Page 44 of Forgotten No More

And where she was, was about to get even worse.

The tall, finely dressed gentleman walking straight toward Ruby was patting his jacket and pants pockets in alarm. He quickly reached into the inside pocket of his jacket but came back empty handed. Disbelief clouded his face and he stopped in his tracks.

Ruby increased her pace and grabbed the billfold Ellie was about to slip into her hidden pouch.

Turning, she called, “Sir!”

The man’s head rose and he turned toward Ruby.

“I think you dropped this.”

Relief flooded his face even as Ellie gasped behind her.

“Many thanks,” he said. He continued on his way, leaving Ellie staring daggers at Ruby.

“That was a plump one.” Ellie’s irritation was obvious.

But Ruby’s displeasure was greater. “Do you realize you put yourself in jeopardy every time you steal something? What if he was a man prone to anger and violent outburst, what then?”

“I can take care of myself—always have and always will.”

Ruby’s fury evaporated. She didn’t know Ellington; who she was or what she’d been through. She could not cast the first stone, lest that stone be returned in her direction. Instead of scolding her once more, Ruby threaded her arm through Ellie’s and continued down the street. “Well, I am here now and it would be remiss of me not to save you from yourself.” If she kept the girl’s hands occupied it was less likely she would get them into trouble.

Their acquaintance spanned less than two days, but Ruby had an overwhelming urge to help the girl, guide her, possibly influence her to be a better person. She recognized the lost and lonely look in Ellie’s eyes. The years of hurt that shone through her tough exterior.

“You won’t be around for long—your kind never is.”

“My kind?” How Ruby wished to question her. Maybe they had more in common than either of them knew. The solitary life was not easy, and most definitely not one she’d wish upon anyone, especially one as young as Ellie. At least Ruby had had her father until she was fifteen.

Ellie kicked a pebble on the street as they walked. “Sure, you know. Grand ladies who pretend to care, all because they want something from me. But who cares, you all are ugly anyway.” Without another word or any justification, Ellie pulled out of her grasp and bounded into Gunter’s.

Ruby had to remind herself that she’d agreed to three afternoons with the girl—no more. Ellie’s past, and most certainly her future, did not involve Ruby. She had her own problems to fret over without the added issues of a young pickpocket.

With a deep, cleansing breath, Ruby followed the girl into the ice shop.

True to form, Ellie insisted on Ruby fronting the coin for their treats. Then, they moved to the small tables on the walk outside the shop to sit.

The ice tasted heavenly, though Ruby ate quickly, not leaving much opportunity to enjoy the rare goodness of the delicacy. The girl also ate in silence, much to Ruby’s delight. She’d been at a loss as to how she might approach any subject beyond the weather. Added to that, her argument with Harold still weighed heavily upon her.

While she most certainly regretted her horrible words, she was not sorry for their effect. He’d allowed her to leave and hadn’t followed. In his absence, she had been able to cross another man off her list within a few short minutes of questioning one of the gentleman’s upstairs maids. The impossibly well-endowed Earl of Ivertime was told at a very young age that he was incapable of bearing children, eliminating the likelihood that her mother would have found him desirable and worthy of her end objective. Ruby had read every heartbreaking word of her mother’s struggle to conceive; every failed year tore at her parent’s relationship until her mother had sought out someone to give her what she truly wanted.

“What shall we do next?” Ellie asked.

Looking to the girl, Ruby noticed she’d finished her ice and sat slouched in her seat, staring expectantly at her.

“I hadn’t anticipated much else for our afternoon.”

The girl huffed and crossed her arms. “You must be jesting with me. If you think to keep your midnight activities from the gossips, then I would put a little more effort into our outings.”

“You are still assuming there is something to tell the gossips,” Ruby mused. “I am sure your activities would be just as noteworthy if they were known.”

“My activities?” Ellie sat up straight. “As far as the ton knows, I do not exist.”

The comment drew Ruby’s attention, not to the words themselves, but the emotion behind them. What person relished living in nonexistence?

“What is he doing here?” Ellie asked suddenly. “I thought I made myself perfectly clear that he was not to be told the terms of our agreement.”

Her comment and the fact that the girl stared intently over Ruby’s shoulder was alarming. Turning, Ruby saw Harold speaking with a man across the street. Carriages and pedestrians obscured her view, but his tall, confident frame was unmistakable. Maybe her scolding hadn’t discouraged his involvement in her everyday affairs after all.