Unease pricked the back of Simon’s neck, increasing tenfold when she disappeared down a side street and the man pulled a knife from his pocket while hurrying after her. Simon started to run while terror ripped through him. He’d failed her father once. He would not fail her as well.
A scream pierced the air, turning the blood in his veins to ice.
No.
He reached the street and darted down it, spotting Miss Strong and her attacker almost at once. “You there! Let go of that woman right now.”
Even though Ida had known the article in the morning paper would put her in danger, she hadn’t imagined an attempt on her life so soon. She’d been completely unprepared for it, and since the area wasn’t exactly the sort where one could rely on anyone rushing to help, she’d realized she would have to fight off her assailant alone.
So she’d screamed and kicked while using her hands to push against him, only vaguely aware of the shout that distracted him from his purpose. Her assailant froze and spat out a curse. Breathing heavily, he glanced toward the approaching figure, then promptly shoved her aside and took off.
Ida stumbled and spun. She barely had time to take a deep breath before strong hands grabbed her. A solid wall dressed in superfine wool and infused with the rich scent of leather, musk, and a hint of coffee, held her in place. The familiar smell of the man who’d caught her was unmistakable. It was the same man from last night. For all she knew, she’d escaped one attacker only to land in the arms of another.
Increasingly frightened, Ida jammed her heel into his shin.
“Bloody hell.” He promptly released her. “I’m only trying to help.”
“Help?” She glared at him. “I was almost killed because of you.”
He frowned. “Because of the article in the paper?”
“Why else?”
He glanced around. “I can think of any number of reasons in this area.”
“That wasn’t an ordinary robbery.” Keeping a cautious eye on him, she went to collect the satchel she’d dropped in the scuffle. “I was perfectly safe at Amourette’s. No one knew I was there until you came along and ruined everything.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were hiding.” He stepped toward her and she lurched back, placing her satchel between them. “Please. I mean you no harm.”
She scoffed in response. “Forgive me, but I don’t know who you are, which means I have no reason at all to trust you. On the contrary, you’ve proven extremely unhelpful thus far.”
“Aren’t you forgetting that I just saved you?”
“Like I said, doing so wouldn’t have been required if you’d kept your mouth shut in the first place.”
“Fine.”
“Fine,” she echoed and started backing away.
“Listen to me,” he said.
Instead, she turned and set off once more.
“Your father was a friend of mine,” he called after her. “We fought together in Spain.”
Ida stilled. If he truly wanted to hurt her, he probably would have done so by now. Instead, he’d come to her rescue, and while she still had no clue who he was, it might be wise to actually hear him out.
Expelling a breath, she gave a small nod and turned to face him. “Who are you?”
He seemed to be studying her with the same degree of uncertainty she felt for him. “Simon Nugent. The Earl of Fielding.”
“Well. I’m sorry about your shin.”
His lips quirked. “I’m sure I’ll survive.”
Ida hid a smile. “Good.”
A brief silence followed before he asked, “Were you being honest just now? When you said you were almost killed because of me?”
