A Season for Scandal by Golden Angel

Chapter 29

Elijah

Oops? Oops?!

He was going to throttle her. Of all the hare-brained, ninny-headed, batty-fang, daft—

“My lord?” Mitchell’s smooth tones interrupted Elijah’s glaring, making both him and Josie jerk their heads up at the interruption. He felt Josie sag slightly in his grip—in relief? Ha. If she thought Mitchell’s interruption would save her later…

Mitchell was perturbed, not surprising since he likely did not recognize Josie. Despite his protective rage, Elijah’s brain was working enough to admit Josie had done a passable job with her disguise. Other than the blonde curl peeking out from under her cap, her hair was completely hidden, her face, clothes, and hands appeared grimy, and the bagginess of her shirt hid her curves completely.

Which was why it had taken him so long to realize she was not what she seemed.

“Do you need me to take care of… this?” The disdain in Mitchell’s voice as he eyed Josie made Elijah realize Mitchell not only thought Josie was a lad but was a threat that needed to be dealt with.

Moving her away from Mitchell and partially behind him, he glared at the other man.

“This is my wife.” The words came out on an unhappy growl, and Mitchell’s eyes widened, taking a step back. As usual, he was dressed to the nines. Though his sartorial splendor could not reach that of Elijah’s, he still looked every inch the proper gentleman. It occurred to Elijah someone who was so meticulous about always appearing his best would not imagine a lady of the ton might dress up as a boy and dirty herself in disguise. So, he did not feel as bad about his own blind spots.

“Your wife?” Mitchell’s tone was incredulous as he tried to peer around him, and Elijah could not entirely blame him. He had insisted on seeing Josie as a flibbertigibbet debutante, even when Elijah and Joseph had tried to correct that impression. “What on earth…?”

That was Elijah’s question as well, but he did not like to hear it repeated by Mitchell. It was not Mitchell’s place to question Josie’s actions.

“You will have to excuse me, Mitchell. I need to take my wife home.”

“No!” Mitchell and Josie spoke in unison, both just as vehement.

“My lord, you might miss this opportunity to find the Frenchman if you do,” Mitchell said, frustration coloring his words, but no more than Josie’s did.

“Absolutely not, Elijah. If you think I will not follow you right back out again, you are wrong.”

Casting his eyes heavenward, Elijah gritted his teeth and sent a desperate appeal to the Almighty for patience. He loosened his hold on Josie, his hand itching to turn her over his knee, but this was not the time nor the place. Eventually, her bottom would pay a heavy price for her recklessness.

When he straightened his neck, Josie was glaring at him, and Mitchell was glaring at Josie. Which made Elijah want to punch Mitchell in the face, even if he had the right of it. Shaking his head, he looked around as if seeking inspiration for his next action from the streets around them.

There were a few passersby, but the shadows were deep. He could not send Josie back the way she came on her own. Even with the dirt, she made too pretty a lad, and someone was bound to notice. At this time of night, there would be those looking for entertainment.

“Go inside and look for the Frenchman,” Elijah ordered Mitchell. He could not think when he was distracted by the other man’s disapproval of Josie.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Josie glared back at him, not watching as Mitchell walked to the next building down and entered, shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

“What the devil were you thinking?” Elijah wished he had not let go of her arm. He would have shaken her if he was still holding onto her, but she was standing far enough away, she would easily elude him if he reached for her again. The desire to drag her home, tie her to the bed, and spank her bottom red, then leave her there to think about her actions until he could return to deal with her was strong, but Mitchell was right. Elijah did not want to miss his opportunity to find the Frenchman. That left only one option, but he did not want to do that, either. “Do you have any idea how dangerous following me was?”

“Of course, I do,” Josie scoffed. “That is why I brought this.” Reaching into the short coat she was wearing, into a pouch tucked between her arm and her side, she pulled out a pistol. It was dark enough, Elijah could not see exactly what kind, but he made a strangled noise in his throat.

Elijah was not the only one who had seen the gun. Movement along the side of the street caught his eye—someone stepping back into an alley when they caught sight of Josie’s gun. He did not blame them. He wanted to flee as well, even though she was holding it safely, with the barrel pointed to the ground.

“Do you even know how to use that?” he demanded, squashing the urge to reach out and grab it, which might be just dangerous if she did not.

Josie scowled at him.

“I will have you know I am a crack shot.” Josie sniffed. “You can ask your brothers. Unlike you, they were not too stuffy to teach mere girls to shoot.”

