Again, Caroline nodded. But she could not prevent her head from turning, her eyes straining to look past the many market-goers, searching for those green eyes and the little, dirt-stained creature they belonged to. Where had she gone? “May I walk around a bit more?” Caroline asked her mother as she continued to look through the wide assortment.
“Certainly, my dear.” Her mother gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder. “Feel free to purchase anything you like. It is such a marvelous day.”
As Caroline began to make her way through the crowd, her governess once more on her heels, she kept looking for the young child, her feet carrying her back to the stall where she’d seen her. However, when she peeked into the narrow gap, her eyes came up empty.
Caroline felt an odd sense of loss, and without thought, her head craned this way and that, trying to catch a glimpse of the little girl.
“Are you looking for something, Miss?”
Smiling at her governess, Caroline proceeded onward, her eyes still scanning her surroundings. “I saw a small girl,” she told her. “She was cowering in that corner over there, but now she’s gone. She looked awful, dirty and disheveled.” And now that she thought about it, hungry as well.
Her governess’ brows drew together. “A street urchin, no doubt. Do not mind her, Miss. No doubt, she’s here to steal from these honest people.” Her face crinkled up further. “These pickpockets are everywhere.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked about herself.
Disappointed by her governess’ lack of interest, Caroline turned back around, took a few steps and then froze.
There, only a few paces ahead, half-hidden by the crowd, was the little girl. Her green eyes lingered on the stall where Caroline had purchased the sweetmeats as her feet carried her ever closer.
Only now did Caroline realize that the girl was older than she’d first thought. Certainly, she was frail, her arms and legs matchstick-thin. Still, her height betrayed her age, which seemed to be close to Caroline’s. The girl stuck to the side, her gaze moving over her surroundings, always watchful as she drew nearer.
Caroline held her breath as she watched.
The look in the girl’s eyes was one of deepest hunger. Her limbs trembled, and her cheeks looked pale even under the grime that clung to her face. She looked as though she were ready to faint, and still she continued on. What was her life like? Caroline wondered. Where was her family?
Suddenly, the vendor appeared, a burly man with thick brows. His gaze narrowed as he spied the girl. Then he shot forward, his hands reaching for her, a snarl on his face. “Be gone, ye misbegotten thief! Be gone!”
Flinching, the girl spun around and dashed away, fleeing into the surrounding crowd with a quickness Caroline wouldn’t have expected.
Hesitating for only a second, Caroline felt her hand clamp on to the small bag of sweetmeats she’d purchased and, in the next moment, energy all but exploded down her legs and she, too, dashed forward into the crowd. Dimly, she heard her governess’ calls behind her. Her legs, however, would not slow down. Darting left and right around people, Caroline fought to keep the girl in sight as they made their way across the large marketplace.
After a while, the girl began to slow, exhaustion clear on her face as she glanced over her shoulder to see if she was being followed. When she saw no one hot on her heels, her eyes closed momentarily and she swayed on her feet. Then she all but dragged herself to the side and slipped past two stalls, retreating from the hustle-bustle of the market.
Caroline swallowed, a touch of unease snaking down her spine. Still, she knew it was nothing compared to the horror she’d seen in the girl’s green eyes, and so she pushed onward. With a glance left and right, Caroline slipped in-between the two stalls, then proceeded farther into a narrow alley framed by tall buildings. “Hello?” she called softly when she could spot no sign of the girl. “I…I mean you no harm. I have something for you.” She lifted the small bag of sweetmeats and held it out in front of her, giving it a soft shake. “I have food. Do you want it?”
What a silly question! Caroline thought immediately. Of course, the girl wanted it! More than that, she needed it.
Never had Caroline needed food. Not in the same way this girl did, and it was in