Will returned the smile as he plucked the card from between her fingers. It was made of heavy stock and embossed in glossy ink with a fleur-de-lis on the front.
“It’s called Fleur,” she explained. “The address is on the back, along with the code you’ll need to give the doorman.”
Will flipped it over. “Avec plaisir,” he read.
With pleasure.
Maude’s smile grew. “Perfect.” Then she placed a hand on his shoulder and dragged her fingertips down his arm. “I do hope to see you there.”
Will’s eyes tracked the movement. He then met her gaze. “You will.”
Phoebe let out a loud huff and stood up. “We need to leave.” She wasn’t even trying to hide her irritation now and her voice was dangerously close to her normal pitch.
Maude stared at Phoebe, watching her more closely. That was the last thing they needed.
Just as her eyes began to narrow, Will stood. “Thank you for the invitation,” he said.
Maude stood as well, but her attention was still fixed on Phoebe. Will grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the doorway.
For once, Phoebe allowed him to lead her without protest and they brushed past the guard and hurried down the hall.
“I’m sorry,” Phoebe said once they were alone. “I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t even get to ask her about the tenement building.”
“It’s just as well,” Will groused. “She’s already suspicious.”
“What was that club she was talking about?”
“I’ve never heard of it before.” Will handed Phoebe the card. She studied it a moment before handing it back to him. “But she clearly works for whoever owns it.”
It was a common tactic for good-looking women like Maude to entice gentlemen of means to visit dens of iniquity across the city, and be paid a commission for their efforts.
“I’m guessing they own this place as well,” Phoebe said.
Will nodded as a voice called out from behind them. Phoebe immediately began to turn around, but Will only pulled her closer. “Keep going.”
They entered the main area of the hall, which had grown more raucous in their absence. Will gripped Phoebe’s hand to guide them through the crowd, then caught himself and took her upper arm instead.
“Will,” Phoebe hissed. “He’s coming.”
Will dared to look back and saw the intimidating guard pushing through the mass of bodies, his beady eyes fixed on them. Will let out a curse, then another when they reached a particularly dense section right in front of the bar. They were surrounded byrevelers all well into their cups. Will scanned the room, looking for an empty space, while Phoebe did the same.
In that short time, the guard made significant progress and was nearly upon them when he shoved aside a burly man who had just taken a sip from a full pint. Beer spilled everywhere and the man whipped around and grabbed the guard by his shirt collar. They were forgotten as the two men began pushing each other’s chests. The crowd around them moved toward the action as it quickly escalated to a full-blown brawl. In an instant absolute mayhem broke out. People were punching each other, throwing pint glasses, and jumping behind the bar to grab more. The barman huddled in the corner and the performers deserted the stage, while Maude had vanished.
Someone stumbled against Will, but as he helped him stand up, the man thanked him by throwing a punch. Phoebe screamed, but the man was too inebriated to do more than clip his chin. Will shoved him toward the scrum just as another man lunged at him. Will braced himself for the hit just as someone tugged him backward and out of the brute’s clumsy reach. It was Phoebe. Together they scrambled farther away just as a glass sailed past his head. It broke right in front of them and he instinctively drew Phoebe against his chest to shield her from the spray of shards. Their gazes locked and as he saw the flash of fear in her large hazel eyes, his heart clenched.
“Let’s go,” he shouted over the noise. Together they bolted toward the exit. The night air was refreshingly cool on their overheated bodies. Phoebe stopped to catch her breath, but Will pulled her along. The fight could clearly be heard on the street, which meant the authorities would arrive soon and they absolutely could not be here when that happened.
John had parked the carriage discreetly around the corner and they had just reached it when a paddy wagon pulled in front of the music hall. Will hustled Phoebe inside and watched from the pavement as a dozen policemen ran into the building. He let out a sigh as the tension he had carried since they had first entered the hall finally left him.
“Sir?”
Will glanced up at John, who still had his coat draped gingerly around his shoulders and looked uncharacteristically nervous. “Take us home as fast as you can.”
“Right away,” he said with a nod.
They quickly exchanged coats and then Will climbed into the carriage. Phoebe had been staring out the window watching the music hall but turned at his entrance. Though her face was only partially lit by the dim coach light, Will could still make out the apprehension in her eyes.
“It’s all right. We’re safe now.”