“What if someone had come up behind you and surprised you? You had it tucked away in a pouch. What if they had come at you so quickly from the front, you did not have the time to draw it? What if it misfired? What if you were vastly outnumbered?” Elijah glared, firing off the questions rapidly. “Did you consider any of that? Or did you think having a weapon made you invincible?”

Josie

Barraged by an attack of logic rather than emotion, Josie was taken aback. She had been ready for Elijah’s fury, his shock and outrage, but not questions. There were several factors she had not considered.

But…

“Why would anyone do any of those things?” she demanded. “I am just a boy on the streets. I brought this to protect you, not me.” The nincompoop.

“These streets can be as dangerous for boys as they are for women, especially pretty boys like you.” Elijah took a step closer.

Even in the dim lighting from the moon, which barely trickled down into the dark streets, she could see his eyes flash as they traveled over her shape, the same way they did when she was wearing a revealing gown. Josie’s breath hitched.

“The Society of Sin is not the only place where men prefer the company of other men, but only those who want to be part of the Society are there. Elsewhere, young men and boys meet the same fate as women, and you make a very pretty boy.”

Josie’s jaw dropped in shock, and she blanched when she realized how deadly serious he was. She had thought dressed as she was would protect her. She did not appear prosperous or a likely prospect for thieves and pickpockets, but she had not considered someone might want something… else. Some of the fleeting glances others had cast upon her as she made her way through the streets ran back through her head, seen from a different lens.

When Elijah put it that way, her behavior had been more foolhardy than she had considered. Evie had mentioned none of that. Then again, Josie was sure there was a wealth of knowledge Evie had not had the time or inclination to pass on to her friends. Evie would have focused on what she felt they needed to know, not the things she did not think would affect them. She had never imagined Josie dressing as a boy to sneak through the worst parts of London in the middle of the night.

“Well, I made it here safely enough. Just like you when you wandered about alone. Unlike you, I have received no specific threats against my life.” So there. Her chin jutted out stubbornly, and Elijah glared even harder.

“You were lucky. What was your plan if I was attacked? You might have accidentally shot me, especially if I was ambushed.”

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a pair of brass knuckles, and Elijah groaned.

“Now you’re a boxer, too?”

“Lily is the best boxer, but I am not terrible,” Josie replied stiffly. Her husband stared at her, completely dumbfounded.

“Lily? Sweet, quiet, buried-in-her-books Lily is the boxer?” Disbelief dripped from his voice.

“She is the strongest of us, probably from carrying all those books she likes to read.” Josie preferred shooting things, whether with a bow or a gun, whereas Lily had excelled at fencing and boxing. “Did Joseph never tell you about the time Lily gave him a bloody nose?” Going by Elijah’s expression, Joseph clearly had not, and Josie shook her head. That was what Elijah had missed by being several years older than the rest of them. She almost felt sorry for him. “You are always underestimating us.” No wonder he was so hot under his collar about their safety. He had no idea of their abilities.

Mary was the only one who had avoided Evie and the Stuart boys’ lessons, though sometimes, she had read in the corner while they were going on.

“My lord.” Mitchell’s voice interrupted them, filled with excitement. Elijah whirled around, and Josie moved to the side, so she could see the other man. The hat on Mitchell’s head kept his face shadowed, but she could still tell he was excited. “He’s here.”

Her own excitement leapt. Elijah would never leave now, which would give him no choice but to let her stay. Unless he tried to send her back home with Mitchell, in which case she would remind him that he had warned her to stay away from the man.

She knew she was going to have a pair of seriously sore buttocks, but that only made her more determined to see this through. If she was going to have to pay the piper, she wanted the prize.

Elijah closed his eyes, screwing up his expression, and she nearly cackled with glee. It was happening. Quickly smoothing out her expression before he opened his eyes again, she did her best to appear somber when their gazes met.

“You will stay right by my side.” He growled the words as a command. “You will not stray. You will not speak. You will do exactly as I say. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” She was far too elated to argue, though her quick agreement only seemed to make him even more growly.

He grasped her by the upper arm, just above her elbow, turning to face Mitchell, who was waiting for them.

The man gaped. “You’re bringing her in here? Send her home!”

“Shut up, Mitchell. It is not your place to tell me what to do.”

Josie refrained from sticking her tongue out at the man, but barely. Really? Send her home through the streets of London on her own? It was one thing for her to risk herself, but he clearly did not care what terrible fate might befall her. He was a cad, and she did not trust him farther than she could throw him, no matter what Elijah and Uncle Oliver said.

Her suspicion and dislike of Mitchell were quickly drowned out when the door opened, and she took her first steps into a gaming hell.