Page 27 of A Winter’s Romance

London 1812

T he feel of the crisp, white sheets slid over her body: the mattress so soft underneath, the blankets providing a cocoon, keeping her warm and secure. She snuggled deeper into the covers and smiled sleepily to herself. There was nothing quite like the feeling of real luxury on the skin. She had never truly appreciated it, but she did now.

“Hey, watch out! This blanket isn’t big enough for the two of us as it is without you hogging it!” Rosie grumbled, disturbing her bedfellow’s reverie.

Louisa opened her eyes. There were no crisp, white sheets, no comfortable mattress, no warm blankets. There was a cold and draughty doorway from which they would be forcefully removed if they dared to remain until the business owners arrived. There was also a hungry stomach, aching limbs, and more fear and danger than anyone at eighteen years old should have to deal with.

The memories of the dream faded into the deep recesses of Louisa’s mind, where she forced them to stay every waking moment. There was no point longing for what had gone; pining would reduce her resilience and make her vulnerable to the elements and the people who threatened her every day. She left the tiny amount of comfort provided by half a blanket and Rosie’s body heat and stood, disturbing Billy, their other bedfellow.

She was alive for another day and still determined to find work or shelter that would provide the three of them with some form of safety. Unprotected people didn’t survive unscathed on the streets of London for very long. She was fully aware that, at some point, her luck would run out.

Grimacing to herself, she shook off her maudlin thoughts. The fact of the matter was that her luck had already run out. She was homeless, penniless, and terrified. She had never been as afraid in her life. Well, perhaps once, but to admit to her present fear was to give in. If she did that, all the risk would have been for naught, and she couldn’t let it be so. She had to find a way of surviving and leaving the past behind where it could no longer hurt her.

He would not win. Not while she had breath in her body.