So he released her, stood and reached for his jacket. Putting it back on, he then gathered the ship advertisements he’d managed to collect along with some information on a few people who might be persuaded to offer their vessel to a noble cause, and handed the lot of it over to Juliette. “Here. Maybe this will be of some use to you.”
Her fingers trembled, but rather than lose her resolve, she held her ground with admirable boldness. “Promise me that you are going home to bed.”
The nod he gave her was just as unwavering as her resolve to see him well rested. “I do.” He followed her to the door and thanked her for all the help she offered.
“It is necessary for all of us to do what must be done if we are to succeed,” she said. Opening the door she stepped out into the hallway where her maid stood waiting. “Come along, Sarah. There is much for us to accomplish.” She sent Florian a final glance before striding away as if saving the world took nothing more than a bit of elbow grease.
Florian stared after her until she turned a corner and disappeared out of sight. She was incredible and worthy of great admiration, and his greatest wish right now was that he might one day deserve her.
With his heart pounding so hard his ribs hurt, Jack huddled behind some crates in an alley. When the shots had sounded, he’d run as fast as his feet could carry him, darting along the road and dodging passersby. It wasn’t until he’d stopped for breath that he’d realized his parents weren’t with him. Doubling back along side streets while taking care not to be seen, he’d looked for them, eventually spotting their sprawled-out bodies, lifeless, upon the ground.
A well of tears had choked him, silencing his cry of pain. He was alone in the world now and with nowhere to go. St. Giles was a death trap he’d be a fool to return to. So he’d turned away and started walking, taking shelter wherever shelter could be found. Starving, he’d pinched an apple from a street stall earlier, but the vendor had not been blind to his thieving and a friend of his had given chase.
So Jack did his best to keep silent, hoping he’d avoid discovery. When it finally felt as though an eternity had passed, he edged his way back out into the street and carefully glanced around. A cough started up his throat, wracking his body while pain poured into his belly. The apple, hidden away in his pocket, no longer held appeal. He coughed again as he stepped out onto the pavement with the conviction he’d managed avoiding capture.
“Hello.”
Instinct told Jack to run but perhaps that would look too suspicious. After all, the voice was kind, so he chose to turn toward it instead. And coughed again.
“You poor dear, you look quite unwell.” The woman who spoke was young with a pointy nose and brown hair. Both gave her a mouse-like appearance. She looked about. “Do you live far from here? Perhaps I can escort you home and suggest a remedy for that cough to your parents.”
“I don’t ’ave a ’ome, Miss.” Not any longer at least.
Her eyes widened with dismay. “Heavens! You’re a sickly street child. That simply will not do.”
She looked utterly distraught, which Jack found surprising. Judging from her well-kept appearance and clothing, he supposed she had to be middle class at least, perhaps even gentry. It was rare that such people would even bother to speak with his kind.
“It’s all right,” he told her, hoping to ease her mind. “I’m used to it.”
Her mouth flattened into a firm line, and before Jack knew what she was about, she’d grabbed hold of his arm and begun leading him along. “You are coming with me so you can have a healthy meal and recover from whatever it is that ails you. I shall even send for a physician.”
“No. Please don’t.” Jack struggled against her grasp. The last thing he needed was some learned man asking questions about where he’d come from.
The woman stopped walking and frowned. “You do not care for physicians.” He shook his head. “Very well. I doubt tending to you will be overly complicated, so I shall see to it myself then. Will that do?”
Jack hesitated for only the second it took him to contemplate the alternative, then nodded and allowed the woman, whoever she was, to lead him off to her home.
Chapter 16
Juliette parted ways with Sarah in the foyer of Huntley House and hastened upstairs to her bedchamber. Once inside, she closed the door firmly and leaned back against it on a shuddering breath. Good Lord! Her daring insistence to care for Florian in a manner most people would deem improper had left her feeling hot all over.
Frustrated, she released an agonized groan, untied her bonnet and flung it onto her bed along with her gloves and reticule. She didn’t have time to daydream about a handsome physician who turned her head. Not when lives were at stake.
So she took a few fortifying breaths to regain her composure and hurried back downstairs in search of Raphe. After checking his study and finding it empty, she located him in the library where he was keeping company with Coventry. “Good afternoon,” she said. “Mind if I join you?”
The men stood and welcomed her with partial bows. “Not at all, Juliette.” Raphe gestured toward a vacant spot on the sofa. “We were just finishing our discussion.”
Sitting, Juliette reached for the teapot and refilled Raphe’s and Coventry’s cups before filling her own.
“I have just come from the hospital,” she said. “Florian was there.” She took a sip of her tea. “He’s in dire need of sleep, so I insisted he get some rest.”
Coventry sighed. “He works too hard.”
“He is doing what is necessary under the current conditions we face.” Raphe frowned. “Typhus is not a matter to be taken lightly. Tell me, Juliette, has progress been made to stop it from spreading?”
“That is actually what I was hoping to speak with you about.” Aware she had their full attention, she told them about the most recent committee meeting and her idea to procure a ship. “Florian was trying to do this but I promised I’d handle it for him.”
“You did the right thing,” Raphe said. “Are you certain he went home to rest?”
