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Anastasia shook her head, sending the few unbound brown tendrils of her hair whipping around her face. “It will be too late by then,” she protested. “Too much time will have passed, and they will have gotten hurt. I just know it.”

“All right, My Lady, if you insist,” the maid answered, but the worried look did not leave her face.

Anastasia’s heart gave a soft squeeze. She knew Louise was superstitious and absolutely hated leaving the house after dark if she could avoid it.

She hated ever putting the older woman through anything she did not want to do.

But this was too important. And as much as Anastasia wished that she could, she knew it would be entirely unwise for her to leave home without the presence of her chaperone.

“I am afraid I do,” Anastasia said with a soft nod. “But the park is not far off, just by Bartleby’s, a few blocks away. And it is not very big. So, it should not take us long to walk there and retrieve them.”

Louise nodded, and Anastasia watched as the woman straightened her shoulders and walked forward.

“Best not to dawdle, then,” Louise said, more to herself than anything, but Anastasia could not stop the grateful smile that darted across her lips.

“Brilliant.”

Anastasia followed after Louise with quick, hurried steps, Mr. Taps following along happily.

They paused just long enough to hook a leash to the dog’s collar before the butler pulled open the large, ornate front door, and the two women stepped out into the cool summer night.

They walked down the short stone path that led to the sidewalk and London’s cobbled streets, Mr. Taps’ claws clicking against it in the sound from which he got his name.

Carriages rolled by, bringing with them the sound of laughter and talking from deep within.

The members of the ton had been arriving in London for the Season, and if the bustle of the city was any indicator, Anastasia had to guess that most of them had arrived by now.

“There is still quite a bit of people milling about,” Louise muttered as the two women and the dog made their way down the street.

“Is that good or bad?” Anastasia asked, hoping to keep her maid talking so that she would not begin to fret.

“Good, I think,” Louise answered but did not sound convinced.

Even though the park was only a couple of blocks away, by the time they reached it, darkness had fully set in. The large, wrought iron gates marking the park’s entrance loomed before them, and Louise stopped in her tracks.

“Are you sure about this, My Lady?” she asked hesitantly, eyeing the beckoning darkness.

“I am.” Anastasia nodded. “We will be just fine. We have Mr. Taps. Also, look, there is plenty of light.”

She pointed toward the flickering lanterns that sat atop posts at five-foot intervals, small pools of shadow dancing in between them, but for the most part, the park was not nearly as black as Anastasia had expected.

“Just in and out?” Louise asked, her brows creasing in worry once more, not comforted by the lights in the park beyond.

“In and out,” Anastasia confirmed with a nod.

She reached her hand across the space between them and grabbed Louise’s where it hung at her side, giving it a swift, reassuring squeeze. Then, she and Mr. Taps turned and strode through the entrance gates, and Louise followed behind them.

“Little ones,” Anastasia called as loudly as she dared.

But she did not yell, not like she typically would. She would never tell Louise, but the moment they stepped into the park, Anastasia felt like something had shifted. It was as if the very shadows that they walked through in between the small bursts of light were watching them.

I have let Louise’s superstitions get to me, too.

Anastasia gave herself a quick shake as she continued to click her tongue and snap her fingers in search of the kittens, all the while keeping a tight hold on Mr. Taps’ leash.

They walked further toward the center of the park where she knew there was a small gazebo for those who wished to take a break from their promenade.

The park itself was not very big, spanning from one end to the other for no more than a block, so Anastasia knew that it would not be long until they reached the other side.

Even then, she could see the flickering lights in the windows of the buildings on the far side of the park, immediately marking Bartleby’s, the gentlemen’s club that her brother had mentioned.

She knew that Thomas frequented the club with his merry band of terrible friends, and as such, she did not think very much at all of the other men who enjoyed the establishment. But, since her brother had mentioned it, she had a sinking suspicion that was the direction that they should head.

They were almost entirely through the park, with Anastasia and Louise both calling as loudly as they dared for the kittens, when finally, a soft sound drifted up to Anastasia’s ears. She paused, listening as hard as she could for the sound once more.

