and Sh.e.l.ley. He had also managed to obtain some periodicals. At least the second day would not seem as long as the first one had.

"I've also got more food and drink. It isn't hot, but I think it would be more convincing if I sent some of my dishes back with some food remaining on them to Mrs Edwards. She is more likely to believe that I am ill, that way," Alfred said.

"Yes, but her cooking is so good," Laura said longingly.

Alfred smiled, "Control yourself, woman!"

Laura tutted at his cheek and walked into the side room. The worktop was covered in bread, cheeses, hams and cold pie. There were also flagons of small beer. "You have been busy, I'm surprised you managed to carry all this home," she said with approval. "Are you preparing for a siege?"

"We don't know how long we will need to remain here, so thought it was best to keep the need to leave my rooms at a minimum," Alfred said, entering the room and tearing off a piece of bread.

"I was hoping that you would receive a reply today," Laura said, her buoyant mood fading a little.

Alfred smiled, "Lord and Lady Halkyn are possibly still away after their wedding, it could be a few days."

Laura settled herself down and read for the morning. She hid in the side room whenever Mrs Edwards knocked on the door to deliver food. Alfred always asked her to leave it outside the room, his excuse being that he did not wish his landlady to catch whatever malady he had.

In the afternoon, she became unsettled again. She was not used to being so confined. Even at Baron Kersal's she had the days to herself, as gentlemen usually spent the days with their families. They only visited during the evenings when they wanted to explore the seedier side of life with the women of the night.

Laura started to pace around the room. Alfred watched her for a while without speaking. She had left her hair down and she looked every bit the trapped tigress as she prowled around his drawing room.

"Would you like a game of cards?" Alfred asked, trying to divert them both. He did not like the way his body still reacted to Laura, even though she was with child.

"I suppose so," Laura said, sitting opposite him.

"Your enthusiasm is heart-warming," Alfred said drily.

"I'm not very good company, am I?" Laura asked with a smile. "I am grateful for what you are doing you know, even though I may not sound like I am."

"Anyone would have helped you," Alfred said, brus.h.i.+ng off the compliment.

"No, I know a lot of people, although few of them well," Laura said, picking up the cards that Alfred had dealt. "But there was only you that I knew I could trust."

"Dependable Alfred eh? Doesn't sound like much of a recommendation," Alfred said with a grimace.

"Believe me, it is the highest recommendation I could ever give someone," Laura said with feeling. "Anyway, you get your excitement from your job, I would have thought that you would want a quiet life when you return home."

"I do," Alfred responded truthfully.

Laura looked at her protector. "You are a man of many faces aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked. He did not particularly like the focus of attention being on himself, but he did wish to know what Laura thought of him.

"You obviously are very good at your job and enjoy the dangerous aspect of it," Laura responded, seeming to study Alfred as she spoke. "But you are also very considerate. You're helping me when you could have sent me on my way, even though it is inconveniencing you and maybe even putting you in danger. You are also very gentle."

"Gentle?" Alfred spluttered. "I've never been called that before."

"You were gentle with me in Baron Kersal's house," Laura said, pleased that she had made the controlled Alfred look uncomfortable.

"That was in the past," Alfred said, not wis.h.i.+ng to be reminded of one of the best nights of his life, even if it had been spent in the arms of a woman he had paid for. "Your turn," he said, trying to draw Laura back to the game of cards.

They played game after game until the evening drew in and they needed to light candles. Laura set out some food and they sat comfortably on the sofa next to each other. They munched quietly for a while, before Laura placed down her plate, content for a while.

"So what do your family think of your job?" She asked.

"They don't know," Alfred said with a shrug.

"What?" Laura responded in surprise. "How would they feel if something happened to you and they hadn't even known that you worked for Bow Street?" She knew how she would feel if anything had happened to him, and she knew what his job was.

"They would probably think that I had got the end that I deserved," Alfred said, his brow furrowing.

"No!" Laura exclaimed in surprise. "How could someone think that of you? You are the most decent person I have ever known," she said forcefully.

"Well I pity you," Alfred said with genuine feeling. "You have seen me three times Laura, you know nothing about me, don't fool yourself into thinking that you do."

Laura reached over and cupped his cheek with her hand. She could feel the stubble that was developing as the day reached its close. "I've had to have the ability to read people quickly and although I admit that I have only been in your company a few times, I know this for a certainty Alfred, you are a decent man, so you can stop trying to convince me otherwise."

Alfred closed his eyes for a second, enjoying her touch, before collecting himself and moving away from her hand. "You know nothing, Laura," he said quietly and moved away from her.

Laura remained seated and watched as Alfred kicked at the cinders in the hearth. She wondered about the man standing before her, admitting that it was true that she knew very little about him. She was sure that her conviction was right though, he was a good man. Whatever secrets he hid, they had not corrupted him as they could have done, and he was risking his life every day to keep others safe.

Alfred cursed to himself as he stood, glaring down at the fire. He should never have let her into his rooms. She was a danger to him, because despite everything, he wanted her. Since meeting Laura, he had dreamed of a life that was beyond his reach, one in which he was a husband, had a wife with fiery red hair and they lived a decent life. Not one that virtually guaranteed that neither would reach old age, accepting that both had done things in the past that would make decent people shudder. She made him want what he could never have, and he cursed her for it.

Chapter 6.

Neither Alfred nor Laura spoke until it was time to retire to bed. Both had been engrossed in their own private thoughts. Laura was the first to break the silence. "I didn't know that doing nothing all day could be so exhausting," she said with a yawn and a stretch.

Alfred smiled slightly, "Yes, the jobs where I am observing, leave me shattered at the end of my duty and very often I haven't moved. Take the bed and I will see you in the morning."