Avast!
Chapter 1
"Wha' a p'etty li'lle lass like ye doin' all alone on a nigh' like this?"
She was sure the man meant to say 'pretty' not 'pity'. But considering her condition, it might as well be the truth.
Foolish, foolish Lily. Deciding to travel on foot into places where pity was the last thing you received.
She quickly scanned the deserted alley and then the man in front of her. He was twice her size, thrice her age, and with several missing teeth she took notice of when he smiled at her (if you could call that a smile).
And gosh, she wrinkled her nose, he was stinking.
Did he think she was one of the prostitutes that roamed the streets?
His gaze was gliding down her body with obvious hunger.
Lucky her. Apparently he did.
She fought the urge to look down and make sure her cloak concealed everything. Daring another glance around, she suppressed a sigh. In most plays she saw and read, helpless females have been rescued at the eleventh hour by dashing heroes who fought and chased away the villains. If she was going to be one of those females, her hero better arrive quickly.
The man staggered towards her. "'tis cold tonigh'. I know a close place. 'ow bout I'll take ye dere and make ye warmer?"
Right. All the available heroes must've taken a night-off. Typical men activity. When you need them, they're not around. And when you don't, it's hard to get rid of them.
She took a steadying breath and dropped her shoulders. Fumbling with the edges of her cloak she said meekly, "aye, sir. I'd like that very much. I'm lost and so alone and afraid…" her voice trembled quite convincingly, she noticed. Ha! Let Petunia see this dramatic performance and dare to sneer again at her acting abilities!
Her hands shook too, so she grabbed folds of the cloak to steady them.
Then she noticed in surprise that her teeth started to chatter as well.
By lord, she really was afraid.
Oh, that will never do.
As Hamlet once pronounced: "to be or not to be: that is the question"
Well, she was more than glad to tell Hamlet the answer for that.
The man cackled gleefully and stretched his hands towards her.
"wait! What are you doing?"
"pe'tty lass, me only wan'a kiss from ye. Only one. That's all" the man said, trying to sound assuring.
"Ah" she tried not to squeak the word out. "al-alright. But-" she held a finger in front of his face, trying not to flinch at the stench that was coming from his mouth. "First you close your eyes, dear sir"
Surprisingly, the man did as she asked. He closed his eyes and puckered his lips forward.
Living in the theatre the better part of her life and watching fellow men players, she was exposed to certain aspects of knowledge about the opposite sex which well-bred ladies only speculated and only found out on their wedding-night. Her older sister regularly entertained men in her chamber and Lily used to eavesdrop as she told her friends (or bragged about, was the better term) about her current man's expertise between the sheets.
Her sister said that you could trail a man by using his physical vulnerability against him, which was right there-
The man howled in pain. He dropped to his knees, spitting a string of curses which made her face heat up as she ran down the alley as fast as she could.
Foolish, foolish Lily. As foolish as she gets, at least she had the sense to wear her boots this time around.
She threw her hood over her head and slowed down her pace.
All signs indicated that the night was going to be a long one, and she had no intention to make it shorter for her by running into the wrong people.
Avast!
"His lordship will see you now" the butler said in an even tone.
Lily nodded at him and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Thank you for the cake and tea Mrs. Hamock"
"My pleasure, darling" the cook smiled fondly.
She followed the butler to the library. After announcing her name, he stepped back and allowed her to enter.
"Thank you, Moulten" Lord Longbottom said.
When the door closed, he turned his attention to Lily. "What took you so long?"
"I was a bit delayed on my way, your lordship. My sincere apologies for making you wait" at the last minute she remembered to curtsey.
He waved her apology aside. "There is no need for this formality between us. After all, you and my wife are old friends" in a lower tone he added, "She already wants my head for letting you to be involved in this matter"
Lily ducked her head to hide her smile. She pulled a letter from the deep folds of her cloak and extended it to him. "This is for you, milord"
Longbottom took it and turned it around to view the symbol on the other side. Looking up, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You haven't read it, have you?"
She kept her face straight and tried to look offended. "Of course not, milord!"
"Hmm" he broke the seal and read the few short lines. Taking his pen, he pulled a clean parchment and wrote a reply.
Standing in front of his desk, Lily followed with her eyes at the swift movements of the pen. Longbottom wasn't far from the truth. She never broke a sealed letter to know its contests. She didn't need to. She had the ability to read upside down as the massage was written.
He folded it, put in an envelope and sealed it. "Can you deliver it to Houg's Inn? It's at the docks"
Lily raised her eyebrows in surprise. "The docks?"
"Aye"
"That's an hour and a half ride in a hackney!"
Longbottom smiled. "Double payment if you deliver it tonight"
Lily blinked. With a much more pleasant and satisfied voice she mumbled, "Oh"
Avast!
The hackney stopped.
Lily opened her eyes with a start, realizing that she dozed off in the middle of the ride. Smoldering a yawn, she peered outside the window in confusion. Did they already arrive?
Shouts and the sound of a firing gunshot made her back away from the window and kneel beside her seat.
Guards!
Even she started to doubt her fortune. She never trusted coincidences. Hundreds of possibilities sprang in her mind. Was she found? Betrayed? By whom?
She felt a sudden cold breeze enter the hackney, and she knew without a doubt that she was no longer alone.
Before managing to turn or squeak, a heavy hand clapped across her mouth and a deep voice whispered next to her ear. "Sorry to bother you, miss, but I'm in a need to commandeer temporarily this vehicle." She could almost hear his smile as he added sarcastically, "with your permission, of course"
She gave a small whimper in response. She was ready to permit him free entrance to the royal court if he wished, if only he'll stop pressing his pistol to her back!
Foolish, foolish Lily. What have you got yourself into this time?
A/N: so, what did you think? It's kind of an experimental fic, which means that I'm still not sure how it's going to continue. If you have any suggestions, I'm open to hear (or read) them.
Hope you liked it enough to leave a review… ;)
BuDoTr
(Disclaimer: don't own what you recognize, so don't sue me!)