Chapter 8 – Jailbreak

An: I don't own Arrow.

It had been a week since Roy had encountered Lady Queen. The funds she had let him keep was enough to sustain him for 3 months but Roy being Roy, used the money to feed the younger kids on the streets, particularly the girls since they were the most vulnerable. It lasted a week and now he was looking for food again. He managed to steal some bread from the kitchen of a well-to-do household. That had been fortuitous as that house was usually better guarded than that. He decided to share the bread with his friend Sin. Her real name was Cynthia but her mother had started calling her Sin as a young child because she conceived from the act of sin. After her mother died, she kept the moniker.

"I got bread," he said when he found her hanging around her favourite spot at the gardens in Hyde Park. She was hidden behind a hedge near a popular walking spot. It was easy to dart out from the hedge, walk into the back of someone, steal their belongings. She was seated cross-legged peeking through the bushes for a suitable target.

"We have a problem, Abercromby," she told him seriously as she looked up at him. She liked to call him Abercromby after Sir Ralph Abercromby, the famous Scottish Lieutenant-General that served in the British army during the Napoleonic wars. Roy's mother had told him that his father had been a Scottish man who served in the British army and died before he was born. Sin thought Roy had the looks of a service man and thought the nickname appropriate.

"What you're not sick are you?" Roy asked worriedly as he sat next to her. It was easy to get sick on the streets.

"No, some men have been coming around asking for ya."

"They could be asking about anyone. You know they can't tell us street kids apart," he said brushing her off. He pulled out the bread he had stolen.

"No they are talking about stolen money. You fed everyone last week. It's you they're looking for." Sin insisted as she accepted a piece of bread he had broken off for her.

"Don't worry about it,"

"I don't think you understand. These men were serious. You know I would never squeal on you but don't expect the same treatment from some of the others. They would easily put a knife in your back for money, and then what am I going to do for food?" she said as she took a bite of the bread. She managed ok on her own but she always appreciated the help Roy offered. She knew the other girls did as well but there were boys out there that would gladly get rid of the competition for food that Roy represented.

Roy ignored her in favour of pointing out a young lady that was being escorted by her maid through the park. He thought she would be a perfect target. Sin agreed and soon Sin had some rather nice trinkets to pawn.

S-2

Felicity was seated in front of her dresser brushing out her hair. Her husband had the habit of running his hand through her long tresses which she thought was making her hair more knotty than usual. Things had been progressing quickly with them but slowed down after the death of her siblings. She had never understood why women enjoyed holding hands with men so it was a surprise to her when she found herself actively seeking out her husband's touch. She loved being near him, she loved touching his arm or leaning into his side. She found she enjoyed the act of kissing very much. Her husband was being very patient with her as she slowly explored the intimate aspects of their relationship. Every night she could feel her husband's reaction to their kissing and touching pressed against her. The feel of him both excited and scared her. She was falling in love with him. Soon she would be his wife in every way possible.

Her thoughts were disrupted when Lyla entered her chambers.

"Lady Felicity, I may not be very familiar with the role of a Lady's Maid but I'm fairly certain that I am supposed to be assisting your with your gowns and hair," Lyla said to her. She had been there over a week and had yet to perform any real duties.

"I can handle normal mornings like this, it's when we have to go to one of those high society parties that I'll need your help." Felicity responded as she brushed her hair.

"Then what am I supposed to do in between?" Lyla asked.

"Have you familiarised yourself with that staff here?" Felicity asked.

"Yes," she responded.

"Did you ever help your brother with his work?" Felicity asked her curiously in what would seem like an abrupt change of topic.

"I mainly handled all of the tasks required to maintain our living arrangements but I did collect information on my brother's behalf a few times."

"Collect information? How?"

"My brother had a network of investigators he used for some cases. When he couldn't be in two places at the same time, I would meet with them. Of course he only trusted me with a few of them. The others he said were too gruff for me to handle," she revealed.

"There is something that I would like you to do. I want you to find out who in this house was helping Lord Slade execute his plan for Sandra Queen's death. He had someone internal set it up for him. You can rule out the staff that came with me from Smoak Estate. I believe everyone who was employed when Sandra died is still employed here since I sent most of my staff to assist with upkeep of the other Queen properties. It would have been unfair to staff here to up root them." Felicity said finishing with her hair and putting the brush down.

