“Oi’ll have all yer pretty baubles, me lady. Hurry up now or I’ll be forced to shoot ye.”
Just then, Stuartswooned. Heavens above, the dolt had fainted dead away. He hit the floor with a resounding thud. The pistol wavered in the man’s hand, and he looked completely baffled. Jenna stared in stunned disbelief then let out a scream as Quinn launched himself at the man, knocking the pistol to the floor.
Heads turned in all directions as Jenna let out another shriek. “Someone help us! We’re being robbed!”
The thief broke away from Quinn and knocked over chairs in his haste to be gone. Quinn started to give chase, but Jenna caught him by the arm. “Let him go. You might get hurt.”
“Devil take it, Jenna! He could have killed you.” He looked down at Stuart in disgust. “No thanks to Stu.”
“Help me get him up,” Jenna said with a sigh.
They lifted and tugged at Stuart until they had him propped in the chair. “Wha...what happened?” Stuart demanded, as his eyes flew open.
“Nothing,” Jenna said in exasperation.
The lights were hurriedly lit, and every eye was on them, much to Jenna’s chagrin. Footsteps approached and several men burst into their box. “What goes on here?”
Stuart quickly explained and the men were horrified. “A thief, inhere? It’s a crying shame that we aren’t safe in our boxes,” one grumbled.
“Are you unhurt, my lady?” another asked Jenna.
She nodded and turned to Quinn. “Can we take our leave now? We’ve managed to stop the performance, and tongues will be wagging for months to come.”
Quinn nodded and thanked the gentlemen for coming so quickly. They exited, all vowing to speak to the door keepers about keeping a better watch on who came and went from now on.
“You better help Stuart,” she told Quinn as he turned back to her. “He looks as if he needs assistance.”
“Come along, Stu,” Quinn said, pulling him up on his feet. “We’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
They exited the box to discover most of the other attendants were leaving as well. Excited chatter buzzed about the grand foyer as they weaved through the crowd. The three rushed for the entrance, knowing the wait for their carriage would be interminable as the people flocked out of the opera house.
Jenna couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. Her gaze flitted around the people milling about, but nothing seemed untoward. Her nerves were a mess after her encounter with the thief, and now she was envisioning men jumping out at her at every turn.
Mentally shaking herself, she focused her attention on the street and waited for their carriage to pull up. It would do no good to fall victim to her imagination.
As Quinn ushered her into the carriage, she collapsed into the seat, shaking uncontrollably.
“Are you all right?” Quinn asked gently.
She nodded, too numb to speak. It all had happened so fast, she hadn’t time to react, but now it was catching up with lightning speed.
To her surprise, Stuart reached over and laid his hand over hers, patting comfortingly. “There, there, Jenna. Don’t let that brute ruin your evening. I daresay Quinn is the hero of the hour.”
She smiled wanly at Quinn. “Indeed, he is.”
Quinn scowled. “I’d like to know how he got into our box in the first place. You may be certain Father will hear of this.”
Jenna sighed and leaned heavily back in the carriage seat. “What time is it, Quinn?”
He pulled his fob chain from his breast pocket then said, “It’s nearly eleven.”
“Then you’ll excuse me if I retire as soon as we return home.”
The carriage rolled to a stop in front of Stuart’s London residence and he clamored out. “Do rest well tonight, Jenna. I’ll come around tomorrow to see how you are faring.”
She forced a smile to her lips and nodded as he closed the door behind him.
They rode the rest of the way in silence, and when they arrived at their home, Jenna shook off Quinn’s arm and hurried up to her room. Pulling off her gloves and wrap, she tossed them onto her dressing table and sank into her armchair.
