But you take one of those things away and suddenly he was just a man again – a man who couldn’t afford his own ticket, a man who wasn’t worth another moment of anyone’s time.
A thousand stories conjured themselves in Damien’s mind all at once. He could pretend to be Mr Wozniak’s brother, perhaps. Even a cousin? Damn it all, he could have played his butler, were he not wearing such finery. Heknewthe cravat pin had been a mistake.
‘I am his business associate,’ said Damien smoothly. ‘Mr Wozniak is sending me ahead to New York, and gave me his ticket while he settles matters here.’
‘A business associate?’
The man’s expression grew taut as he studied Damien closely – a littletooclosely for Damien’s liking.
‘Tell me,sir. What business is Mr Wozniak in?’
Damien fumbled, trying to stretch his memory back to the inn in Leeds, and the wide-bellied man who had sat opposite him. They’d spoken about his business, he was sure of it – but whatwasit? Oil? Railroads? Liquor?
‘You know Mr Wozniak,’ said Damien, showing the man a perfect set of teeth. ‘He has his fingers in many pies.’
A curtain drew across the man’s expression. ‘I suggest you write to Mr Wozniak, and have him accompany you. Then I shall be happy to put you on the first ship to New York.’
Damien pinched at the bridge of his nose. His head felt like a thousand tiny drummers had taken up home behind his eyes, and were now thudding out a battle march.
‘Mr Wozniak does not have time to travel to Liverpool, and play nanny. Listen,I have a ticket.’ He waved it emphatically. ‘And I will not move until it has been transferred for today’s departure.’
The man gave him a flat look. ‘You have a ticket in another’s name, and without their express authorization, I cannot allow you on this ship.’
‘But I need to be in New York,’ said Damien firmly. ‘I need to leave England.’
‘So do most of the people here,’ the man snapped. ‘So please,step aside.’
‘Mr Wozniak will hear of this,’ Damien lied – clutching at the last straw he possibly could. ‘And he’ll take his business elsewhere.’
‘And I shall deal with that complaint personally,ifit ever comes,’ said the spindly man, his smile all teeth now. ‘In the meantime, if I catch you at these docks again with another man’s ticket, Iwillcall the local constabulary. Do you understand?’
Damien lifted his chin, a perfect tableau of confidence – though he knew he had lost this particular fight. ‘A good day to you then, sir,’ he said, tipping his hat at the man before turning.
The woman behind him was now wearing one of the most infuriatingly smug smiles he had ever seen.
‘Excuse me,’ he said, brushing clumsily past her as he moved from the line. ‘So sorry.’
‘Such impertinence!’ the woman scoffed, stepping forwards to the ticket booth.
Damien squared his shoulders, determined to walk tall past the snaking queue of people, and back towards the belly of the city.
A city I was meant to leave.A city I can’t stay in.
As soon as he could, Damien turned off the main street – crowded as more and more people flooded towards the docks – and ducked into one of the narrow alleyways. He pressed his forehead to the brick, squeezing his eyes shut, and let the feeling that had threatened to choke him on those busy street spill out in shallow breaths.
With his eyes closed he could be anywhere, and he tried to cling to the familiarity of the darkness around him, squeezing his hands into fists so tight he could feel the sharp press of his nails into his palms.
His father’s voice came to him then, as it often did in these moments, his scratched tone:Bad things beget bad things.
Damien should have known something would happen. He should’ve suspected that it would all go wrong. But he had been in tighter binds than this.
He put his hand in his pocket, pulling out the fine, jewelled bracelet he’d slipped from the woman’s wrist.
This simply gave him more time to prepare – more time to gather coin, and build up a nest-egg to start a new life with – a thought that might’ve proved more comforting if it wasn’t swiftly followed by:So long as you’re gone before he can catch up to you.
Damien stepped back, spots of black dancing across his vision.
And then he saw it.
