Disclaimer: See chapter 1 please

Chapter 4

The next morning Bill awoke to find Nancy draped across him, her hair splayed across his chest. He smiled despite himself as Nancy stirred and looked up at his face.

"Mornin'" she yawned, hugging his chest and stretching to kiss his stubbly chin.

"Morning Nance." He leaned down and kissed her lips.

The two lay there in each others arms for a while before Nancy got up to make some breakfast and Bill stoked the fire with the intent of warming the apartment and boiling some water for coffee. Once the fire was going and the pot of water hung over it, Bill sat back in a chair and rubbed his sore knee. Nancy placed a plate of cold meat and cheese on the table before frying some eggs. Soon the coffee and eggs were ready and the pair enjoyed a nice breakfast, the warm coffee was more than welcome on the cold morning. They chatted idly, discussing plans for the day, when there was a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" Bill called from his seat at the table.

"Only me Bill." Answered Fagin.

"What does he want?" Bill mumbled to Nancy as he made his way to the door and let the man in.

The old man entered with a large smile on his face, waving a newspaper in his hand, laughing merrily. Bill slammed the door, annoyed by the man's odd behaviour.

"Wot are you on about?" He demanded.

"Look Bill, look!" Fagin spread the newspaper across the table; Bill leaned over and read where Fagin's trembling finger was pointing.

"Wot's this about?" he asked.

"It's about those men you beat up." Fagin said.

"Wot about them?"

"No one died Bill! They only caught the one man because he was still unconscious when the magistrates came by. The other got off. You didn't kill anyone." Fagin laughed.

Nancy smiled from ear to ear at the news and Bill looked visibly relieved but said nothing.

"This is good Bill." Nancy said happily.

"Yea." Was the man's only reply.

Fagin stood there nodding at the housebreaker, pleased that the man seemed to be himself again, now that the weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"If the man was caught is there any danger of him peaching on Bill?" Nancy asked.

"Perhaps, but he doesn't know who Bill is… he may say Bill was the one that robbed them." Fagin though out loud.

Bill shook his head. "The man that gave me a lift back said the two were no stagers to the beaks, they won't put much stock in anythin' he would have to say." Bill reasoned.

"I'm sure there's nothing more to worry about." Fagin said. "I'll leave this paper with you." The fence said as he showed himself out.

Bill sat down and stared at the paper, relieved on one level but still worried on another.

"You alright Bill?" Nancy asked, laying a hand on the man's forearm.

"Fine Nance." He seemed closed off again.

"Alright then." Said the girl throwing her hands up in defeat. She took her bonnet and coat off the wall hooks and was halfway out the door before Bill took noticed.

"Where you off to?" He asked.

"Out for a walk, meet up with Bet maybe. I dunno." She said.

"I'll come with you." Said Bill, quickly pulling on his coat, he looked around for his hat a moment before he realized that he must have left it in the pub up in Shefferington the other day.

"You left it in that town, eh Bill?" Nancy asked.

"Damme!" Bill yelled, striking the table with his fist.

"Calm down Bill, it's not a big deal. We'll just pick you up a new one today, alright?"

Once Bill had calmed down sufficiently enough and convinced it was not a big deal to have forgotten his hat at the pub, he and Nancy made their way down to the busy market place to "pick up" a new hat for Bill and a few other essentials.

At that very moment back in Shefferington David, one of the men who had tried to rob Bill, was walking into the very pub where Bill had left his hat. Walking wasn't really the best word to describe his movements, more like limping rather, due to the stab wound in his leg. The injury had been attended to but now, knowing the beaks were looking for him, he headed to a little pub to avoid unwanted attention.

Siding up to the bar David ordered a beer and prepared to settle in for sometime until he noticed a familiar looking object sitting on the end of the counter. It was a hat and normally David wouldn't have looked twice but he recognized the tattered shape and especially the blood and mud stains. When the barmaid returned with his beer he inquired as to whom the hat belonged to.

"Oh, a man who rented a room here the other night left it behind." She answered casually.

"A big man with a black beard?" David asked.

"Aye." Said the girl. "And he walked with a limp."

Upon hearing this, a man sitting two stools down, turned and joined the conversation.

"I gave that man a lift into London yesterday. I doubt he'll be back for it." The man said. It was the cart driver.

David took a moment to process all he'd heard. "He's a friend of mine," he said turning to the man beside him, having decided on a course of action "can you tell me where in London he is? So I can return his hat to him."

"I can do better than that,' the man replied, taking a swig of his drink "I'm heading that way tomorrow. I'll let you off where I let him off."

"Terrific!" David exclaimed. That time tomorrow he hoped to be giving Bill more than just his hat.