"I was under the impression that his Lordship had his own investigation already," Lyla responded.

"He does but that doesn't mean we can't conduct our own investigation," Felicity told her.

"I don't think your husband would be pleased," Lyla advised her.

"You are probably right about that but it's my life at stake so I can make my own choices on how I choose to protect myself,"

"Very well my Lady, I will ask around discretely," Lyla said curtseying.

"Thank you, I better head down to breakfast, my husband and I have to go see our new ships today."

S-3

Oliver stared at the large shipyard. Lord Raymond Palmer came from a family that was well known for their shipbuilding skills. Most of the ships in the Royal Navy were built by his family. It was the reason why a middle class family had been bestowed with a title of nobility a few generations ago. There were several boats in various stages of construction but his wife paid no heed to them. He followed her through the mass of disarray to the bow of a boat where a tall broad-chested man stood planning the bow to perfection. She clearly knew her way around the shipyard.

"Ray," Felicity called out from a safe distance. She knew not to get too close.

The man stopped his movements and his eyes locked with Felicity's. Oliver watched as his whole countenance change from a man focused on his work to a man was who delighted to see an old friend or at least Oliver hoped she was only an old friend.

"Felicity," he replied happily putting the planer down and walking over to them. "What do you think?" he asked pointing to the boat he was working on. "Don't OMAC and ATOM look great?" A little further down from this boat was another identical boat.

His wife rolled her eyes, "I am not naming my boats with your ridiculous acronyms. This isn't the Roman Empire. And don't tell me what this set stands for. I don't want to know. Who else in all of the British Empire even uses acronyms?" Felicity said crossly as Ray closed the distance between them and pulled Felicity into a hug.

Oliver growled. This man was far too familiar with his wife! He just broke every single protocol that existed between a man and a woman. Oliver pulled his wife into his side and wrapped his hand around her waist. He had never been a possessive person. He had never reacted like this with Sandra even though there were quite a few males that sought her audience. No with Sandra there was only ever guilt that the reality of being his wife wasn't as glamorous as it was supposed to be. The loss of his best friend had changed him and he found himself unable to provide his first wife with the attention that she so desperately needed. If the compliments from other males made her happy, then he let her be but with his second wife, the thought of another man paying attention to his Felicity made him want to hit something. She had an effect on him that no other woman had ever had.

"Oh I'm sorry, this is my husband and business partner, Lord Oliver Queen," Felicity said after she got over the initial shock of being pulled away from Ray.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lord Queen," Ray said evenly as if nothing had happened.

Oliver nodded his head at Ray. He should have responded in kind but Oliver decided that he did not like this man so he kept his mouth shut and his facial expression stoic.

An awkward silence descended on them before Felicity decided to get straight to the point.

"When can I get my boats?"

Ray looked at her guiltily, "one more month,"

"Ray, I should have had those boats 3 months ago," his wife said crossly.

"Yes but this is a new design," Ray insisted.

"It's always a new design," she bit back at him.

"You must improve upon the previous one or naval architecture will never develop."

"Ray," Felicity said seriously, "I need my boats. I've had to turn away some lucrative customers because I had no more space left on my boats. You know I don't jeopardize the safety of my crew by taking on too much excess weight."

"Do you even have two Captains to run the boats for you?"

"Of course I do. I promised them employment 3 months ago and in order to hold on to them, I've been paying them to stay in England. The longer these boats sit here the more money my company loses."

"You will have your boats my Lady," Ray assured her.

"I hope so. Give Anna my regards. I heard the baby is due for Christmas?"

Oliver had remained silent during their exchange but the mention of a baby peaked his interest. He could barely remember at one of those boring galas the mention that the wife of Lord Palmer was pregnant.

Ray's face lit up. "Yes. I'm hoping it's a boy."

Felicity's features softened, "you'll be a great father. I'll see you and the baby at Christmas then."

"I look forward to it as always," Ray bowed charmingly.

Felicity turned in Oliver's embrace, setting a quick pace back to the carriage. When they were out of sight of Ray she broke away from his grasp and turned to face him. She was angry.

