He bounced the pouch up and down in his hand, but it was already clear that no matter what, he would not give it back.
“We want to know where our siblings are.”
Peter shrugged. “Can’t help you there, Your Grace. Elton had us bring them down to Vauxhall Gardens the day you were supposed to exchange them, but we took them right back in the coach we had ‘em in since you all didn’t follow his instructions. He stashed them somewhere else after that, don’t know where.”
“So, they are alive. Yes?” Winnie demanded with urgency.
“Course they are. Ye think Elton is daft? He was playing with you, letting you suffer a bit before offering another exchange. That little exchange for their ‘remains’ is a test. Ye are a bit bird-witted, ain’t you?”
Seth glanced at Winnie, who smiled. They were not going to tell this man that they’d figured all of this out already.
“Well, be that as it may,” Winnie said. “If you don’t know where they are, then we’d like to talk to Elton. Where does he live?”
The man stepped from one foot to the other and shook his head. “I don’t know if I ought to tell you. You ain’t going to get in anyhow. Besides’ he ain’t there now.”
Seth smiled to himself. This was perfect. If he wasn’t there, they’d have the chance to speak to his family and beg for their help.
“We just want to know where he lives. We’ll wait there for him,” Winnie said quickly. “Doesn’t matter to us if he is there.”
Seth glanced down at the pouch, and the man shrugged. “Very well, come on then.” To their surprise, he spun and headed down the road. When he reached the corner, he looked over his shoulder and waved at them. “Hurry. If you want to know, follow me. I ain’t got all day. I got a coach to catch.”
Seth grabbed Winnie’s hand, and together, they rushed after the man, one step closer to discovering their siblings’ whereabouts.
Chapter 31
Asize too small for Winnie, the shoes ached as she hurriedly followed this man, Peter, down the dirty streets of St. Giles. A blister formed on her heel and another underneath her big toe. She didn’t have to take the shoe off to feel it.
But surprisingly, Winnifred didn’t even feel any pain. It was mildly uncomfortable, but the excitement of knowing that their siblings were alive and that they were about to come up to Elton’s home pushed away any other sensation.
The entire time she rushed after Peter, Seth was by her side, and their hands remained connected. She noticed that the homes they passed were gradually becoming less decrepit by the time they stopped in front of a small cottage at the very edge of St. Giles. She realized this was a much pleasanter neighborhood.
Peter stopped a few steps away from the front door and turned to them.
“This is it. This is where the Almighty Elton lives. But as I told you, he ain’t here.”
“It’s not Elton we are after anyway,” Winnifred said. Seth’s eyes grew wide with shock as she gave away this secret. She didn’t think it mattered. This man was not going to stick around anyhow. He was going to run the very moment Seth and Winnifred made their way inside. It shouldn’t have surprised her, but the lack of loyalty still struck her as peculiar.
“I see. It’s Frances you’re after, ain’t it? Well, good luck with that. She ain’t gonna talk to you either. Even if she does, she doesn’t know anything.” He pursed his lips as he glanced at the front door.
“There’s a guard, of course, so how yer gonna get inside, I don’t know. So, it ain’t like you can just stroll inside and post your questions.”
“Well, I think that pouch you’ve pocketed contains enough to buy your assistance with this matter.”
Seth crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised his eyebrows at the man.
Peter grumbled, but nodded. “I suppose. There’s enough in this little pouch to get me all the way to where I want to go and pay my way for a couple of years. I suppose I can get you in the house.”
He turned and stalked toward the front door. With his hands curled into a fist, he banged on the door until it flew open, and another man stuck his head out.
“Just you?” Peter asked.
The other man nodded and then glanced at Seth and Winnifred.
“Boss had everybody meet down at the tavern to discuss Saturday. Who are they? Why have you brought them here?”
Peter motioned to Winnifred. “This is an old friend of Frances’. She is coming to town ‘specially to call on her. I thought it might be nice, given how Frances never gets to go out. And this fellow is her husband. Ye won’t be opposed to letting them step in and having a word with the missus, would ye?”
“Peter, you sauce box. You know I can’t be letting anybody in here. The boss will have my head.”
