* * *
A loud commotion stirred Nora to wakefulness. Dear God! How did I fall asleep? I have to escape this room! While she waited for her eyes to adjust, an argument flared up from somewhere beneath her.
“’Ow did you get the two wenches mixed up, you stupid fool?” a loud voice demanded. A loud crack sounded, as if something large had hit the wall.
That had to be Sneed, she mused.
A tiny, nervous giggle escaped her when she thought of the reaction of the roomful of men when they unwrapped the drunken trollop.
“Yer lying. Oi checked, and it were the right one, Mr. Sneed,” a second man answered.
Nora recognized Hyde’s voice.
“She ’ad the robe and all,” Hyde added.
She heard what sounded like a door burst open and smash against the wall.
“Who are you?” Sneed yelled.
She could not make out the conversation but heard struggling and a loud crack, followed by a loud “Umph!”
Thinking she was in untold and added danger from whoever that was, she steeled herself, deciding the window would be her best hope.
Finding a loose board, she pulled at it, hoping to pry it free. If I can move a couple of these planks, I may escape through the window. Recalling the dangling drawer, she retrieved it and used it as a lever under the loose end of the board, ripping it from the window. She tried the one above it. Success! Luckily, the commotion below covered the noise she made.
Satisfied with her efforts, she looked outside and saw what appeared to be some sort of stable with a brightly lit building in front of it. There had to be help in that direction. She glanced down at herself. She could no longer smell her own body and imagined she resembled a common strumpet—not that she had ever seen one before today.
Heavy footsteps, from what appeared to be several men, sounded outside the door. They were coming towards her. She had run out of time to escape. Alarmed, Nora grabbed the large shard of glass, no longer concerned with cutting herself. Summoning a prayer, she moved to stand beside the door, holding the glass above her head, ready to strike. A few seconds later, the door opened. Afraid to look, Nora squeezed her eyes shut and brought the glass down. At the same moment, two enormous hands caught her arms.
Fear and hysteria overcame her, and she began to shake and scream. The two hands securing her wrists pried the glass loose and pulled her close.
“Hush! Nora, ’tis me, Colin.” He pressed a warm kiss on her forehead.
“Colin?” She was still shaking from fright. “How did you find me?” Tears ran freely, followed by loud sniffs.
“Be at ease, my love. We shall soon have you away from here.” He pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her.
“We?”
“Oi came to help, Miss Nora,” a small voice beside him answered.
Nora recognized Benjamin at once. “Benjamin! What are you doing here? Why are you not in bed?”
“Oi wanted to help find you…”
Realizing the little boy had helped in her rescue, she pulled him into a hug, cutting off any further speech.
“We must leave. Now.” Lord Bergen’s voice sounded from behind them. “Danny is guarding the carriage at the door. There are a dozen angry men rioting in the main room—just feet away from the door. They are shouting something about a substitution made in the Tunnel.” His mouth curved in a knowing smile. “Morray has secured Sneed and his accomplice for the magistrate—trussed up and tied in a small stall in the stable. He and his men will watch them and make sure neither villain escapes justice.”
Nora’s head swarmed with questions as Colin hastily ushered their small group down the long staircase and out through the door that opened into the alley below. He quickly placed her on a leather seat inside the waiting coach. Benjamin climbed onto the seat opposite her. She saw Colin give the boy called Danny a handful of coins before joining them on the carriage. As they approached the stable, she recognized Lord Bergen’s voice and heard him and Danny drop from the rumble seat. She felt immediate relief—almost elation—once the carriage started again. I am safe!
“Thank you! I feel like a princess rescued from a tower—a very nasty one,” she whispered hoarsely.
Colin gave a sly smile and tugged her closer to his side. “Did you have something to do with a certain exchange that caused a riot in the Tunnel?”
A chuckle escaped her. “I may have had something to do with it,” Nora admitted timidly. “I tried to save myself.”
“Remind me never to underestimate you again, my darling. I did so once before and I vow never to allow it to happen again,” he said with a chuckle.
“I beg your pardon, sir! When would that have been?” she asked demurely.
“Impudent minx! When I challenged you to prove the orphanage to be more worthwhile than my project. However, had I not persisted, we might not be betrothed.”
“Very true…” Tired, she laid her head on his shoulder, no longer caring how she smelled. All she cared about was that he was here. He had saved her. Just like my dream… my dearest dream!
The coach rumbled faster than normal over the cobblestones, tossing the three of them uncomfortably on the bench seats.
Noticeably relieved when the carriage turned onto a smoother road, Colin drew back and lifted her chin with his finger.
“I have a big question,” he said, grinning broadly.
He slid from the seat next to her and balanced on one knee. “I do not think I presented my proposal correctly the first time.” He cleared his throat and held on as they rounded a bend. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my countess?”
She had to be dreaming. Unsure of whether she really wanted to wake up, she reached up and scrubbed at her eyes. It felt real. She blinked. It looked real. Tears welled up and crested on her eyelids. “Yes,
