#fatedsoldier

Her hair spread, cloudlike, over her pillows, hands linked behind her neck, Lea traced the weaving patterns that decorated the brocade curtains of her bed with her eyes. She did so detest these sleepless nights. They made it harder to rise in the early mornings.

Olivia had vanished again, the day before. She returned and would tell only that she had gone to visit “her Watchman friend.” A frown pulled Lea’s pink lips down.

A collage of details. Worries, worries and more worries. That was the result of it all. Father, bless him, assured her he trusted in Olivia’s judgement, and remarked that the idea of telling Olivia not to see him was laughable. And yet…

What if he were to hurt her? The Watch attracted so many cruel people to their ranks. She knew Olivia’s instincts were good, and yes his name had perfect repute, but who was to say for certain? Olivia was at that perfect age where attention and flattery could move a girl to indecent measures. That this man, this Thames might take advantage—Holger forbid! And yet, the extremely slight possibility pierced her heart too deeply to ignore. What if, what if, what if?

Shiny black ink streamed fresh from the nib of the pen, shaping tiny symbols for amounts and calculations, tallying up expenditures and incomes. Even now, he insisted upon keeping his own personal account books.

The polished mahogany of his desk reflected the shadow of himself back at him, a slightly darker outline in the dark surface. The velvet curtains muffled outside noise, leaving the room in a haunted quiet.

A haunted quiet that was broken with an echoing scream. Arius rose from his chair, reaching for the hollow book on his desk. Flipping it open, he removed the gun from it, heading for the door.

It opened before he could reach it. "Sir, there's an attacker in the building. We don't know how he got in, but he's knocked out Miss Olivia and attacked Miss Lea," the breathless guard reported in quick bursts.

"What?" Arius stepped forward, but the guard stopped him. 

"Captain Beaumont has ordered that you stay here, under guard, he's handling the situation."

Jaw clenched, Arius relented, and stepped back to sit down.

The guard shut the door and hunkered down beside it, his sword drawn and gun loaded, listening, as the sound of gunfire spread, shifted, and drew closer.

"The stairs," the guard murmured.

"Closer." Arius knew his house, and the gunfire was much closer than the stairs.