"Oliver I have very few friends in England, but if you are ever that rude to any of my friends again, you can kiss our night time activities goodbye. I refuse to make love to a caveman."

Oliver watched her walk away, the sway of her hips tempting him. She refused to make love to a caveman, did that mean she was ready to make love to him? Despite her anger with him, he left the shipyard with a dopey smile on his face.

S-4

Roy was making his way through the alleyways to his hiding spot where he stored his extra clothes and a few sentimental objects he had left from his mother. He spotted two strange men lurking nearby. Sin's warning echoed in his mind. His spot was on top of a large arch that connected on side of the alley wall to the other. It was an unusual thing to see in an alley but Roy had realised that if he took a running jump, he could hold on to a drain pipe running down the side of one wall and then spring off that pipe up to grab a hold on the top of the arch. Once he got a handhold, he could pull himself up. It made it a great spot to keep his personal things. It was very difficult to get to the top and he knew none of the other street kids would risk attempting it because a broken leg from a bad fall could kill you on the streets. Mobility was the key to survival.

Being the aware street kid he was, he saw them before they saw him. This allowed him to duck into an intersecting alleyway about 50 feet before the arch. He knew his spot was compromised now. He had to abandon this spot, but if they found him here, they would find elsewhere. He had no funds to leave this city. He would have to steal a horse or walk. He had never been good with horses so that left walking, something he was not looking forward to.

He would need food to carry with him because the nearest town was a three day walk and when he got there he would have to find a place to set up and familiarise himself with the town. He took another peak at the men and noticed that two more had arrived. The first two started to walk away and Roy realised they were changing lookouts. He made a decision to follow the men. He knew if he ran down the alley he was currently in, it curved around to join the main street 500 yards down the road. He would have to cross his fingers and hope that he could still see the men when he emerged.

He took off at a fast pace, making it to the main street in record time. He calmly walked on to the street so as not to attract any unwanted attention. He started walking up to where the men would have exited on to the main street. He was in luck, as 100 yards in front of him he saw them. He followed them until they entered a large warehouse that was on the outskirts of the city.

He was curious as to what was in the warehouse so he waited until night fell to enter. There would usually be ventilation spaces near the roof. He could climb up the outside piping and take a peek through the slots and see what was inside. He saw crates that looked similar to the ones from the dock. Along one wall he saw cages piled high, filled with hundreds of rats. He heard some voices and realised that there were men inside. There was another entrance on the other side of the warehouse. The men must have come through there since he only saw the two men he had been following enter. From his view point, he could only see one man, an old man, probably a military man from the way he carried himself. The conversation wasn't very clear to him but a creak from the pipe let him know that maybe it couldn't support his weight forever. He made a hasty retreat.

He remembered Lady Queen mentioning she was interested in information. What if he could sell her this information and earn the money he needed to get both him and Sin out of town? It was a worthwhile shot. One thing was certain he definitely needed to get out of town as soon as possible. He hoped those men would not stay into the night to watch his arch. He really wanted to collect his stuff and visit Lady Queen the next day.

S-5

Lyla arrived in the kitchen with the other servants for dinner. During her first day at Queen Manor she had been surprised to discover that the head Butler was a man from Africa. She already knew that Lord Oliver had an African valet. Both men had been brought back from Africa by Lord Oliver after he had gone on a safari. She suspected there was more to the story than that for him to make one the head butler and the other his personal valet. Despite the trust that Lord Oliver and Lord Robert obviously placed in these men, the English workers segregated them.

Walter, John, two Indian sisters, Priya and Anaya, and the head cook a Russian named Raisa who had also arrived with Walter and John, were ostracised to the end of the table. There was a clear space between them and the English staff. Priya and Anaya had quickly become favourites of Lady Moira's, which was why they were the only two servants from Smoak Estate that remained at the Manor. The sisters had stayed on as assistant cooks as the Queen's had started developing a taste for more exotic cuisine.

