Chapter Five

      Louisa struggled against the hand that was pressed against her mouth, sinking her teeth into the fleshy palm. Her attacker pulled away from her for an instant and she took the opportunity to let out another scream.

      ‘Shut up,’ the man growled, slapping her across the face with such force her neck snapped back and her head hit the wall.

      For an instant Louisa’s world went black. She fought the urge to let the darkness take over her, knowing she wouldn’t have a chance of escape if she lost consciousness.

      As the world came back into focus Louisa opened her mouth to scream again, but quickly clamped her lips together as she saw the glint of light reflected off her attacker’s knife blade.

      ‘Good girl,’ the man murmured. ‘Just keep quiet and I won’t hurt you too much.’

      Louisa very much doubted that. She didn’t know if this man planned to rob her or do something much, much worse, but she hoped she wouldn’t be around to find out.

      She was just assessing whether she could outrun her attacker when a figure pounced from the shadows.

      ‘Oof,’ her attacker groaned as he received a fist to his abdomen.

      Louisa backed away, glancing behind her and wondering if she should run. There was no guarantee her saviour was any nobler than the man he was now punching in the face.

      She had just decided to make a run for it when a familiar voice growled, ‘Don’t even think of moving a muscle, Miss Turnhill.’

      Her eyes widened with surprise. Her mysterious saviour, the man beating her attacker, was none other than Robert Fleetwood.

      She didn’t disobey him.

      The man who’d been attacking her managed to wriggle free from Robert’s grasp and without a backward glance scuttled off into the night.

      Louisa was left alone in the alleyway with Robert.

      Even in the darkness she could tell he was fuming.

      ‘I am going to escort you home,’ he said.

      Louisa allowed him to tuck her hand into the crook of his elbow and pull her along beside him. He walked fast, his long legs eating up the distance in no time. Louisa nearly had to run to keep up with him, taking two steps for his every one.

      She glanced up at him as they walked. His jaw was clenched and his eyes focused straight ahead. He didn’t once look down at her.

      Louisa opened her mouth to say something but immediately decided against it. She’d been scared in the alleyway, more scared than she’d ever been in her life. If she thought about it too much, she knew her legs would start to shake and give way beneath her. So instead she concentrated on keeping up with Lord Fleetwood.

      * * *

      It took only ten minutes to reach his house and within another thirty seconds they were behind a locked front door. Louisa was marched into Robert’s study and deposited unceremoniously on a comfortable leather sofa.

      Still Robert did not speak. He crossed over to a decanter and poured himself a generous glass of whisky, which he downed in one gulp.

      Then he turned to face her.

      Louisa felt herself shrinking back in her chair. He was angry, furious even. She knew she was in trouble, but strangely she didn’t feel scared. At least not scared of him. Although she’d known Robert only a short time she somehow knew he wasn’t going to hurt her. He might shout and berate her for putting herself in such danger, but he wouldn’t actually physically hurt her.

      ‘Miss Turnhill,’ he started, ‘why don’t you talk me through your thought process when you decided it was a good idea to wander the streets of London in the middle of the night?’

      Louisa swallowed. When he put it like that it did sound rather foolish. She’d been so preoccupied with leaving, with standing on her own two feet, she hadn’t thought through the consequences of her actions.

      She cleared her throat and moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue.

      ‘I thought the exercise would do me good before bed,’ she tried to joke weakly.

      The stony silence that met her comment was enough to tell her he wasn’t amused.

      ‘No more jokes, please. Tell me what possessed you to leave in the middle of the night?’

      Louisa swallowed. ‘I don’t want to have to rely on anyone else,’ she said eventually.

      He looked at her as though she’d grown an extra head.

      ‘So you thought you would take off in the middle of the night with no money and no means of supporting yourself.’

      She had to agree it did sound a little foolish.

      ‘London is a dangerous city,’ Robert said in a low voice. ‘What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t followed you?’

      Louisa felt her hands start to shake. She knew what would have happened. She doubted she would be alive now, or if she was she would probably be wishing she was dead. It was only luck that Robert had seen her leave and had followed her, and reached her in time to save her from her attacker.

      She felt the tears building in her eyes and tried to hold then back.

      ‘I know what would have happened,’ Louisa said, her voice cracking as the tears started to roll down her cheeks.

      Robert looked at her for a couple of seconds, but as the sobs started to rack her body Louisa felt him sit down beside her and suddenly she was in his arms.

      Her body instinctively stiffened at the contact, but gradually she relaxed as he held her, glad of the comfort he provided. He made her feel safe, Louisa realised. In this world where it seemed everyone was out to hurt, her he protected her time and time again.

      ‘It’s okay,’ he said soothingly. ‘You’re safe now.’

      Louisa sniffed and tried to stem the flow of tears, but found now she had started she just couldn’t stop.

      ‘I’ve got you,’ he whispered. ‘I’m not going to let anything happen to you.’

      In that instant Louisa was inclined to believe him. He’d saved her from the asylum and just now he’d saved her from her own foolishness.

      With an effort she wiped the tears from her cheeks. She felt her fears slowly ebbing away as he held her, knowing somehow that with him she was safe, at least