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Chapter 1

The lone figure of a woainst the wall of a cru house, her shoulders hunched as if she were ill Derek Craven’s hard green eyes flickered over her as he caht wasn’t unusual in the streets of London, especially in the rookery, where hu was visible in all its variety Here, a short but significant distance fro ars, prostitutes, swindlers, thieves His kind of people

No decent female would be found here, especially after dusk But if she was a whore, she was dressed strangely for it Her gray cloak parted in the front to reveal a high-necked gown made of dark cloth The lock of hair that strayed from beneath her hood was an indistinct brown It was possible she aiting for an errant husband, or perhaps she was a shopgirl who had lost her way

People glanced furtively at the wo pace If she reer, there was no doubt she would be raped or robbed, even beaten and left for dead The gentleo to her, inquire about her well-being, express concern for her safety

But he was no gentle the broken paveutter, nursed through infancy by a group of ragged prostitutes, and educated in his youth by criminals of every kind He was familiar with the schemes used to prey upon the unwary, the few efficient moments it took to rob a man and crush his throat Women were frequently used in such plots as bait or lookouts, or even assailants A soft fee when it rapped around an iron cudgel, or when it clutched a stocking weighted with a pound or two of shot

Gradually Derek beca about the his spine Two sets of heavy footsteps, belonging to ed his pace, and they adjusted tohim Perhaps they had been sent by his rival Ivo Jenner to cause an to round a corner

As he expected, they made their move Swiftly he turned and ducked beneath the drive of a clenched fist Relying on instinct and years of experience, he shifted his weight to one leg and lashed out with his booted foot, striking a blow to the assailant’s stoered back Whipping around, Derek lunged for the second man, but it was too late…He felt the thud of airound The twobody

“Do it quick,” one of the, Derek felt his head pushed back He struck out with a clenched fist, but his arround There was a slash across his face, a dull roar in his ears, hot wetness flowing in his eyes andto free hi too quickly He couldn’t stop them He had always been afraid of death, for somehow he had known it would come like this, not in peace, but in pain and violence and darkness

Sara stopped to read through the inforh her spectacles, she puzzled over the new cant words she had heard that night The language of the street changed quickly fro process that fascinated her Leaning against a wall for privacy, she pored over the notes she had a cards as “flats” and had cautioned each other to watch out for the “crushers,” which was perhaps intended to describe policeured out yet was the difference between “rasmen,” both words used to refer to street thieves Well, she would have to find out…it was imperative that she use the correct terar, had both been praised for their attention to detail She would not want her third, as yet untitled, to be faulted for inaccuracies

She wondered if thehell would be able to answer her questions Most of theiene Perhaps it would be unwise to ask theht not welco revels On the other hand, she needed to talk to them for the sake of her book And Sara was always careful not to judge people by outward appearances

Suddenly she are of a disturbance near the corner She tried to see as happening, but the street was shrouded in darkness After folding the sheaf of paper she had stitched together to for and ventured forth curiously A torrent of crude words brought color to her cheeks No one used such language in Greenwood Corners except old Mr Dawson, when he drank too much spiced punch at the annual town Christmas festival

There were three figures engaged in a struggle It appeared that twohi uncertainly, Sara clutched her reticule as she watched Her heart began to pound like a rabbit’s It would be unwise to involve herself She was here as an observer, not a participant But the poor victiaze took in the flash of a knife

They were going to murder him

Hastily Sara fu for the pistol she always carried on her research trips She had never used it on anyone before, but she had practiced target shooting in a country field to the southeast of Greenwood Corners Drawing out the small weapon, she cocked it and hesitated

“Here, now!” she called out, trying toand authoritative “I insist that you stop at once!”

One of thethe knife onceher lip, Sara raised the tre pistol and aimed to the left of them She couldn’t kill anyone—she doubted her conscience would tolerate it—but perhaps the loud noise would frighten theer

As the echoes of the pistol’s report died away, Sara opened her eyes to view the results of her efforts To her amazement, she realized she had unintentionally hit one of thethe gushing wound with his hands Abruptly he toppled over with a gurgling noise The other man was frozen She couldn’t see his shadowed face

“Go away now,” Sara heard herself say, her voice shaking with fear and dismay “Or…or I shall find it necessary to shoot you as well!”

He seehost Sara crept to the two bodies on the ground Her aped open in horror, and she covered it with her unsteady fingers She had very definitely killed aaround his fallen body, she approached the victim of the attack

His face was covered with blood It dripped fro clothes A sickening feeling came over her as she wondered if rescue had come too late for hi She was cold all over, and very unsteady In all her sheltered twenty-five years, nothing like this had ever happened to her She looked from one body to the other If only there were a foot patrol nearby, or one of the renowned and highly trained city officers She found herself waiting for so to happen Souilt crept through her shock Dear Lord, how could she live with herself, knohat she had done?

Sara peered down at the victim of the robbery with a mixture of curiosity and pity It was difficult to see his face through all the blood, but he appeared to be a young arments that were to be found on Bond Street Suddenly she saw his chestover him

He lunged upward, and she gave a terrified squeak A large hand grasped the htly to allow her to pull away The other hand ca fingers s blood across the surface of her spectacles After a frantic attempt to escape, Sara subsided into an unsteady heap beside him

“I have foiled your attackers, sir” Garip was like iron “I believe I may have saved your life Unhand me…please…”

He took a long time to reply Gradually his hand fell away from her face and drifted down her arhly, surprising her with his accent She wouldn’t have expected a

“It would be better if I called for assistance—”

“Not ’ere,” he utted in a frigging second”

Offended by his harshness, Sara was teratitude wouldn’t be amiss But he must be in considerable pain “Sir,” she said tentatively, “your face…if you will allow et the handkerchief from my reticule—”

“You fired the pistol shot?”

“I’ her hand inside her reticule, she pushed past the gun and found the handkerchief Before she could pull it out, he tightened his grip on her wrist “Let me help you,” she said quietly