Page 6 of An Affair at Stonecliffe

Leaving Nan staring after her in astonishment, Noelle hurried into the workroom, calling Gil’s name. He turned, eyes wide at the tone of urgency in her voice, and ran to join her. She didn’t pause to grab her bonnet or even to glance at Lisette and Kate, just took Gil’s hand and hastened up the wooden stairs. Behind her, Lisette exclaimed in French. Lisette would realize what had happened and do her best to help. Noelle heard the tinkling of the bell above the door in front as she hurried past the door of Lisette’s flat.

A small door at the end of the hallway opened onto a narrow staircase half a flight up to the attic storage room on the top floor. The storage room was not as wide as the rooms beneath it, and the set of windows on the rear wall looked down on an empty strip of the flat roof that covered Lisette’s living quarters below. Noelle ran to the windows and shoved one of them up, then climbed through it. Carefully, she lowered herself down as far as she could, then dropped lightly onto the roof beneath her. Behind her, Gil scrambled down like a monkey, and she caught him as he jumped the last few feet.

The shop abutted the buildings on either side, and it was easy enough to step over the low parapet onto the roof of the adjoining building, and from there to the next one. They hurried to the last building, where Noelle lifted a flat panel. A set of servants’ stairs from the building’s former life as a residence led down to the street.

Noelle had plotted out and practiced the entire route to make certain escape was possible from the shop, which had no back door. Since she had planned to soon be both living and working there, she knew she must have a ready way out of the building, and Lisette, the only one who knew Noelle’s history, had been happy to agree to that condition.

At the bottom of the stairs, Noelle cautiously opened the door onto the side street and peered out. Seeing nothing suspicious, she and Gil slipped out and walked swiftly down the street. They were almost to the end of the block when she heard a shout behind her. She risked a glimpse back and saw Thorne’s companion running toward her. She took to her heels. Darting across the street, she and Gil continued to run.

Though she knew it cost her time, Noelle couldn’t resist glancing back to locate her pursuer. Thorne had joined the man and was closing in on Noelle. Her pace was greatly slowed by Gil’s short legs, and he was tiring. If she picked him up and carried him, though, she would herself be far slower. In any case, there was no way she could outrun Thorne.

Her only advantage was that she was familiar with the area. She turned right at the next street and ran for the alleyway she knew lay between two buildings. It was a risk, a place where she could easily be trapped, but she also knew that the drapers and other stores used the alley for deliveries of supplies in the morning. More than that, she knew the draper’s apprentice, who usually spent much of the morning carrying supplies and goods in and out to a cart in the alley. She dodged around a cart and between two men carrying bags into another shop. And there, thank heavens, was Micah, pulling a long bolt of cloth out of a cart. He had the back door of the store propped open.

Micah turned, and his eyes widened at the sight of Noelle and Gil running toward him. His gaze shifted to the men behind her, gaining ground. Noelle had no breath to speak, could only send Micah a pleading look as she darted through the open door. But he was quick to understand and kicked the prop from the door, then stood in front of the entrance, blocking it with the long bolt cloth in his arms. “Help! Thieves!”

Noelle hurried away from the growing clamor outside the rear door and made her way past startled workers and customers to walk out the front door. A hack was unloading a passenger across the street, and she ran to it. She rarely if ever took a hack because of the expense, but she had to get away from here quickly.

The hack driver frowned down at her suspiciously, and she pulled out her purse, jiggling it, and he nodded. She climbed in, and they started off slowly. Gil bounced on the seat, excited at the new experience. Noelle kept an eye on the door of the draper’s shop, but did not see Thorne storming out before the carriage turned the corner and the shop was out of sight. She ran a hand over Gil’s hair and settled back in the seat, curling her arm around his shoulders.

“Will the bad men find us?” he asked.

“No, we slipped away. Don’t worry. Even if they found us, they wouldn’t hurt you. Remember what I told you.”

“Yes.” He nodded, his eyes solemn, but then he grinned. “We beat ’em, didn’t we? I like running over the roofs.”

“Yes, that was fun,” Noelle lied. Gil was resilient. Noelle could only hope that the excitement remained with him more than the fear.

Gil turned to look out the window, getting up on his knees to see better. Noelle considered her situation. She wanted to simply rush to the nearest inn and take the first mail coach leaving for anywhere. But she must go home first. She had to get the money she had stored there, and it would be good to grab a few clothes and Gil’s favorite toy, as well. She had eluded Thorne; they weren’t following her. It would be safe, surely, to return to their flat and get their things before they sought a coach out of town.

She told the driver to let her off at Golden Square. The hack ride had gotten her away quickly, but Noelle didn’t want to waste her money. Nor did she want the man to know her address. Given Thorne’s tenacity, he might be able to locate the right vehicle and question the driver.

They walked from the square to their home, Noelle keeping up as brisk a pace as Gil could manage. The streets grew more narrow and twisting, the buildings more dilapidated, as they went into the St. Giles area. Their pace was slowed by having to wend their way through the jumble of people and around piles of refuse.

She turned onto a small street that led to the little lane where her home lay. It was a quieter street and somewhat cleaner, as it still housed many of the French émigrés who had settled there in the years after the revolution in their country. Nor was it as riddled with thieves and prostitutes as the rest of Seven Dials. Still, Noelle had been eagerly awaiting the day when she could leave the area and move into the living quarters atop the store.

Out of an abundance of caution, she stopped and peered down the lane to the house where she rented a room. It was so narrow it was more an alley than a street, and it ended just past her home, giving her no chance of escape. Had she been choosing a place to live for longer than a couple of months, she would not have chosen this location, even if it did offer cleaner, quieter accommodations than the area around it.

Little sun reached the tunnellike walkway, making it perpetually gloomy, but it was light enough to see that there was no one loitering in the lane. Letting out a relieved breath, she hurried toward her door. Just as she reached it, the door swung open and Carlisle Thorne stepped out.

“Really? Did you think I wouldn’t have found out where you live, as well?” he said, closing the door behind him.

Noelle jumped back and grabbed Gil’s arm, whirling to run away again, but the exit to the street was blocked by Thorne’s companion. She was trapped. Why, oh why, hadn’t she thought of this? She remembered that uneasy feeling she’d had the other day; clearly, someone had been following her, even if she hadn’t been able to spot him.

It had been foolish to come home, but she couldn’t waste time on regrets now. She backed up almost to the wall, pulling Gil behind her to provide what little protection she could. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the sharp shears she always carried, pointing the tool at her enemy.

Thorne’s eyebrows sailed upward. “Are you mad?”

“Don’t touch him!” Noelle imbued her voice with all the menace she could muster, given her vulnerable position. She could never hope to defeat two able-bodied men. But she was determined not to let Gil go without a fight.

The man loped down the lane toward them, but Thorne held out a hand, halting him. Calmly, he said to Noelle, “Do you intend to stab me in front of your son? Surely you cannot actually believe that I would harm Adam’s son.”

“I won’t give him up.” She stopped, perilously close to tears. She could not allow this man to see any weakness. Swallowing hard, she continued, “You cannot have him. He may be Adam’s son, but he doesn’t belong to you. He is all the world to me, and I will not let you—” Her voice broke on the words.

“Don’t you hurt her!” Gil shouted, popping out from behind Noelle’s skirts. He was pale, but he planted himself beside her pugnaciously, his little hands curled into fists. “Leave my maman alone!”

Thorne looked down at the boy, his face softening, and he smiled faintly—an expression Noelle had never thought to see on his face. “Well, we have a fighter here, I see.”

Startling Noelle, the tall man squatted down so that he was on a level with the boy. “You’re a brave young man. That’s good. You’re like your father.”