Red Cloak of Abandon (2 page)

the livid elderly nobleman and the setter.

“The beast is dangerous!” he shouted, yet just as the overturned

patriarchal gentleman shouted his warning, Affinity heard a sharp whistle

coming from behind them and to the left of where she and the setter

stood. In her mind she was certain the agitated nobleman would not bring

his quirk down upon her as she turned toward the setter’s answering bark

of welcome.

Affinity’s gaze lifted and it was as though the normally overcast

skies parted in a unique ray of sunlight to shine down on the obvious

master of the setter. By her intervention, she had given the setter enough

room to escape, and she watched the beautiful dog bound toward his

master, some thirty paces away.

Black eyes as deep and ponderous as a sleeping volcano glanced at

her beneath a widely-rimmed country top hat. The brim on the top hat

was so sweeping that Affinity could not identify the color or shape of the

gentleman’s hair. She could only see those depth-filled eyes, a square

masculine nose, and a jaw line shadowed by the scraped bristles of what

would be a darker beard if allowed to grow out.

The man appeared only slightly taller than her height as she stood in

her walking boots. He wore a great coat with its charcoal-colored capes

billowing out in the slight wind. He appeared rather majestic, yet some-

how mysterious, Affinity thought, even as she was unsure where the

conclusions came from. However, there was no mistaking the slight

increase in her heartbeat; a reaction she knew instantly as attraction.
She

found him appealing.
That was odd. Yet, that revelation could not be

denied as the gentleman grasped the setter’s leash and turned to leave, his

entire bearing was quite pleasant to gaze upon, with his high riding boots,

tightly fitted tan-shaded buckskin breeches, and firm shoulders.

“Masculine and not foppish at all,” Affinity whispered, finding

herself fighting the urge to follow the manly gentleman as she realized

her attraction came from precisely the fact of his effervescent male

bearing. So many of London’s fashionable and eligible bachelors ended

up looking dandified with their frills, lace, buckled shoes, and curled

hair. All of this was done for the belles of the balls of course, those young

ladies’ most popular at all the London seasons events. Apparently, they

wanted their men as such, because they tittered over them enough.

“But, not me,” Affinity whispered, taking one step toward the path

where her masculine gentleman and the setter had disappeared down.

Then, she brought herself to a reluctant stop, what she would not give to

see more of this man, perhaps discover his name. But, she had to meet

Anne and that was more important.

She was glad to see, when she turned back to her mission, that the

dog beating nobleman had disappeared. It was only a short distance to the

statue and Affinity could see that Anne had not arrived yet. Immediately,

she began to worry over whether Anne would come at all.

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“Of course she will,” Affinity muttered, arriving at the statue and

circling it slowly with her eyes cast out into the park for a glimpse of

Anne’s approach. She knew that her uncle’s angry dismissal of Anne,

while labeling her a thief, left Anne with only the two choices. One of

factory worker or two, prostitution and likely not the factory worker with

the brand of thief upon her. It was unique that she should understand

these sordid affairs, yet she was an avid student of life and the world

around her was her class room. Many ladies of her station would be

aghast that she wished to understand the realities of life. But they were

fools for their compliancy and living only half a life with half the

emotions that could be experienced.

Affinity caught glimpses of yellow out of the corner of her eye and

she turned her gaze more fully to it. Anne’s bonnet was yellow, but the

glimpse through the trees was gone. “No wait, there it is again.” Yet,

Affinity could not decide if it were coming closer or moving further

away. It was not far, so Affinity walked in the direction to obtain a closer

look. It appeared as if the yellow swatches were bouncing amidst the

clutter of green leaves, but also staying in one singular spot. Then

abruptly, Affinity heard a woman’s cry that moved her forward hastily.

She was instantly reminded of the setter just a short time ago, because the

woman’s cry was certainly distressed. Then, just as soon as she broke

through the leafy tree branches, she spied Anne.

“Oh my God!” Affinity exclaimed, halting suddenly, uncertain how

to proceed.
How
to rescue Anne? “Anne!” she cried realizing instantly

that her cry was foolish, because it was Anne who was being accosted by

a thick, short-set, greasy-haired ruffian.

Anne and the man struggled beside a little used path with the ruffian

obviously accosting Anne in a sexual nature. One of his dirt-stained

hands was pawing Anne’s breasts through her linen gown, while his

other arm was gripped around her waist. Affinity gathered her courage,

even though her limbs were shaking, and she started forward, because her

exclamation had not stopped his advances at all.

“Come
on ye sassy bird! I got a halfpence here for ye to
suck
me

pud.”

Affinity gasped at the scoundrel’s lewd language and meaning, as

Anne cried. “I am not a bird! I am
no
prostitute! Let me go!”

Just then, Affinity swung her carrying bag at the scrappy ruffian’s

thick head with all the force she could muster. It was the only weapon she

could conceive of, and it did hold a rather hefty book. However, the

weight of the lift and the swing were more feeble than she hoped for, and

the bag only thumped against the scoundrel’s shoulder, as she exclaimed,

“Release her at once! She is my maid and I will call a Bow Street runner

. . .
Oh hh!”
Affinity cried out as the awful smelling ruffian swung his

arm around knocking her backward.

