into the air, the hood still over my head. It must have rained. I’d lost my hat, and the leaves dripped chilly water down my neck as he shoved me into a carriage.”
Aunt Mary tutted. “You poor girl. What a dreadful experience.”
“You are safe now,” Jo’s father said soothingly.
An inquisitive kitchen maid brought in the tea. Jo dismissed her and poured out cups, while Aunt Mary patted Sally’s hand.
Jo stirred in lots of sugar and placed a cup before Sally. “How did you get home?”
“The carriage stopped not long after. He untied my hands and lifted me down onto the ground. It was cold but had stopped raining. He smelled clean, like a gentleman, and he had a starched cravat. I know starch. Used to do the laundry. Spoke proper, he did, but frosty, and fair chilled me through. Asked if I could count. I thought he was mad, but I said I had some learning from the parish school back home. Then he told me not to remove the blindfold until I’d counted to fifty. He sounded so menacing. I did what I was told. Must have counted to a hundred. I was never good at sums and feared I’d got it wrong.
“When I finally got up enough courage to remove the hood, I didn’t know where I was. The street was strange to me. There were trees and gardens. And no traffic, and anyway, I had no money for a hackney. While I wondered what to do, a lady came out of a house across the street. Nicely dressed, she was. She asked me if she could help. When I explained what had happened, she was most sympathetic. Walked with me to the corner, although I still don’t know where I was. A hackney came along, and she paid my fare.”
“Oh, that was so good of her.” Jo wondered why the lady hadn’t called a constable.
“Yes, she was. Ever so kind.”
Jo put her arm around the girl’s trembling body. “Well, you’re home now and safe.”
“Yes. I shan’t want to go out again,” Sally said.
“You shall have a hearty dinner, a nice hot bath, and go to bed,” Jo said with conviction.
“A hot bath?” Sally’s eyes widened. “I should like that, Miss Jo.”
“I’ll send for a constable,” Jo’s father said. “We must report this incident. People cannot go about abducting maids.”
Aunt Mary agreed.
Jo nodded but doubted anything would come of it. Poor Sally had nothing helpful to tell him. “When he lifted you down, did you sense anything else about him?”
“The man wasn’t that strong because he struggled, even though I’m not heavy. He must have put his face near mine.” She shivered. “I smelled licorice on his breath.”
Jo nodded, disappointed. He liked sweets, which was no help to them at all. She glanced at her father and found him frowning thoughtfully.
“Papa?”
He shook his head and rose from his chair. “See to your maid,” he said and left the room. “I need to speak to the butler.”
Jo stared after him. What would he want with Spears? He could barely tolerate him.
The next day, Jo questioned Sally again. After a good night’s sleep, the girl was in better spirits. “You said when he put you down, you’d only been traveling a short while.”
“Yes.”
“Can you remember anything you heard during that time?”
Sally thought for a while and then nodded. “We passed a crowd somewhere. I’m sorry. I was so frightened, and I could only think of him.”
“Do you think you could find the street where the lady lived again?”
“I don’t think I could,” she said glumly. “I saw a sign pointing to Soho Square, but that might not be of help.”
“It must have cost a bit to take you to Mayfair,” Jo said thoughtfully.
Sally nodded. “The woman asked him how much. She haggled a bit.” She shivered. “I was afraid he might put me down somewhere on the way, but he brought me right to the door as she instructed.”
“How very good of her,” she said.
“Wasn’t it? Most wouldn’t give a toss or not have the money to spare,” Sally said. “I don’t think she was poor. I wanted to repay her somehow, but she refused.”
The constable couldn’t help them. Jo considered taking Sally in a hackney back the way they’d come, with the chance that something might jog her memory. But she decided against it because it might be too distressing for Sally, who seemed to have blotted out the frightening experience.
Finally, free of commitments, Reade checked on those shadowing