The staff didn't like that these foreigners had arrived and taken some of the most coveted positions in the household. Even Lyla herself had been on the receiving end of some of their tempers. Sometimes her clothes or personal items would go missing. She knew one of the maids that had been employed there was hoping to be promoted to the position but she could honestly say that Lady Felicity would not have gotten along with any of those women. Perhaps that was why her Lady had waited so long to choose a maid. It was because of that she didn't feel guilty for taking the position away from them. Felicity wanted someone she could trust and the maids gossiped during all their meals. There was not a single detail about Lady Thea's life that Lyla did not know. At least Lady Moria's maid, Mrs. Danforth, knew well enough not to cross her. She was always scolded the younger maids about their manners.

Even though they disliked Walter, because of his position they had to obey his requests. Walter was clearly a man of integrity. He would not force the staff to accept him. They were free to hold their own personal opinion of him as long as it did not affect their duties. Walter was very good at not asking anyone to do anything beyond their job description. He always kept his interactions with staff, short and to the point.

Lyla didn't understand how Raisa fit into an African Safari. The previous head cook had objected to working with Raisa because she had no knowledge of English cuisine. Lord Robert had simply informed her that she either worked with Raisa or she find other employment. The woman tried for a month before she found another noble family that was willing to hire her. By that time, Raisa had learned a lot and was able to run the kitchen. Lyla had to admit, Raisa's food was the best she had even tasted.

Priya and Anaya knew how she was being treated. She had become fast friends with both women early. They had advised her where should could locate her missing items. She had asked them why they never complained about their treatment. They told her the same reason she didn't. They were very grateful for being allowed to work there. She discovered that they sent some of their wages back to India via a secure network that Lady Felicity had set up for them. Lady Felicity gave them the chance they so desperately needed. It was up to them to make the most of it. They were fiercely protective of her too, standing up to any staff that dare insult her uncommon ways.

Lyla was reaching for the last of the Shepherd's pie when another maid grabbed the serving spoon before her and loaded the last of the pie on top of the pie that was already on her plate. Lyla hadn't had any pie yet. Having had enough of their cruel attitude, Lyla picked up her plate and headed down the table to the segregated end. Walter and John watched her in surprise, Priya and Anaya not so much. Raisa happily filled her plate with a traditional Russian dish she had cooked for their end of the table. She learnt a great dealt sitting with them and she was able to compile a list of staff who were very disgruntled. There were four in particular who she thought had made some rather extravagant purchases for persons living on a servant's salary. They were at the top of her list to investigate.

S-6

Dinner had finished an hour before so Oliver, Barry and Felicity retired to the library where they could resume their planning of the jailbreak. They were waiting on Diggle to arrive from his dinner. The servants always ate after them. Felicity chose to spend the time ignoring her husband in favour of reading a book Barry had brought her about the discoveries Napoleon's archaeologists had made in Egypt.

Most of the ground work for the actual breakout had been arranged. A few guards had been paid off to look the other way as one of Oliver's contacts made his way into the jail to release Henry in two days time. They had even agreed on attending a birthday celebration the night of the breakout so that they would have an alibi. The real sticking point in their plans came with what to do with Henry once he was out. Barry insisted he wanted to take him back to Egpyt. Felicity stated that was too obvious. The Inspector was obviously going to have all of their boats checked. She reminded him that bounty hunters could be sent to retrieve him in Egypt.

Once Diggle arrived, the conversation picked up at that point again, Felicity postulating that the safest place for her Uncle was a place that had no connection to them. It was then that an idea occurred to Oliver.

"Scotland, we can send him to Scotland,"

"Where Tommy is?" Felicity asked.

"Yes, the news of Tommy's release from the charges will be published soon. The Chief Inspector forced Quentin to wait a week or two till they could officially get the charges dropped. We can send Henry up with a message to Tommy letting him know of the impending news and that he should wait a few months before returning to England. He needs to make it look like he was far away, perhaps on the continent or in the colonies,"

"The point of breaking my father out of jail was so that he could be reunited with his family in Egypt," Barry pointed out angrily.

"He will be reunited, just not in the same location. Barry you can easily sail up to Scotland. Felicity established a little business venture while we were there. Tommy has hidden there for five years and he's been safe. Your father will be safe there too," Oliver assured the younger man.

"How will he get there? As Felicity keeps pointing out he can't sail on any of our boats and it's not like he can travel by stage coach."

"Before the development of the stage coach routes persons used to travel via horseback. He can do that. We can gather the necessary supplies for him."

