Page 22 of The Lady and the Lion (Victorian Outcasts #9)

twenty

S amuel was both happy and worried to see Vivienne.

She was alone, dishevelled, cheeks red, and limping, but she was smiling as she told him about her adventure to sneak out of her house against her mother’s will and come to him.

Her enthusiasm was commendable, but she was going to be in trouble.

“…I fell and hurt my ankle, but I managed to escape from the footman.” She chuckled. “And I felt so free!”

He scratched his chin. Seeing her so delighted was wonderful, but the idea of her sneaking out of her house, getting almost caught, and hurting herself left him conflicted.

She brushed a lock of hair from her flushed face. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“I am, but you shouldn’t have escaped like that. It was dangerous. You could have hurt yourself more seriously. Your mother will be furious. I’ve climbed that tree. It’s not simple.”

She pressed her lips in a flat line. “I thought you would understand why I did it. I want to be free and do what I want. You, more than everyone else, should appreciate that. I’m tired of following Mother’s orders.

Everyone in my house believes her hysterics are to be tolerated.

I think not. If we keep doing whatever she says when she’s in one of her crises, she’ll never get better.

I don’t want to live like a prisoner, only because she constantly fears I might get sick. ”

“Yes, but…you won’t achieve anything by defying your mother. She’ll grow more worried. And you hurt yourself.”

She frowned. “Fine. I’ll go back home.”

He exhaled. “Don’t be so dramatic. I appreciate your presence. I’m worried.”

“Everyone is worried, apparently.” She shuffled her injured foot.

“Your mother won’t understand why you left.” He took her hand. “Don’t be angry with me.”

“How could I? I’d better go home anyway.”

“I’ll escort you.”

The cold air chilled his lungs with each breath he took as they walked towards the high road to catch a cab to Mayfair. Patches of dirty snow made the pavement slippery, and frost covered the windows, street lamps, and benches.

He nudged her with his elbow. “Don’t be angry.”

“I’m not. You’re right. Escaping like that was foolish.” She winced every time she put weight on her right ankle.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“I think it’s sprained. At first, it wasn’t that bad, but now it really hurts.”

“Let me help you.” He put an arm around her waist and helped her walk.

She leant against him, and warmth crawled up his neck. With her next to him, his fears were reduced to slight worries.

In the distance, the treetops in The Regent’s Park were covered with snow, and the sunlight glinted off the white caps.

“I heard the lake in the park is frozen. People ice skate on it.” She sighed. “I would love to. If my ankle heals quickly, we should go.”

As they walked close to the entrance to the park, a sudden knot tightened in his stomach. His heart was pounding hard enough to drown out the noises from the street.

Cade, dressed in a dark coat, stood under a tree, watching the street with his keen eyes.

Samuel gripped Vivienne more tightly. Fear surged back to its full strength.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Over there,” he signed slowly as if whispering. “The man with the top hat under that tree.”

She drew in a breath. “Isn’t he the man who presented the tour of the curiosities?”

“Yes, it’s Cade. Murdock’s right hand.”

“Let’s turn around and head for the park. We’ll cross it and take a cab or an omnibus once on the other side.”

A shiver rushed through him. His mouth grew dry, and his head felt light.

Not now. Not ever. He didn’t want to return to the circus.

Cade’s presence in London couldn’t be a coincidence. He was Murdock’s bloodhound, there to find Samuel. There wasn’t any other explanation.

When Samuel had escaped years back, Cade had been the one to catch him.

“Stay calm.” She stroked his arm. “He didn’t see us, and even if he did, he wouldn’t recognise you.”

He wasn’t so sure. The circus had left London a while ago, yet Cade stood in the same area as Samuel’s house. Somehow, Murdock knew where he lived. Maybe Dobkins had been right and someone had followed them.

“He’s here for me.” He was so nervous his fingers trembled.

“It’s not possible. Don’t panic.”

They weaved through the crowd towards the packed lake where people were ice-skating. Not an inch of the iced surface was visible. Entire families skated together, laughing and twirling around.

“Is he gone?” she asked, limping harder.

He glanced over his shoulder. “I think?—”

Cade was marching towards him. His glacial stare caused Samuel to shake. There was no mistake. The lion had become the prey.

Samuel helped Vivienne to walk faster. “He recognised me.”

She grimaced. “Leave me. I can’t run. You must flee.”

“Maybe we can hide in the crowd. Let’s get closer to the lake.”

He made his way through the people towards the lake. Cade was closer now, his fists clenched at his sides.

“We should keep close to the lake and get to the other side,” she said. “He’ll lose us once we’re in the middle of the crowd.”

His gaze met Cade’s, and for a moment, time stopped.

Even his heart stuttered. He was thrown back to the days he’d spent in the cage, living in constant pain, fear, and humiliation.

The instinct to cower in front of Cade when he’d beaten him was almost overwhelming.

A phantom pain sliced his back at the memory of Cade’s baton while Murdock told him he belonged to him.

A vision of Murdock’s face contorted with rage broke the spell, and panic seized him. Grabbing Vivienne’s hand, he broke into a run.

“Lion Boy!” Hearing Cade’s shout caused him physical pain.

Vivienne did her best to keep up, but she couldn’t match his strides, so he hauled her up and soldiered through the people none too gently.

“Leave me, for goodness’s sake.” She squirmed in his arms. “He won’t hurt me.”

He held her more tightly. No, he wouldn’t leave her behind. He didn’t trust Cade.

“We’re going in the wrong direction,” she said.

In his hurry, he hadn’t noticed he was running on the ice frosting the lake, or rather, he was trying to run. His feet slipped right and left, threatening his balance. People on skates jostled him.

“Careful!” a man said.

Someone bumped into him, and he lost control of his movements.

Vivienne dropped from his arms. She cried out in pain when she slammed against the ice, but he didn’t have time to steady her.

A loud crack thundered like a boulder breaking in half after being struck by lightning. He caught a glimpse of all the people skating on the ice before they disappeared from view in a second, swallowed by the frozen water.

The ground cracked underneath him as well, and he and Vivienne fell into the icy lake.