A Terrible Misunderstanding (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 6)

Niall pursed his lips. From his hiding place in the tavern yard, he watched Erasmus drag Clara’s much smaller frame toward the yard. She really was no match for Erasmus’s size or strength, and Erasmus knew it. He was indeed a bully, and a sexual predator given how determined he was to try to ruin Atticus Potter’s daughter.

When he felt something press against his ankles, Niall looked down and watched a large tabby cat snake around his ankles. Nudging it to one side, he tried to shake it off only for the determined feline to return almost instantly and begin to rub around his legs some more. Quickly, and with his gaze locked on the altercation on the other side of the yard, Niall bent down and scratched the cat behind the ears in the hope that as soon as it had been stroked it would clear off. It didn’t. The cat wanted more.

“Go away,” Niall hissed quietly only for the cat to press harder against him.

Shaking his leg, Niall stepped away only to realise that he wasn’t so well hidden anymore. The cat continued to purr and snake around his feet. Niall knew that if he wanted to run he was apt to fall over the damned thing. Picking it up, he hugged it and scratched it between the ears while he watched Erasmus drag a loudly protesting Clara into the yard. Shaking his head in disbelief, he watched them for a moment and then had an idea. When Erasmus’s back appeared in the gap between the yard doors, Niall stepped forward and dropped the cat onto the man’s shoulders.

The sudden appearance of the now annoyed feline, who angrily dug his claws into his opponent to hang on when Erasmus tried to shake him off, made Erasmus swear violently. The angry cat yowled in protest and dug his claws in deeper when Erasmus began to twist and turn to try to declaw himself. In doing so he was forced to release Clara, who stared in amazement as Erasmus did everything possible to rid himself of the animal on his back. Stepping backward, he slammed painfully into the yard doors before staggering wildly into the yard. His curses rang out, but the jostled and worried feline just clung onto him with even more determination and even deeper claws.

Niall returned to his hiding place and smirked while he watched. It was slightly annoying that Clara hadn’t run for freedom as soon as she was released like he had hoped. Instead, she too was watching the amusing spectacle of Erasmus Boyle on the receiving end of a few pointed barbs for a change. The cat’s yowls of protest when Erasmus did manage to grab a paw were soon accompanied by hissing and spitting as the animal really got angry.

“’ere, what’s going on out here?” Albert, the inn keeper, cried as he charged out of the back door of the tavern to see what all the commotion was about.

Erasmus stumbled into a large barrel and knocked it over with a heavy clang but didn’t stop cursing long enough to be able to tell him. Albert’s busy brows rose as he too joined in watching the spectacle for a moment. It wasn’t Erasmus’s welfare that concerned him.

“What in the hell are you doing with my damned cat?” Albert boomed. He picked up a broom and began to smack Erasmus on the back with it. “Let my cat go.”

Clara’s lips twitched as she watched what was one of the most satisfying spectacles she had ever witnessed unfold before her. For all the harassment and worry Erasmus had brought her, it was good to see him on the receiving end for a change. She smirked and made a mental note to bring the cat a nice piece of chicken before she realised that she had to make use of Erasmus’s distraction. With one last look at the yard, Clara turned to leave only for the shifting shadows in the back of the yard to make her blink. She froze and studied the shadow a little closer. At first, she didn’t see anything, but when he moved, Clara found herself looking straight into the startling sight of Niall’s familiar face.

I would recognise that face anywhere.

Her gaze turned to the cat, and she began to wonder. What was Niall doing in the tavern yard? Was he following her? If so, why? Her thoughts turned to Will. Were they both still watching the house? Was it because of Erasmus? Had someone warned her father that he was making a pest of himself? It seemed a little excessive for her father to send in the might of the Star Elite to thwart him. Erasmus was, if nothing more, a local pesterer of women who tried his luck and was far too arrogant for his own good. But he was no serious criminal.

When she looked back at the shadows, it was to find them empty. Niall had vanished. Again. Without him there to answer her questions, Clara knew the only person who would be able to tell her what was going on was her father. Unfortunately, she couldn’t ask him without alerting him to the fact that there was a problem. She doubted he would allow her to remain with her aunt if he suspected Flo couldn’t be a proper guardian.

“Now what do I do?” she whispered.

It was odd to look about the seemingly busy street and know that someone was hiding, watching her every move. It was a little unnerving to think that someone had followed her from the second she had left the house that morning and had been watching her every movement since. She should be wildly thrilled that Niall was keeping a protective watch over her, but she was annoyed as much as she was curious because she was now desperate to know what she needed to protect her from.

“My dear, what is it?” Sissy asked when she saw the troubled look on Clara’s face. She turned to the sound of hideous wailing and Albert’s angry shouts. “What is all that commotion?”

“Erasmus,” Clara bit out before telling her friend what had just happened.

“Well, let’s get out of here, shall we?” Sissy threw a worried look at the direction of the commotion within the tavern yard before hurrying in the opposite direction.

“Erasmus won’t be happy he is being thrown out,” Clara warned.

“Let’s not be here when he gets out.”

Together, the ladies watched Albert beat Erasmus out of his yard with the end of his broom. Erasmus stumbled out into the street, his face scratched, his shirt all bloodied and torn. Even from a distance it was clear that he was furious, but he was no match for Albert, who was far too used to throwing angry drunks out of his tavern to bother much with Erasmus. Once he had vanquished the enemy, Albert forgot about Erasmus and began to croon to his now docile pet, which he picked up and draped across his shoulder. The feline placidly curled around his ample neck as if made to be there and glared evilly at Erasmus while Albert carried him inside. Seconds later, the doors to the tavern yard banged shut.

“Hurry,” Sissy whispered, dragging Clara into a narrow alley in between the bakery and the grocery shops.

“Where are we going?”

“Out onto Marley street. His curricle is parked outside the haberdashery. By the time he fetches it, we will be out of the area. It is a pity your fiancé isn’t around again. He would send Erasmus away with a flea in his ear,” Sissy growled.

“Niall isn’t here anymore. He has gone,” Clara murmured.

“When will he be back?”

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “I wish I did.”

“Has he gone back to London?”

“No.” Clara couldn’t lie anymore. “He isn’t my fiancé.”

“We know we shouldn’t pass the word around until there has been a formal announcement, but people will gossip,” Sissy countered.