"My father has never ridden to Scotland," Barry protested.

"I was under the impression that your father has navigated the world via boat, surely navigating a few dirt roads to Scotland shouldn't be that big of a challenge!" Oliver quipped.

"It will take him forever to get there. How will we know when he reaches safely? I should be setting sail soon. The Monsoon season would be dying down now. I'll be on my way back to India by the time you receive news!"

"Our contact will travel up with him and return. He will send news through Diggle. It should take two weeks tops."

Robert entered the study interrupting their planning. They hadn't included the older man in their plans. He would disapprove of so openly thwarting the legal system.

"Felicity," Robert said, "was Ronnie able to determine what company owns that ship that you and Mr. Allen were investigating?" Robert asked.

"Ronnie's still looking into it for me. The ship set sail the same day that we were at the docks," she told her father-in-law.

"I heard some news of a company called Stellmore Imports that brings in cheese and wine from France. There is a boat called La Femme Fatale that arrived at the docks today, there may be a connection."

"I'll let Ronnie know to look into it for me, sir,"

"It's getting late, Felicity and I will retire for the night we can continue tomorrow," Oliver said. His wife's hand slipped into his and they left Barry and his father to further discuss all of the investigative work he had been doing on the case.

S-7

The next morning they arrived to Smoak East India where Ganga informed them that a street kid named Roy was waiting for them in Barrister Raymond's office.

"Why is he in that office?" Oliver asked.

"He didn't want to wait anywhere where someone could see him. We couldn't put him in your office unattended. Barrister Raymond agreed to keep an eye on him. He was kind of jumpy."

"Roy? is that the street kid you spoke to without me?" Oliver asked a hint of disapproval in his voice.

"Yes, I wonder if he's decided to take me up on the offer of work?"

Felicity knocked on the door to Ronnie's office.

"Come in," he said.

They entered to find Ronnie working on some documents behind his desk.

"We were told there was a Roy waiting for us in here?" Oliver said to the younger man.

"He's hiding in the shadows behind me," Ronnie stated calmly.

Roy stepped out of a shadow and looked at Felicity.

"Who's the man?" he asked pointing to Oliver.

"This is my husband, Lord Oliver Queen."

Both males studied each other.

"Have you come for a job Roy?" Felicity asked.

"No, I have some information I was hoping you would pay handsomely for."

Ronnie put down the quill he was writing with and turned to face Roy. "What kind of information? This sounds suspiciously like blackmail," he said narrowing his eyes at the young boy.

Roy ignored him in favour of speaking to Felicity. "Those sailors came looking for me. This has never happened before. I followed them back to a warehouse outside of town. I saw the crates from the boat you were asking about. I'm willing to give you the location for a fee."

"How do we know you're not lying to us?" Oliver asked carefully studying the boy in front of him.

"You don't?"

"I understand my wife let you keep the bounty you stole from that ship. She was under the impression that it was a significant sum. Surely you haven't run out of money already?"

Roy gritted his teeth, "that isn't any of your concern,"

"It is when you come here asking my wife for money," Oliver countered his protective instincts kicking in.

"I am not begging her for money, I'm offering her information in exchange for money," Roy responded angrily.

"Ok boys, calm down. Roy I think my husband would be very displeased with me if I just pay you for information, when my husband suspects that you used the money for illicit activities."

"I don't gamble!" the young boy protested.

"What happened to the bounty then?" Ronnie asked this time.

Roy looked away, "I spent it,"

"On what? You certainly didn't spend it on clothes," Oliver stated harshly only to be reprimanded by his wife for being crude.

"I spent it on food for the younger kids on the street," Roy admitted.

"How much do you want?" Felicity asked heartened by the kind streak she saw in the boy.

Roy looked around hesitantly. He wasn't sure how much to ask for.

"I'll give you twice the bounty that you had before," Felicity told him picking up on his uncertainty.

Roy's eye widened. He hadn't expected so much. Even Oliver and Ronnie made sounds of protest.

"Come back tomorrow. I'll have it ready then. I don't exactly keep that amount around here."

