“Perhaps we should buy a new set of gloves too. I noticed a tear in one of yours,” my governess, Anne, chattered as we walked down the crowded London street. “We already need to buy a new hat for you so why not some new gloves as well?”
“Of course, Anne,” I replied dully. While the idea of a new set of gloves was pleasing, it was certainly not worth listening to Anne prattle on all day. My governess became a constant part of my life since she joined the household almost three years ago. Her job was to watch over my younger siblings but I became her primary concern as I approached my marriageable age.
We came to a stop at the corner of the street to allow a carriage to pass us before walking across the street to the hat shop. Anne let out an unladylike squeal at the sight of the hats on display. It took all my willpower to keep myself from scoffing at her childlike behavior.
One must always be a proper lady, as my tutors explained to me. A lady must curtsey properly and carry herself well. A lady must have skill in conversation (but not too much skill) but never bore those around her. And above all, she should hide her emotions and never state a true opinion. There were so many rules I had to follow and all were as restricting as my corset.
I glanced at Anne who was still admiring the hats and then to my right. How naughty would it be to give my governess the slip for the day? My lips curved into a smile. She couldn't well snitch on me to my father lest she want a reprimand for letting me out of her sight as well. And that thought amused me more than I should admit. I turned and walked away, taking an immediate left around the corner and out of Anne's sight—when she cared to look away from the hats.
There was something rather thrilling about walking down the street without an escort. I was going against all protocol as a young lady of high class but no one seemed to notice. Many kept their eyes off me but murmured apologies to me as they brushed past. I had to fight to keep the grin off my face lest I look like a fool but the urge to run down the street was overwhelming.
So I did. I picked up my skirts far higher than I should and set off at a run. All around me people gasped and looked scandalized as I darted past. But I didn't care. I didn't care about anything even as my hat fell from my head and my hair fell free. This was too much fun!
But as my body wore out, it became harder and harder to breathe in my corset and I forced myself to slow down to a halt. I took in my surrounding and found myself in a deserted alleyway. My skin prickled as I felt an unease settle into my heart. Regret rushed into me and I realized my folly: I didn't know where I was. I should not have left Anne but there was no use crying over that fact now.
I chewed on my lip and decided the best course of action would be to go back the way I came. As I started for the mouth of the alley, someone entered it. It was a man dressed in peculiar garb. He wore a long, leather coat and a green vest underneath. But his clothes were messily arranged as if he didn't have a care in the world. And instead of a respectable hat atop his head, he wore a hood that covered his face.
I chanced a glance behind me, wondering if I wanted to pass him on my way out or attempt to go around through a different alley. I looked back to the man in the hood and found him walking towards me at a fast pace. He reached inside his coat and I felt a jolt of panic that only quelled when he took out a circular piece of fabric. He pulled at the fabric and it expanded into a top hat. Faster than I could see, he replaced his hood with the hat but the hat still shrouded his face.
“Pardon me,” I said as he neared, expecting him to get out of my way.
But instead, he came to a stop in front of me. I felt frozen as his head cocked back to the alleyway entrance as if listening for something. And then he turned back to me. “Pardon me,” I said again but he cut me off by brazenly grabbing my shoulders. Fury rose in me. “What are you doing?” I demanded.
“Play along,” he said. I opened my mouth to question him again but he pushed me against the wall and then his lips were on mine.
I squealed in surprise. A strange man was kissing me in an alley! The scandal would ruin my family forever but I couldn't bring myself to recoil from the man's lips. Instead, I found myself gripping at the lapels of his coat. In return, the man's hands snaked around me and pressed me closer to him.
I felt his tongue swipe across my lips. It should have revolted me but on instinct I opened my mouth. The man's tongue entered my mouth, deepening our kiss. My breath hitched and it became harder and harder to breathe.
His hands were roaming over me and they curved over my bottom, squeezing briefly. I moaned at the new sensation; No one ever touched me like this! He lifted me up easily with one arm around my waist and the other began to rustle through my skirts.
I shivered in delight when I felt his hand skim up my leg before he took it in a firm hold. He hooked my leg around his waist so I was flush against him. The man shifted his hips so they rocked against the apex of my legs and my face burned when I felt something firm press against me through the fabric. The heat from my face traveled down into my very core and suddenly I felt glad the man held me up because I lost feeling in my legs.
My chest was heaving as I struggled to get air and I began to feel light-headed. But I didn't care. I didn't care that I didn't know this man. All I cared about was his hands touching me and his mouth on mine. I don't know how he did it but he managed to get at my corset and I felt the laces loosen. I broke away from the kiss, as much as I didn't want to, and took in a deep breath. But how wonderful it felt to breathe again!
“Who are you?” I asked breathlessly, looking at the man. Stubble covered his strong jaw though I could see a scar on his left cheek. There was another scar jutting into his right eyebrow but his eyes were what caught me. His eyes were dark and stared at me with keen interest. No man I ever met stared at me like that and I shivered. Who was this man and why did he make me feel this way?
In the distance, I heard the faint sounds of footsteps. I saw the man look towards the direction of the footsteps and he scowled. “Damn,” I heard him curse before turning back to me. “Keep playing along, love. You're doing wonderful.” And then his mouth was back on mine.
My lips were moving with his this time but I couldn't help but peek over his shoulder as the footsteps came closer and closer. The man's mouth left mine. “Don't look at them,” he whispered, his breath hot on my face. “Look at me.” He took my chin in a gentle grip and made me look at him as he kissed me once more.
“You there!” I heard someone demand. “Stop this at once!”
He broke away from me and threw a careless glance at the three men who stood behind us. They were not police officers but rather burly men wearing ragged coats. “My apologies, sirs,” the man holding me drawled. “My fiancée and I got a little ahead of ourselves after hearing the news about our betrothal.”
One of the men looked at me suspiciously and I sincerely hoped the flushed look upon my face was convincing enough that I knew this man and that I was only shamed that they caught us. It seemed to have worked because the other man looked to the man holding me. “Have you seen a man with a hood come by here?” He asked stiffly.
The man holding me shook his head. “My fiancée and I were a little busy to notice anyone come by,” he explained. “Again, my apologies.”
The leader scoffed. “We move on,” he ordered the other two. “He can't have gotten far.”
Without the further look at the two of us, the men hurried past and rounded the corner and disappeared. We stood still for several long moments, waiting for them to come back but they didn't.
“Well,” the man said cheerfully and carefully set me back on the ground. “I thank you for such a lovely performance, miss. You should consider becoming an actress.”
I stared at him, floundering for words. “You,” I began. “Who are you?”
He smirked at me, bowed low, and took my hand. He placed a kiss to the back of my hand and gave me a roguish wink. “Jacob Frye, at your service.” And with those words still lingering in the air, he lifted his other hand. I saw something shoot out of his coat and then he was gone.
I leaned against the wall, my mind in a whirl. Had that truly just happened? By all rights, his accosting me like that should mortify me but the pleasurable heat thrumming through my body said otherwise.
“Miss null!” I heard someone shouting my name down the alley. “Miss null!” It was Anne, I realized hazily. She finally found me. “Oh Miss null,” she wailed and I felt her trying to fix my crooked clothes. “Are you alright? What happened?” she asked frantically.
I steadied my breathing and finally looked at Anne who stared at me in worry. “I met the man who will be my husband,” I replied.