“Well,” said the man directly behind her. He smirked while his cold gaze slid over her body. “Aren’t you a pretty lad.”
Harriet swallowed and retreated a step. Her heart trembled. “I mean no trouble, but I do need to get on my way so I can fetch a doctor for my sister.”
She wasn’t sure why she said this. This man did not look the least bit sympathetic.
He chuckled. “You’ll have to pay the toll first.”
“The toll?”
“Aye,” said one of the men who’d been standing near the end of the alley. He and the others had approached while she’d been distracted. “This is our alley. A fee’s required for you to use it.”
This hadn’t been the case the last time she’d come this way, but a lot could change in the space of a year. St. Giles’s crews could find new spots in which to fleece people by instilling fear. This was clearly such a case, which meant she’d get nowhere until she complied.
“How much?” she asked.
“Ten shillings should do it.”
Harriet shook her head. “I can’t afford that.”
“You said you were on your way to fetch a doctor,” one of the men remarked. “If you can afford to pay him then you can afford to pay us as well.”
“I…”
Harriet pondered her options while glancing about, gauging her chance of escape. The men were bigger than she, so their movements might not be as agile. But was it worth the risk?
She wasn’t sure, but she knew she could not afford to lose her carefully earned money to them. Not when she needed it for the doctor. Which meant she had to try and escape without losing the ten shillings they demanded.
“Fine,” she said, hoping to placate them for a moment so they would let down their guards. “Ten shillings it is.”
They grinned and watched as she shoved one hand in her pocket. Two of the men standing before her turned to each other, their attention briefly averted long enough for Harriet to make her move. She darted past them and raced along the length of the alleyway.
“Stop ’im!”
Harriet quickened her speed. The soles of her shoes thudded against the ground. Behind her, she could hear the men in pursuit, cursing as they ran to catch her. The exit from the alleyway wasn’t far now. Just a few yards and—
A hand latched onto her shoulder, jolting her backward with such impressive force her legs tangled together. She fell, barely managing to reach her arms out in order to break the fall before she hit the ground. A jarring pain shot through her palms and knees. There was no time for her to adjust to the feeling before she was hauled to her feet and shoved up against a wall.
A large hand circled her throat and the man who’d initially blocked her path leaned in, so close she could see every piece of stubble along the edge of his jaw. “Thought ye’d cheat us, aye?”
“No,” Harriet sputtered while gasping for breath.
“Such actions have repercussions,” her captor snarled. He tightened his hold until tears welled in her eyes. “We’re about to show ye what they are, ain’t we lads?”
“Aye,” the other pair agreed as they went for Harriet’s pockets, divesting them of their contents while she kicked and did what she could to wrestle the strong hold away from her neck.
The grip loosened and the man stepped back. Harriet coughed and wheezed while gulping down air.
“Two pounds and ye’d not spare as much as a quarter of that for free passage?” The man who’d been holding her sneered. “Bloody fool.”
He spat on the ground, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and sent his fist flying, straight into Harriet’s jaw. The pain that followed could only be briefly ignored with each additional punch she received. Until she buckled over and dropped to her knees, sputtering as they kicked her.
She rolled to one side with a sob and hugged her stomach while blood blurred her vision.
“Do ye think ye’ve learned yer lesson, wee one?” the largest of the men asked while crouching so close his voice was thick in her ear.
“Yes,” Harriet could barely make out the sound of her own voice it was so garbled.
The man snorted. Another kick struck her right in the back. And then she finally heard their retreating footsteps.
