Susanna reached to her reticule for her coin purse and handed it to him. “Why don’t you go find the meat pasty vendor? I will go say hello to my friends while you are gone.”
He nodded. “Where shall I meet you?”
“In the square at one of the tables. I will find you.”
Miles strode back up the street and disappeared into the maze of stalls in search of food. Susanna turned and headed toward the horses. She desperately needed advice from her friend. Perhaps Clara would know what she should do. As she approached, she realized that the area was largely empty of people. Two stagehands sat playing dice. They looked up with friendly grins when they recognized her.
“Lady Susanna! What a surprise.”
“Where is everyone?” she asked.
“Gone up to enjoy the fair. Show is not ’till four o’clock. We got guard duty.”
“Thanks. Good luck today.” She gave a wave and headed back to the main street along a path along the water. The sun shone bright making the ripples of water sparkle as they lapped against wooden fishing boats tied in the marina. The sea air smelled of fish but not so strong to be off putting. She paused at the railing to take in the view. The sounds of the crowded market behind her hummed with vitality. But all that moved out on the water was a single seagull swooping up and down in flight.
A hand gripped her arm roughly. “I knew you would come to see the circus eventually.” Sour breath rasped in her ear.
She shut her eyes against the fear that clogged her throat. Stuart. “You bastard,” she hissed.
He twisted her around to face him. “You dare call me that. Everything I do is so that we can be together.”
“Why would I ever want to be with you?” She struggled to yank herself free from his punishing grip. “You’re insane!”
Stuart’s hair was greasy and unkempt, his shirt open to his chest revealing curling black chest hair. She had never seen him look so shabby. His eyes still held that wild look that she had seen last week on the road. He would not let go of her arm, dragging her closer. She dug her boot heels into the dirt to gain some traction.
“When will you admit you’re mine? You belong to me!”
Then Stuart was wrenched away. “You are quite mistaken. She is mine.” Miles’s furious voice thundered. His hand gripped the back of Stuart’s neck and he shook him like a rag doll before tossing him several feet.
Stuart stumbled backward, arms pinwheeling.
Miles stepped squarely in front of her. “Are you harmed?”
“He hurt my arm.” She gripped Miles’s bicep and stared daggers at Stuart, who had recovered and was barreling toward them.
But Miles grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand and pulled him up to his toes. Stuart gasped but Miles didn’t look like he was expending even an ounce of effort. “How dare you attack a lady in broad daylight,” he roared.
A crowd of men and women approached and Susanna saw Mr. Maddox and Giorgio among them. She sighed in relief. They would help. She squeezed Miles’s arm. “This is the man who attacked us on the road. I’d recognize his cruel face anywhere.”
“This is him?”
“He had two others with him but yes, he seemed the one in charge.”
“Then I will take great pleasure in this.” Miles set Stuart on his feet. He took a step back and swung his fist in a jaw-breaking uppercut that sent Stuart unconscious to the ground.
Mr. Maddox stepped out of the crowd and clapped Miles on the back. “Good job, my lord.” He looked down in disgust at Stuart. “I thought we had taken care of this problem when I sacked him in London. I had no idea he would go to such lengths to harm you, my dear.”
Susanna stared down at her former lover, still in shock that he had turned up again. How would she ever be free of him? She turned and buried her face in Miles’s chest. His arms came around her to pull her tight against him.
“Where can we find the magistrate?” Mr. Maddox asked the group of townsfolk that surrounded them.
On the ground Stuart groaned. Susanna gasped and raised her head. But Giorgio put his foot square on the man’s chest. “Don’t worry. He is not going anywhere. We will handle him.”
Clara and Colonel Hadley burst out from the crowd. “Oh Susanna. Are you harmed?”
Susanna shook her head. She straightened to turn to her friends but kept a death grip on Miles’s hand, not willing to step away from him, even when her friend enveloped her in her embrace.
“I can’t believe he is here,” Clara exclaimed.
