“Oh no,” Caroline said as she saw that their hansom cab had not waited for them.
“Well he didn’t get paid,” Stella said angrily. “The fool!”
They rounded the street and entered a bustling area of street vendors with the smell of rotting meat heavy in the air.
“Oh God,” Stella said stuffing a handkerchief to her nose. “The stench!”
Caroline tried not to let her stomach roll at the smell of the rotting meat. Fish and feces also mixed in the air and she fought the urge to retch in the street.
“Let’s try and get a cab,” Caroline told her friend.
Just as they were looking wildly about for any sort of cab to hail, she heard her name being called.
“Miss Derry!”
She turned to see Inspector Pierce and his Sergeant striding towards them.
“Miss Derry. You shouldn’t be out here,” he said intensely.
He placed his arm protectively about the waist and escorted her to the carriage she had not seen around the corner. She glanced behind her shoulder once to see Sergeant Felix escorting Stella.
Once inside the carriage, he gave her a long look.
“Miss Derry. I must warn you. This is not a safe place. You and your friend should not be here,” he said as the carriage began to sway in movement.
“This isn’t an afternoon jaunt, Inspector. Stella and I were meeting with a family. A family that might be the first to move into the Housing project,” she explained.
“Even so,” he cautioned.
“And I don’t need your permission, Inspector. I’m a grown woman and this is very important to me,” she said hotly, her cheeks flushed.
“I was concerned for your safety,” he said in his defense.
“I understand that. This isn’t somewhere I would want to be either. More the reason that these poor unfortunates should be moved as well.”
“As always, your actions are commendable, if not a little unsafe,” he said.
Felix cleared his throat and Val looked over at his sergeant watching them both carefully.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t properly introduce you,” Caroline realized.
She introduced her friend Stella to the two men and they both greeted her.
“I’m just glad I was here when you needed me,” Val said lowly.
“Did I say I needed you?” Caroline returned.
“You didn’t say you didn’t,” he countered.
The carriage pulled up to the townhouse and he escorted Stella and Caroline to the door.
“Thank you, Inspector. For your help today,” Caroline told him.
“Until Friday,” he said.
She nodded. “Until Friday.”
Val returned to the carriage and took one look at Felix and said, “Not one word.”