He stood in the ring with his chest heaving, blood streaking his mouth, and sweat running in rivulets down his back. He lifted his fists once, briefly in victory, then let them fall.
Alice could not breathe. The sight of him, powerful, wounded, and unmasked, tore at something deep inside her. This was no reckless rake amusing himself. This was a man fighting to survive.
Her pulse hammered as he turned, and for one wild moment she thought his gaze would find hers in the crowd. She shrank into the shadows. He could not see her here. He must not.
Alice stayed on top of the crate as the crowd surged forward to celebrate the victory. Her chest felt tight as she struggled to draw in a deep, steadying breath.
She had come here seeking Kenneth Jackson, not to find Lord Stafford stripped bare, fighting his demons his way.
For an instant, she wanted to weep for him and Charles. Instead, she tried to slip from the crate, but her way was barred. Two men stood smiling up at her.
“Hello, sweetheart, not often we get a lovely like you in this place.”
“Excuse me. I wish to leave,” Alice said, her tone rising above those around them.
“I think not. You may talk like a lady, but no way could you be one coming here,” one of them said. “Now, why don’t you come down and we’ll get acquainted.”
Her rash actions, coming here alone, slapped her hard in the face then. No one would help her if these men decided to grab her. Her eyes turned to the ring.He would help.
Chapter Five
Jamie felt therage ease from his body, replaced by fatigue and the dull ache of pain from the boxing match he’d just finished. His knuckles throbbed and he thanked God for the gloves he would wear when he walked in society tomorrow.
The roar of the crowd faded as he leaned over his opponent. He had no wish to kill a man, nor maim one for life. This was simply another way to leash the demons that sometimes overcame him. The eyes beneath him opened, and Jamie extended a hand. The man took it, and he hauled him upright.
“Thank you for the fight,” Jamie said. The man grunted in reply.
“Well done, my lord.”
“Thank you, Phillip.” He accepted the cloth his man handed him when he’d returned to his corner and began to towel the sweat from his body.
He’d left the ball after dancing with Lady Alice for two reasons. First, there was that damned list given to him by Anthony’s aunts. And then there was her. Lady Alice Smythe, with her beauty and the haunted look in her eyes.
A close friend once told me that some of us are forced to survive things others cannot imagine.
Of all the things he could have said to her, why had he chosen those words?
She unsettled him, and no woman ever had. She had also declared she wanted justice for her brother, and that KennethJackson would pay. He’d assured her he would see it done, but he doubted that would stop her. Jackson was not a man for a woman like Lady Alice to face. He was a savage animal.
Letting his eyes sweep the crowd, Jamie searched. While he’d come here to fight, he also knew that Kenneth Jackson had been seen in the area before. Starting with the back row of spectators, he scanned the gathered men. To his right, he noticed a woman standing on a box set out for those struggling to see. Rare to see a lady here, but not unheard of. Some came with their men; others—ladies of the night—sought their next client. It wouldn’t be hard to find one in a room full of men fueled by excitement.
Something about this particular woman caught his attention. As he pulled on his shirt and jacket, he found himself watching her. Jamie couldn’t make out her features because her hood was drawn forward, but a strange anticipation stirred in him as she turned.
Why do I suddenly need to know who she is?No woman of his acquaintance would be seen in such a place.
Two men approached her, and Jamie watched as she shook her head. One reached out, and she pushed his hand away. The other gripped her waist, and she struggled. Her hood fell back.
You bloody little fool.
Climbing through the ropes, Jamie jumped down and strode toward her. Men slapped his back and called out to him, but he ignored them all. He had one purpose, and that was to reach Lady Alice before anyone realized who she was.
“Back off!” she shouted, still wrestling with the two men. To his surprise, one stumbled back as she kicked him.
“Now!” Jamie barked when the men hesitated.
They turned. Recognition dawned in their eyes, and then both disappeared into the crowd.
Jamie didn’t wait for permission. Instead, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her down. Taking one of her glovedhands, he began forcing a path through the throng, ignoring her protests. Reaching the door, he opened it and pulled her through.
