left behind. That would suggest to me you have either been educated or raised differently from many of the patrons who frequent the tavern.”
Even with the muted glow from the gaslights, he could see she was agitated.
“I’m not distressed.” She backed away from him.
“You certainly seem that way, and if you keep moving in that direction, very soon you’ll be up against a hard wall.”
Daniel watched as she exhaled slowly.
“I—ah, I must make haste, as my brothers worry when I am out.”
“I’m sure they do, which begs the question as to why they allow you to go to such a place alone?” He walked at her side once more, adjusting his stride to match hers. Not that he would have met her if she hadn’t gone to the Duck and Goose, but still. He wouldn’t allow his sisters there alone.
“It must be nice being a man,” she said instead of answering his question.
“It is most of the time.”
“You have freedom, and that is something I and other women can never hope to achieve.”
Daniel thought about that as they walked down the narrow lane she’d turned into. He knew women did not have his freedom, but he’d never really thought about their lot in life. He had sisters, and they seemed happy. He wondered now if they really were. Did they want to experience more?
“Do you have siblings, sir?”
“I do. There were nine, but Beth passed when she was a babe, and now there are eight.”
“I’m so sorry. I lost my parents—my mother when I was but young, and my father only four years ago. I miss him and the memories I did not make with my mother.”
“I’m sorry, that must be hard. We keep Beth’s memory alive by talking about her.” Daniel didn’t usually mention his sister to anyone but family. She was a dark, angry place inside him, as she was for the older children in the Dillinger family.
“Eight is a great many children.”
“It is, and there are moments where I crave solitude.”
She laughed, a soft chuckle that suited her. Everything about this woman was sweet. An angel with a cupid’s bow mouth and pale skin.
“I know you have brothers, but how many are there, Abby? Do you have sisters also?”
“I have brothers, too many brothers,” she muttered. “But no sisters.”
“How many is too many?”
“More than one.”
“And they spoil you atrociously?”
That had her snorting. “I love them, of course,” she said quickly. “And for the most part they are gentle and loving, but there are times when I wish they would take a long voyage somewhere.”
He laughed. His sisters would love her.
“Are you a governess?”
“Pardon?” She turned wide eyes on him. “Why would you say that?”
“Your speech. Unless you are nobility, which I doubt considering where I found you and the fact you were alone.”
Chapter 3
Stay calm, Abby. He can have no idea of your true identity.
“I am, yes… a governess.” If only for tonight. She was lying to Daniel, but the lure of being someone different just for a brief moment almost made her light-headed.
The night she’d sat next to him and talked freely while Eros played his lute had been wonderful and liberating. Never had she done such a thing without a family member or companion nearby.
“Do you enjoy it?”
“It is a position that I can do and do well,” Abby said, hoping that would satisfy his curiosity.
“Which doesn’t tell me that you enjoy it.”
“It has its moments.”
“And your brothers live nearby so you can see them often?”
“Yes.” She didn’t add anything to that for fear the lies would trip her up. The guilt sat heavily on her shoulders, and yet after tonight she would never see this man again, so she would seize this moment and force down the regrets.
They walked on, letting the sights and sounds settle around them. Weak light from the gas lamps cast shadows on the walls and exposed narrow winding lanes. Abby tried not to search the shadows for more homeless people. She’d known, of course, that there was no father coming to collect that poor girl.
“And you, Daniel, what is it you do?”
She’d thought about him a lot since that night in the Duck and Goose. Thought about the way she’d felt alive conversing with him. She’d convinced herself this was due to no one watching her every move or listening to the words they spoke; her reaction to him this evening suggested there was much more to what she felt.