Arrival

The first thing I noticed when we docked in London was the stench. It smelled of old fish, waste water, fish oil and other scents, whose origin I rather didn´t want to know. It was the stench of the metropolis which I hadn´t noticed during my departure, a year ago but which made me wrinkle my nose now. Not even in Boston or New York it had stunk like that. Nevertheless I was full of anticipation of my native city and we had hardly docked before I left the Aquila, stepped onto the pier and glanced at the roofs which were still familiar to me. It was only the mass of people, I wasn´t used to anymore. The whole harbor was full of people. Sailors who were doing their work, traders who were loudly offering their goods, travelers who were hasten over the pier and beggars who were pleading for some coins. The air was filled with hundreds of voices and it didn´t take so long until I had to step back on the plank to avoid being hit by a cart.

Connor stepped aside me and scrutinized our environment but his face didn´t show the same excitement I felt, at all. On the contrary. "So, this is England?"
"This is London." A smile lighted up my face as I pointed to the roofs which laid behind the harbor. "In areas like this, the city is a real mess. But when you get closer to its center, it is a true beauty."
From the corner of my eye I could see Connor giving me a skeptical look from the side, but I ignored it. I loved London and I was sincerely an Englishwoman. I couldn´t wait until I would walk through these familiar streets again. "If you say so", Connor murmured, not quite convinced and started to turn his tricorn between his hands. "Do you know, where you will go?"

I gave him a short look and nodded. "I will go to a former teacher of mine. She will surely take me in for a while."
"Good." Connor nodded slowly, gave a signal to the ship and shortly afterwards one of the men brought my suitcase, put it down beside me and went back on board without a word. Suddenly I had the feeling that they wanted to quickly get rid of me. I swallowed heavily and stared at the suitcase next to my feet, while Connor still stood beside me and wasn´t saying a word. Somehow I didn´t dare to look at him. It had always been clear to me, that our paths would separate, as soon as we would reach London, but now that the time had come, this thought wasn´t easy to me. I had gotten used to the assassin´s company, even though I wouldn´t miss his gruff nature.
"Do you want me to accompany you?", he asked and I shook my head.
"I will get along, thank you." I raised my eyes and smiled at him. "So…I wish you good fortune and take care of yourself."
The assassin nodded. "You too."
So I grabbed my suitcase and left without one more word.

I crossed the pier, wormed my way through the crowd, got here and there out of the way of a cart and stood finally on the street, which led further into the city. Shortly I took a look back, but over the heads of the people, I could only see the Aquila´s masts. With a sigh I looked ahead again and squared my shoulders. I should be glad that I hadn´t to deal with Connor anymore. Indeed I owed him so much but his company had not always been a pleasant one. Here in London were enough people who would appreciate my company more than he had done. How I had missed it to hold conversations with cultivated people who knew how they had to behave. How I had missed the soirees, the opera…I had left behind so many things during the last year that I was going to enjoy all this completely. I´m free and I´m home. I should enjoy it.
Determined I crossed the street and followed the pavement which would lead me into the centre and so into the upper quarters of the city. Away from the stinking area of the harbor, the muddy streets and the beggars, who were sitting in each corner of the streets. I knew exactly where I had to go and as soon as I would get there, I would be home finally. I smiled with this thought and quickened my pace.

But suddenly I got grabbed at my wrist and someone took my suitcase out of my hand. I whirled around, expecting that I had become the victim of a thief but in front of me stood Connor, lifting his free hand to calm me down, when he noticed my scared gaze. In his other hand he held my suitcase. "I wanted to make sure that you will arrive where ever you want to go", he said calmly and I needed a moment to ease my rushing heart. "Do you have to sneak up like that? You scared the wits out of me."
"Pardon me, I did not intend to."
I took a deep breath and finally nodded slowly. "Never mind. So come on then, we shouldn´t stay here for too long." Over Connor´s shoulder I could see that people seemed to had taken notice of his unusual arms. He had put his bow and quiver over his shoulder and carried his tomahawk on his belt as usual. In a city where men were mainly carrying rapiers and pistols the assassin had to attract attention like that. Uniformed or not.