S-8

Roy headed to the park, he was anxious to tell Sin everything. He would have enough funds for them to leave London. They could go anywhere in the British Empire, well mostly anywhere. There were some places that would use up all of their funds. Perhaps they could sail to the new world, to an island called Barbados. He had heard sailors talk about the warm weather and beautiful landscape. They could buy better clothes and pose as a Lord and Lady from England. He could see it clearly in his mind.

When he didn't find her behind the hedge, he started checking her other spots. His stomach started turning apprehensively when by late afternoon he had not found her. Night soon fell, causing his uneasiness to increase. He refused to panic though. He knew all of the spots that she would camp out at nights. It wasn't until he checked the last one, finding no sign of her that he finally admitted to himself that something was definitely wrong. He didn't sleep, instead choosing the wonder the streets in search of her.

Sin was his only true friend in a cruel world. He had been sick one winter. It was the first time he ever thought he would die and not a single soul would care. Sin had looked after him, crawling through the back window of a doctor's office to steal medicine for him. They had no idea what she had stolen but he had gotten better. The thought of Sin in trouble somewhere hurt him. He had to help her.

The church would serve hot porridge to street kids on certain mornings. This was one of those mornings. He would check there and ask around if anyone had seen her. It was there he received the most unsettling news, Sin was last seen at the docks, more specifically by a boat named La Femme Fatale.

A cold chill ran through Roy. He knew then that it was he who had caused the current crises. Even though he was old, the priest still offered him some porridge. He declined; the younger kids needed it more than him. On his way to the docks, he stopped at Smoak East India. He told the polite Indian girl where they could find the warehouse. He would return later for his payment if he was alive. At least he knew, that if he did perish, perhaps Lady Queen might find some justice on his behalf.

It was afternoon by the time he arrived at the docks but they were still bustling as usual. There were many boats being loaded with goods. At the end of one dock, he could see The Flash was taking on some goods. That boat was the crown jewel in Lady Queen's fleet from what he had heard. He looked at the other piers to find the boat that he needed. He spotted it three piers over. Tamping down on the fear her felt, he marched up to the boat. There were a few men outside who eyed him warily.

"What do you want boy?" a sailor sneered at him with a heavy French accent.

"I'm the one you're looking for," he said. Roy was surprised that he had managed to sound so confident.

"Take him aboard," another sailor ordered.

Roy was lead up the plank onto the deck of the ship. He was then thrown into the cargo hold where he found Sin bound and gagged. Her clothes were torn in various places, and her skin was marred with bruises. Roy didn't even want to think about what they had done to her. He moved over to her, undoing the bindings.

"You should not have come," she rasped out weakly.

"I couldn't leave you here."

"Now they are going to kill both of us," Sin said sadly.

"That's right boy!"a gruff voice said behind them.

Roy turned around, there were four sailors, one of them the Captain.

"You've seen things you weren't supposed to see boy. The boss says you're to be eliminated as soon as possible."

Roy crouched down into a fighting stance. He was not going down without a fight.

"Stupid street kid thinks he could take us," one spat while the other two cracked their knuckles.

Three of them came at him at the same time. He kicked the one on the right in the stomach before swinging his fist at the middle one but that left him open to a punch from the one of the left. He recovered fast and returned the punch knocking the man backwards. The middle sailor came at him again, Roy side stepped him, tripping the sailor over his feet and sending him into the side of the ship where he hit his head on a beam. That was one down. He turned around to fight the other two when the Captain called out to him.

There standing a few feet away from him was Sin with a pistol held to her temple.

"Back down kid," he said.

Roy paused and that gave the other two sailors the opening to restrain him. After taking a few hits, they had him pinned on the ground. His right eye was rapidly swelling shut but he could still make out Sin's helpless face.

"You should have listened to your little friend here," the Captain said before he fired his pistol.

Sin's lifeless body fell on the floor next to him. Roy screamed in agony. The Captain reloaded his pistol and pointed it at him.

"Time to die kid!"

"Hello," a voice on the deck said.

The Captain paused to look at his men, "go check that out, I left Louie and Henri on guard on the docks,"

One of the sailors nodded and headed back up to the deck. There was a shuffling noise and then the sound of a body hitting the deck. Heavy footsteps were heard returning but the man that appeared was not the sailor that left, no it was Barrister Raymond with two men.

"I came looking to buy some wine but I guess I just got more than I bargained for," Ronnie commented.

