“I have spent my entire life being a lady and behaving as others have dictated I should. I no longer have to or, for that matter, want to.”
“I hate that tone,” Alex muttered. “She’s being reasonable and speaking to us like we’re five-year-olds.”
“We’ll watch her in there,” Mungo said. “Let’s go, or we’ll stand out here arguing for another hour. People will think she’s some kind of Good Samaritan come to save ruined souls and keep their distance.”
“What?” Ellen glared at him.
“Be quiet, and do not open your mouth again until we are back outside,” Leo said. A large hand then clamped around her wrist and dragged her forward.
“But you can?” Ellen huffed out a breath.
“We did not make up the rules that men are superior. It is simply common knowledge,” Alex said. He then took two large steps out of her reach and hurried inside the Hope and Anchor.
“Like that will keep him safe,” Mungo said. “Does the lad not realize yet that revenge is a dish best served cold?”
“He’s an idiot. What can I say?” Leo added.
Ellen walked in behind Leo and was instantly hit with smells and sounds. Singing, laughing, and talking. There was music coming from a fiddle somewhere. The scents were a mix of alcohol and sweat.
“Stay close,” Mungo whispered in her ear. He then nudged her into Leo’s back.
They moved through the room slowly, looking for anything that may alert them to Barney Forge and Penny Tompkins’s location.
“We don’t need your sort in here. There are no souls that want saving.”
The woman who said those words moved close to Ellen. Her breasts were spilling out of her dress and her hair was loose. But it was the pink cheeks and lips that caught Ellen’s attention.
“What are you staring at?” the woman demanded.
“I was just thinking how lovely you look,” Ellen said.
The woman’s fierce expression softened. “You could be too if you weren’t dressed in that outfit, looking prim and proper,” the woman said.
“We’re actually searching for a man. His name is Barney Forge. Would you be able to help us with locating him at all?”
“Him and his brothers just left. You stay clear of the likes of them, love. They’re a bad lot.”
“Ellen,” she said. “And thank you so much for your help.”
The woman smiled. “You come and see me if you need any work, Ellen. My name’s Dottie.”
“Oh, I will, and thank you again.”
“Are you finished with your chat?” Leo hissed from in front of her.
“The Forges just left,” Ellen said. “And there is no need of sarcasm, seeing as I have found them, and you did not.”
Leo muttered something and then told Alex they were heading back out the doors. When they stepped into the foggy night air, they found a group of men several feet away.
“Mungo did tell you your appearance made you look like a Good Samaritan trying to save souls,” Alex said. “The lovely Dottie simply confirmed that.”
“Stay back, Ellen,” Leo said. “And be quiet, Alex. Now is not the time.”
“We’ve been over this, Leo. I can fight as well as you,” Ellen said.
“No, you can’t. You’re tiny, Ellen, and it would take one punch to knock you out.”
“Then I’ll make sure no one punches me.”
