Madcap Miss

When the poor horse came down, snorting and screeching, it was further frightened by the elderly man waving his cane in the air.

The driver was unable to get control, and he and his cab were nearly overturned. The horse knocked into a nearby wagon full of vegetables and fruits, and the entire wagon went over.

Pandemonium.

Traffic was immediately blocked and halted. People began crowding around the scene to observe. Curiosity brought more groups to the scene, and, looking much like mob factions, people began taking sides. Opinions and arguments were taken to the next level. Punches were thrown, and screaming and shouting ensued.

Felicia and Becky attempted to extricate themselves, but the crush of the crowd was frightening and difficult to wield.

As they made their way through the ribald crowd all shouting at one another and the vendor and the hackney driver, Felicia saw a face in the crowd that seemed familiar. Although he hurriedly moved off and pulled his tweed wool cap low over his eyes, she thought she knew him.

Frowning, she shrugged it off and continued to pull Becky along as they tried to make their way out of the mess they had somehow got caught up in.

* * *

“Eh, then, do ye see whot Oi see?” a stout fellow in a tweed wool cap asked of his companion. He pulled his wool coat tightly around himself. “Damn her to bloody hell. Look at her, walking in all her finery while we are in rags and scurrying for our meals.”

“Aye, it is all her fault. If she hadn’t told her father we was the ones stealing the grain and selling it, we would still have a plush job, we would.”

“Aye, and how did she ever twig our ken, Oi don’t know.”

“Saw us. I know it. Oi told ye, told ye Oi saw someone that night, didn’t Oi? Don’t ye remember … Oi told ye, someone was watching. It were her. We should have managed it better.”

“That other one with her, she looks familiar … but never mind. Oi have a notion, Oi do.”

“Lew, Oi don’t want to get nabbled.”

“Her father will bleed freely for her, he will, and this time, it’ll be just the two of us in charge. When we are done, he can have her back, mayhap not in one piece, but we’ll have the ready and be on our way.”

“How do ye propose, m’fine man, to do that?”

“Lookee here, Styles. Oi know whot Oi am doing, and Oi have a plan,” Lew told him.

“Ho-ho, ye and yer plans,” scoffed Styles.

“See that hack covey fighting with that wagon hawker?”

“Aye, so?”

“So, who is watching his horse and cab, Oi ask ye? Lookee there … the old horse has wandered off … coming right at us, skittish of all the shouting … see there. One, two, three … that horse and cab are ours, and off into the traffic we go. Cut off those morts … look there, trying to get out of the crowd.”

“Whot?” Styles was incredulous. “Ye want to nabble them here in broad daylight with all the world to see?”

“No one will see—whot be wrong wit ye? Are ye scared?” Lew scoffed.

“Not scared, ye damn fool. Careful. There be a difference.”

“Well, we’ll have ’em, we will, and in the cab and no one the wiser. Whot with all the screaming going on, no one will hear.”

Lew had already taken the hack’s horse in hand and told his cohort, “Get in the cab … off we go.”

“Whot then?”

“Check the boot—we’ll need some rope,” Lew ordered, already in the swing of things and grinning widely.

“Aye then,” Styles said, a slow smile spreading across his face. “This could work.”

“Right, keep yer eyes on them … we will walk the horse and cab towards ’em … when