The Captain lifted the pistol and fired at Ronnie who dived out of the way. It was three against two now and Ronnie and his men were able to subdue the Captain.

They helped him to his feet, "Can you walk?"

"Yes, I think," Roy responded wincing as he tried to walk. He looked at Sin and angered flooded his veins. He dived for the Captain but the men held him back.

"I'm sorry about your friend but we have to go now," Ronnie explained. "We need to leave, the rest of the sailors would be returning shortly having realised that the pub down the street was not giving away free ale!"

He didn't have the strength to fight them as they pulled him up to the deck. They could see the sailors were already heading back. Roy let them pull him along. He didn't know how much time had passed before they stopped in a back alley somewhere.

"I think I need to see a doctor," Ronnie said falling to his knees.

It was then that Roy noticed the bright red stain on the Barrister's shoulder that was beginning blotch his clothing. Ronnie had been shot!

S-9

It was the night of his father's breakout and he was stuck at the birthday celebration for Caitlyn Snow, his sister's best friend. The Snows weren't nobility but they were a family of reputable doctors. Dr. Richard Snow, her father, was the Doctor that had attended over all of the Allen births. His sister was about the same age as Caitlyn and their friendship had been encouraged by both of their parents. He was sure that at one point their parents were thinking of a marriage between him and Caitlyn but after the fall from grace that happened to his family, any thoughts of marriage between them evaporated.

He hadn't seen Caitlyn since he left for Egypt. He had to admit that she had grown more beautiful and had seemed to lose some that awkwardness and clumsiness she had. He had visited their residence to deliver the latest correspondence between Caitlyn and his sister. That was when he and his hosts had been invited to attend her celebration. He didn't want to go but Felicity had convinced him.

The party was boring and Barry had no intention of talking to anyone. His mind was more concerned with the success of their plans. His cousin was stuck in the corner of the room with her husband talking to some noble Lord that had been invited. He didn't know how she could be so calm. It had been very strange for him to see Felicity on the arm of a man. She had never been inclined to fawn over any man but she was certainly very close to her husband. With the exception of yesterday, when he gathered that she was a bit upset with her husband, they had never been more than a foot apart when they were in the same room together. Whatever she was upset about no longer mattered today because Oliver's hand had yet to leave her arm tonight. They were very comfortable together. It was almost as if it came naturally them. If you had told him last year that Felicity would be happily married now, he would have had a good laugh.

"Stop fidgeting Barry," Felicity said as she joined him with her husband in tow.

He glared at her but was saved from responding when Dr. Snow appeared next them.

"I need you three to come quietly with me now," he said.

They each looked at each other before following the Doctor through a corridor that he knew led to his office where he saw patients. They entered the waiting room first where a very bruised Roy was pacing madly.

"Oh heavens!" his cousin exclaimed, "what happened to you?"

"He's not the problem," Dr. Snow indicated pointing towards his office door.

They followed Dr. Snow into his office where they found two of his sons working furiously on Ronnie trying to save his life.

S-10

The next day The Ton was in a complete frenzy. The former Lord Henry Allen, a convicted murderer, had escaped from the Royal Jail. The news had spread fast. Young girls were banned from going out in fear that they might come upon the deranged man. Several events were cancelled. The Inspectors were trying to reassure the public that the prisoner would be apprehended soon.

The second news item that stirred up gossip was the dismissal of the charges against Lord Tommy Merlyn. There were all sorts of theories detailing how the charges were dismissed, none of them accurate.

The Chief Inspector had arrived at Queen Manor to question Barry and Felicity about Henry's escape. He had become most upset when the maids informed him that they were not home. They were still at the Snow residence after they had celebrated the birthday of Caitlyn Snow all night. When the Chief Inspector arrived at the Snows, he had discovered that no one there had heard the news of the break out as yet. Supposedly, Lady Queen had had a bit too much liquor the night before and had been unable to travel home. The Snows had confirmed that both Barry Allen and Lady Felicity Queen were both there all night. When he interviewed Lady Queen her distracted state was assumed to be because of the alcohol she had consumed the night before. He never realised that one room over a street kid was in anguish over the death of his friend while a Barrister lay fighting for his life.

An: Thank you for reading.