“And that, my dear lady, is why you have engaged in a veiled attempt to pretend to be a man as we ride into the more unsavory part of Bath.”
After an extremely bumpy ride, the carriage came to a rolling stop. William flicked the curtain aside and took in their surroundings. Amy looked out the window at the busy street, with ladies of the evening, drunkards, and pickpockets all mingled together. As she watched, a lad no more than eight years old ran into a man stumbling along. When the man fell to the ground, the boy quickly searched his pockets and ran off.
The number of people out and about could be good or bad. Good because she and William might possibly meld into the crowd, bad because they might have to climb through a window to get into the gardener’s rooms and someone might see them. Although, given the lives these people led, she doubted if anyone would care too much.
“I told the driver to leave us off a few buildings before Albright’s room.” William dropped the curtain, blocking her view of the goings-on outside. “What I suggest is first I simply go to his door and knock. He might just be there. I can always ask for so
meone else and apologize for my intrusion.”
“And if he is there, we can wait until we see him leave.”
“Yes. Otherwise, I will survey the inside and outside of the building to see the best way to break in.” He rotated his neck. “I cannot believe I just said that.” Sliding forward on the seat, he said, “This won’t take long.”
Amy patted Persephone on the head as William stepped from the carriage and strode away. Before they left the house, she’d wrapped the dog in a warm blanket she’d made into a sort of coat for her pet. Her darling Persephone would be comfortable while they did their necessary work.
Less than ten minutes later, William returned. “He’s not at home. I spoke with the landlady as I was leaving, and she said she hasn’t seen him in a couple days.” He pulled up the collar of his jacket. “Much colder out there than I thought.”
“Where in the building is his room located?”
“First floor, one flight up. But the lock on the door doesn’t look too sturdy. I think I might be able to get us inside without making a fuss.”
Anxious to get the search under way, Amy moved forward as William stepped back out of the coach. He glanced at her dog. “She won’t be barking and causing a ruckus, will she? The last thing we want is to call attention to ourselves.”
“Not at all. She is very well behaved. She will merely sleep while we are gone.”
“Then why bring her?”
“I told you. If I didn’t, she would be mad at me.”
“And then wouldn’t talk to you.” He ran his palm down his face, then reached out to help her from the carriage. Before she could stop his movement, he must have realized it would look rather odd for a gentleman to be helping another gentleman out of the carriage unless the man was in his dotage. He dropped his arm and stepped back, allowing her to descend the two steps to the ground.
Amy looked around, unable to hide her smile. This was quite thrilling.
“Stick close to me. Even though you think you can fool others into believing you are a man, in the event you are mistaken, I have a pistol with me.”
“You do?” A tingle of excitement settled in her stomach. “I should buy a gun myself.”
He sucked in a deep breath and his eyes widened. “No. No, no, no.”
They began to walk toward Mr. Albright’s building. “My goodness, you made your point. Why not?”
“Because without proper training, you would probably shoot a hole in your foot.”
“I will receive proper training. How hard can it be? I had no trouble learning how to use my typewriter.”
“Your what?”
“Typewriter.” She stopped and looked up at Mr. Albright’s building. “It’s a machine like a printing press. Except much smaller. You roll a piece of paper into it and tap on letter keys to write things.”
“What’s wrong with a pen and paper?”
“Nothing, but a typewriter saves time. Or that is what it will do eventually. Right now I’m a bit slow trying to pick out the letters. And you have to be careful because it’s not easy to get rid of a letter or word once it’s on the paper.”
He pushed open the entrance door to Albright’s building. “Just like it’s not easy to get rid of a hole in your foot once you shoot it.”
Honestly, the man was so annoying. As grateful as she was to have his company and assistance, he was beginning to act the protective male, and she found it somewhat irritating. Papa and her brother had learned a while back to allow her the freedom she needed to write her books and do the necessary research. She’d given Papa her word that she would not do anything to place herself in danger, and since she had the annoying William at her side, she felt as though she wasn’t going back on her promise with their venture that evening.
The sound of a baby crying, the smell of urine, and walls with patches of peeling paint marked the residence as a poor building in a poor neighborhood. A rat scurried across the entrance hall. Amy squealed and grabbed William’s arm. Behind the closed door of one flat, the sound of raised voices, and then a crash reminded her they were in a dangerous part of the city where so many led desperate lives.