Over the din, severe barking sounded as Affinity tottered, then she

thankfully regained her balance, just as the barking turned into a threat-

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ening growl with what sounded like the word, “Attack! ” Swiping her

falling bonnet upright, Affinity was able to lift her gaze and she saw the

Gordon setter attacking the lecherous villain.

“Go, Beauty!” Affinity cried enthusiastically, quite surprising her-

self. But then Anne, who was released from the villain’s clutches by the

setter’s intervention, began cheering also. The man who was overturned

and overpowered, leaped back to flee with the setter after him.

“Oh no!” Affinity exclaimed, when she saw that the setter meant to

give chase. Affinity hastily glanced around not seeing the setter’s master

and she knew the brave setter could be lost in the chase if someone did

not restrain him. Then without really considering it, because events were

transpiring so quickly, she simply rushed forward after the setter in the

heat of the moment. She did not know the setter’s name, so she called

him Beauty as she excitedly tried to call him back.

It was quite unseemly for a lady to run as she was, but she had to

admit it felt extremely good and enormously freeing. Her young limbs

stretched and her breath labored as she gave her full effort to the task. She

was never one to do anything halfheartedly. However, she would not

have caught the setter, except the villain leaped a short wrought-iron

fence enclosing the edges of the park. He did it so clumsily that he

snagged his leg and tore his brown-stained breeches, while she cheered

at his discomfort. But, she also cheered the fact that the setter was unable

to pass the barrier of the fence, and she was able to halt her running a

short distance away from him. Then, really without meaning to do so and

with her breath catching, Affinity sank to her knees.

She had to find a soothing voice to coax the setter to her, however

her breathing was such she could not manage it for long moments. But

by then, the setter had come to her side nuzzling her happily as though

they were old comrades together. Affinity supposed that by now they

were as she petted him fondly, wishing heartily that she could undo her

corset.

But that was a lady’s lot in life, to be so constrained and tied up

tightly in the misguided guise of attractiveness and morality.

“Oh
but I have run, Beauty!” Affinity exclaimed to the setter, petting

him faithfully with one hand, while she grasped his leash with the other.

“I might never have a chance to do this again. It was glorious!”

Affinity stood then, looking around the park to see if any were

aghast at her display. Surely seeing her catch the setter would relieve any

censure, and while she noticed that most people were about their busi-

ness, her gaze did halt on two ladies sitting on a bench across the park.

“Oh no,” Affinity muttered, turning her gaze immediately away

from them.

It was Lady Jane Strickland and Lady Anna Pommel. How could

they possibly be up this early in the morning? Both those young ladies

were pampered and beautiful snobs of the worst kind. They lived their

lives looking down their classically perfect noses at others while pro-

9

nouncing judgments and maligning them with vicious gossip. Only the

truly popular and beloved of London’s society could do
that
, and they

were the ringleaders of the group of ladies that were Affinity’s nemesis.

She and her three friends, Brevity, Caprice, and Diversity had somehow,

within the first two events of this season, been found undesirable or

lacking. Nonetheless, she was intelligent enough to realize this must

happen every season. The natural law of human nature proclaimed there

would always be the most popular, the midrange popular, and then the

wallflowers.

“Yet it is
so
unfair,” Affinity muttered, turning with the leash in her

hand to walk back and hopefully find Anne. “The gentlemen do not seem

to have these same rules.” Gentlemen were popular no matter what their

appearance or demeanor, but especially popular depending on their

income and title. “But now,” Affinity grumbled, “I have given Lady Jane

and Lady Anna more fuel to lower me into the already deep pit that I

reside in. Hell!”

Oh yes,
and they would use it gleefully. As if they did not have

enough handsome suitors swarming around them already that they

needed to ensure every last one remained attentively beside their most

glorious and beautiful refinement.

“Pfftt,”
Affinity scoffed. “I would not want one of those gentlemen

if they find such women attractive and desirable.”

But Affinity knew it was an empty bit of
bravado
exclaimed by

every girl in her position in London society before her. And she also

knew, that she, and every misfortunate girl before her, dreamed of just

one dance with a gentleman, or just one stolen kiss in the garden, or

simply a small bit of attention.

Affinity frowned because she knew how cruel Lady Jane and Lady

Anne could be and now she would have to make certain at the next soiree

to remain invisible. Nevertheless, it was not as if that was difficult to do,

as designated wallflowers, she and her friends spent many hours being

invisible. What she would not give just one time to stir things up! Do

something outrageously and set everyone aghast at her original boldness.

Not necessarily for the attention she might yearn for, but to break the

mold of society’s strict etiquette. She did not imagine that most ladies,

having never been in her position, ever yearn to ask a gentleman to dance.

“My Lady Affinity! Oh my goodness, are you all right?”

Affinity’s head lifted from her musing as she hurried toward Anne.

This time she did not hold back her feelings of affection and relief. “Yes,

yes, Anne, I am fine,” she said embracing Anne.

“Oh thank goodness, my lady. That bellswagger pimp thought that

he would force me into the bird trade he did. But,
look, look
, Miss

Affinity, I have been saved! It is the Benefactor, my lady. The Benefactor

of women!”

Affinity’s gaze turned down to the card clutched in Anne’s hand. It

was pristine white and the size of a gentleman’s calling card, yet what

10

arrested her attention was the symbol embellished in gold stamped upon

the card.
The
Benefactor, my god, she had heard of it.

Of him? Of them? No one knew for certain if it was a group or a