Silently we walked along the street side by side and while I just paid attention to our way, Connor seemed to have his eyes everywhere. Watchful he perceived every detail of his environment, like a predator in a foreign territory and strictly speaking, he was just like that. As I had told him before, in this city a templar´s agent could be hiding in every corner of the streets. But this suddenly didn´t seem to be his main-preoccupation. When we approached a market place, Connor stopped all of a sudden and his hand moved to his tomahawk. Confused I looked at him and tried to figure out then, what had alarmed him. Like at the harbor, many people were lingering over the market place, absolutely normal from my point of view. At least until my gaze stopped by three soldiers who were arresting a man right in this moment. He wriggled, hit out wildly all round him and tried to free himself from the soldier´s grab, who for their part tried to sedate him by beating him.

A terrible sight but just as usual. Probably the man had stolen something and now was punished because of that. But Connor didn´t seem to take it as usual. His expression became hardened and I could prevent just in time that he took his tomahawk and attacked the soldiers by grabbing his wrist. "What do you think you´re doing?", I hissed and earned an angry look. Almost like at that time when I had wanted to pull him back from Richard. "Redcoats", he growled and the scales fell from my eyes. He had fought against the king´s soldiers during the War of Independence. For him, they were still the enemy but here they played a different part than they had done in America. "You are in England now", I tried to make it clear to him in a calm voice. "The soldiers are patrolling everywhere in the city and are taking care of the people´s safety. It´s their duty to arrest this man if he has done something wrong. You cannot attack them just because they fit into your concept of an enemy. They are only your enemies here if you do something which contravenes the king´s law."
Connor´s expression was still tensed but he took his hand from his weapon´s handle, what makes me give a sigh of relief.
"It is still not their right to treat a single man like that", he growled and I had to agree with him to myself. The methods of the soldiers weren´t always the right ones but they were only carrying out orders. "Let us keep moving", I said and was relieved when Connor followed me without any protest, his attention still turned to the soldiers, who were just pulling the man into a prison-cart.

We crossed the place and got to the upper quarter of London shortly afterwards. Here the houses were bigger, richly decorated and elegant carriages were driving over the plastered streets, which were free of beggars. Even the people here differed completely from the inhabitants of the lower quarters. The wore silk robes, the man had white wigs on their heads, while the Ladies covered their heads with richly decorated hats. Once in a while valuable jewelry lit up in the sunlight, which the Ladies were trying to keep away from their pale skin by means of a parasol. Again and again they casted a glance at Connor and me, partly curious partly derogatory and it became clear to me that I didn´t fit into this society with my simple linen-dress and the light tan I had gotten during the journey. Just as the assassin beside me who appeared out of place alone through his appearance. He looked the people around him over as disparaging as they did and when a Lady even changed the side of the street when we approached, he snorted in indignation. "Are all Englishmen that condescending?", he asked me and nearly ashamed I shrugged my shoulders. "Not all of them", I murmured and was relieved when our destination appeared in front of us.

It was a snow-white manor with a beautiful front garden and a tall iron-fence which surrounded the property. I grabbed the bell-cord, which hang beside the gate and pulled on it. Shortly afterwards a young girl in the clothing of a maidservant appeared and stopped in front of the gate, to look us completely over before saying in a cool tone: "Milady doesn´t welcome street traders."
I didn´t let myself being put off by her tone, raised my chin and answered almost likewise cool: "Tell her that Lillian Jarvis wishes to talk to her. I´m a former student of Lady Bonham."
The maidservant looked me over again speculatively, before she nodded shortly and went back to the house again.
"Very hospitable", I heard Connor mumbling next to me but I ignored it. I looked at the front door which stayed closed the whole time. Almost I thought that the maidservant would let us stay outside but then she came out again, opened the gate and asked us to come in. Undetermined I turned to Connor who shook his head and gave my suitcase to me. "I think I should go now. Obviously you are welcome here. Farewell, Lillian." He bent his head before turning away and walking down the street. "Farewell, Connor", I murmured when he disappeared behind a corner.