Peaches!
Sophia tugged at the leading string to draw Peaches closer to the hem of her dress. She must keep her precious companion as close as possible.
The dog, small in stature, had very short legs and a long body.
Not that Peaches was strong enough to drag Sophia into the melee of pedestrians. But the passing humans concerned her. The crowded sidewalks bustled with activity today and busy passersby were not always mindful of twelve-inch-tall canines.
Sophia would not wish for Peaches to be accidentally kicked, or worse! She would take no chances with her beloved pet.
Peaches was her baby.
She — the dog, mind you — had short reddish hair with a brown streak that stood up whenever she was provoked or frightened.
In that moment, the streak stood out boldly.
And, as Sophia glanced up, she supposed that if she herself had a streak, it would be standing on end as well.
For rambling down the busy London street appeared a most unusual sight. In a line of tall wagons, all constructed with vertical bars, a caravan of vehicles transported a variety of exotic animals. Were they part of a traveling circus? Perhaps they were new additions to the Tower Menagerie in Regent’s Park.
She’d been once, to the menagerie, and although fascinated by the novelty of viewing the magnificent beasts, she’d sensed a wrongness to it all. A similar sensation swept through her today, as the carts rolled past with the animals caged behind bars.
Other onlookers had stopped to stare at the impromptu exhibition as well. A most unusual sight!
Not to go unnoticed by her dog.
For Peaches’ tail now curled between her hind legs and a low growl rumbled in her throat.
Oh, no.
Sophia glanced futilely toward the storefront where her friend, Rhoda, had disappeared a few minutes before. The doorway stood empty. Sophia and Peaches were no longer welcome inside of the fashionable milliner’s establishment. Well, Peaches wasn’t anyhow. Upon their last visit, a particularly lifelike bluebird set in one of the hats on display had appeared to Peaches as somewhat of a mortal threat. Peaches had attacked and subdued the bird.
The store’s owner had banned her for life.
And so, Sophia and Peaches would await Rhoda outside —“Just for a minute,”Rhoda had stressed — while she fetched the bonnet she’d ordered earlier that week.
As the train of animals rambled past, Sophia crouched to the ground, petting and soothing the trembling dog. “It’s all right, Peaches. Be a good dog now. That’s a good girl.”
But Peaches had other ideas and let out one sharpwoof, quickly followed by a string of high-pitched barks.
The horses pulling the nearest wagon cage did not appreciate being taunted by such a ridiculously impertinent animal. In their nervousness, they began dancing and then — oh heavens — bucking!
“Shush, Peaches, Hush now!” Sophia tried infusing authority into her voice, but Peaches had by now worked herself into a frenzy.
“Woof, woof, ark, ark, ark!”
The horses’ agitation increased. In an effort to calm them, the driver had now risen to his feet and was tugging at the reins and yelling at them ineffectually. He brought a whip down sharply, hitting the ground near the sidewalk where Sophia stood. “Shut that bloody little bastard up!” he shouted in Sophia’s direction.
Suddenly the situation had become most unpleasant indeed. Feeling more than a smidgeon of fear, Sophia gathered Peaches into her arms and backed away from the roadway into a narrow opening between the hatmaker’s storefront and a neighboring jeweler.
But Peaches continued barking, and the driver lost control of his team completely.
One horse attempted to bolt while the other continued bucking. This combination created an unbalancing of the wagon as it rolled past Sophia.
Except that it did not roll past at all.
It listed toward her, and inside sat none other than a large golden lion with glinting eyes and a magnificent mane encircling his face.
Reacting to Peaches’ vicious snarls, the lion narrowed said eyes and emitted a growl of his own. As he did so, he slid along the bottom of the cage, toward the bars.
