Lorelei stared at her. “We did all that running to get back to the place where I got abducted?”
“No’ quite.” The girl smiled. “Ya are on the other side of St. Giles now in the Garden.”
She looked around. The houses here were not as well kept as the ones on Russell Street, but they were in better condition than the area she’d left. And there weren’t any ruffians lurking about. They were safe for now.
“How did you know I had been abducted?”
“I saw your friend racing down St. Martin like the hounds of hell were on her tail—”
“A pretty accurate description.”
“When I did no’ see ya, I figured something must have happened.”
Lorelei drew in a shuddering breath, not wanting to remember, but certainly not able to forget. “We were accosted by four men who came out of a public house.”
“There be a lot of riffraff that hangs around them places,” Emma replied. “When I saw two men start running down St. Martin’s, I thought maybe others had taken ya.”
“They did.” Lorelei took a deep breath and tried not to shake. “But how did you know where to look to find me?”
“There’s eyes and ears everywhere in St. Giles.” She shrugged. “No one pays attention to street urchins.”
“So someone saw me being carried away?”
She nodded. “Them boys in the group ya gave coins to did no’ like what happened so some of them followed the men. It did no’ take me long to find out where ya were taken.”
“I am eternally grateful that you did.” Lorelei paused, remembering the screaming woman. “But the girl in the street… I wish we could have helped her.”
Emma grinned. “Do no’ worry. ’Twas my friend Abby.”
“What?”
“The one who was with me when ya came the first time. Your friend gave her that pretty shawl.”
Lorelei remembered the girl. Probably about four-and-ten with strawberry hair and blue eyes. “We should have tried to help.”
Emma’s grin widened. “She did no’ need help. Abby wants to be an actress on Drury Lane someday.”
It took a moment for her to understand. “That was anactout in the street?”
Emma nodded. “When Abby found out what was happening, she came up with the idea. The boys thought it would be great fun, too.”
“They would not hurt her, would they?”
“No’ if they want to grow up with all their man parts.” Emma patted the pocket where she’d put her knife. “They all know no’ to mess with Abby or me.”
“Fiona carries a knife, too.” Maybe it would be a good idea if she made a real effort to learn to use one. “It helped her get away. She will no doubt bring the authorities to deal with those horrible men.”
Emma shook her head. “They’ll have disappeared by now.”
“Even the one whose nose I bashed in?”
“Most likely, unless ya killed him.”
“Oh! I…I…” She hadn’t intended tokillthe man. “I…think he was breathing.”
“Then he’ll be gone, too.” Emma paused. “Those who live in St. Giles do no’ like strangers snooping about.”
“But someone will know who those men are.”