“Kittens,” Louise called.

Anastasia put her hand on the older woman’s arms. “Listen,” she whispered, and Louise grew quiet.

And then it sounded again, louder than before and unmistakable. It was the sound of four small kittens, meowing with all their might.

“It is them!” Anastasia exclaimed, squeezing Louise’s arm where her hand still rested before she began rushing toward the sound, pulling Mr. Taps along with her. “Little ones,” she called, louder this time.

The kittens, spurred on by Anastasia’s voice, meowed even louder.

Her brown eyes swiveled wildly as she looked for them, searching with all her might for the box her brother had said they had been left in, and then, suddenly, there it was.

Right on the edge of the small pool of light was a wooden box, the lid of it shut tight, and she could hear them meowing and clawing at the sides.

A soft cry fell from her lips, and she ran forward, leaving Louise to try her best to keep up as she and the dog raced for the kittens.

The moment Anastasia fell upon the box, she dropped to her knees and wrenched open the lid.

All four of them were there, looking up at her with wide, terrified eyes.

“Sweet babies,” she cooed lovingly as she dipped her hand into the box, and the small creatures began rubbing themselves against her fingers, already purring.

Mr. Taps bounced on his front paws, dipping his black snout over the edge of the box and sniffing loudly before spinning when he realized what was inside.

“Are they all right?” Louise’s voice sounded from behind her as she finally caught up, and Anastasia nodded.

“They seem to be. Just a bit frightened.”

“Good.” The relief in the maid’s voice was palpable, and it matched the emotion that was unrolling within Anastasia’s chest.

Softly, Anastasia pushed the heads of the kittens down, murmuring to them that it would all be all right as she closed the box once more.

“Will you lead him?” she asked, passing Mr. Taps’ leash to Louise, who answered her with a nod. “And I will focus on the kittens.”

The box was not heavy, but it was not light either. And when Anastasia picked it up, the squirming kittens inside made it all the more difficult for her to get her grip. She fussed with the box for a moment until she was finally able to get it steady, and then she cast a glance at Louise.

“I would very much like to make our way home now, My Lady,” Louise said, her brown eyes darting back and forth. “And out of this park. It makes my flesh crawl.”

Anastasia chuckled and shook her head at the woman, but she did not argue as they walked forward to the park exit closest to them.

It was technically the one that was farthest from her home, the one that let out right in front of Bartleby’s.

But she did not particularly want to stay in the park either.

She could not entirely put into words why, but the idea of the street was much more comforting than remaining in the park for a moment longer.

They stepped onto the sidewalk, and Anastasia noticed that there were much fewer carriages about. In fact, the only ones that she saw were sitting stationary by Bartleby’s, and the cobbled street beyond them was empty.

“Not too long until we are home,” Anastasia said with a nod, not allowing the small bit of apprehension that had rooted itself to leach into her voice.

She took a few steps and heard Louise follow suit, the tell-tale clicking of Mr. Taps’ claws against the brick sounding a second later.

Anastasia walked in silence, but Louise was muttering something under her breath as they walked.

It took a minute or so before Anastasia realized that the other woman was praying.

They turned down a side street, one that was about a block away from Bartleby’s and would connect them with the main road that led to their manor, and Anastasia’s heart gave a leap. The lanterns that usually glowed had gone out, casting the alleyway in darkness.

She considered turning back and taking the long way, but she suddenly found the idea of being out at night to be terrifying, and she did not want to delay getting home any more than necessary.

So, she surged forward, the kittens falling silent while Louise continued her prayers.

Even Mr. Taps seemed to be listening intently.

Suddenly, a low growl sounded from the small dog. Anastasia cast a glance over her shoulder, and it did not take her long to figure out what had caused the response from the canine. Because there, silhouetted against the light from the street they had just left, stood three men.

“Well, good day to you, lassies,” a deep, gruff voice floated to her. “What are the two of you doing out on your own?”