Sophia’s Champion

Lelia M. Silver

Chapter 1

Lucas watched her from the shadows of the alley. The light did not touch him. It never had.

Miss Sophia Wharton smiled at the footman as he handed her into the carriage and Lucas felt its impact even in his secluded hiding spot. The footman straightened, back going ramrod stiff, and snapped his heels together smartly as she disappeared into the carriage. Lucas shook his head and chuckled humorlessly.

What man could resist such a wonderfully innocent and pleasant young woman? It was obvious that the footman and half of the other male staff at the Bingleys’ townhome were enamored with her. He wished he could share their enthusiasm for the young lady, but, alas, his naivety was long gone. He had seen too much of the world in his twenty-seven years. A jaded old coot like him did not have anything in common with a naïve young woman like her.

Aye, he knew the young lady well. In his business, it paid to be observant. She, on the other hand, probably did not even know that he existed. Even without her family connections, Sophia was not the sort of woman who paid any attention to men like him, and well he knew it.

Her branch of the family tree might be more obscure than some of the others, but they still enjoyed a fine reputation among good society. Unlike him.

Oh, his reputation had taken a decided upswing in recent months, ever since he had taken a position as a Principal Officer of Bow Street, or as they were known more colloquially, the Bow Street Runners. However, his past still trailed him doggedly, refusing to give up the scent.

For years he had toed the line between light and darkness, working for whoever could pay the fee for his services as a thief-taker. Some of his clients had been more shady than others, but he had done his best by every client that had hired him. Eventually his work had come to the attention of the men in charge of the Bow Street Runners, and now he found himself in a new position, one that frequently put him at odds with some of the men he had been hired to aid before.

That was why he now found himself trailing Sophia Wharton to her sister’s home at Briarwick Manor. His latest assignment involved an old client of his, Basil Gilbanks.

Basil had long been rumored to be the mastermind behind a string of jewelry robberies. Sophia’s sister, Emilia, had come on the wrong end of Basil Gilbanks’ attention almost two years ago, but more than that, her husband, Anthony Fairchild, was Basil’s stepson. Lucas’ sources suggested that Basil had selected his next victim. His superiors had ordered him to Briarwick Manor to ferret out any information he could from Anthony.

Lucas knew Anthony from his thief-taking days, and while the other man might be surprised to see him, he would not turn him away. His gut told him Anthony had severed ties with Basil when he had married his wife Emilia, but given his orders, he had to do his due diligence and look into any possibility of a connection.

With a slap of the reins, the carriage containing Miss Sophia Wharton moved away. Lucas shrank back into the shadows as it passed. He needed the presence of another guest at Briarwick Manor to distract Anthony and Emilia so he could do his job without attracting attention. Emilia’s younger sister would suit his purposes well.

Now that he had seen with his own eyes that she was on her way, he could put his arrangements into place.

Without another glance at the carriage bundling down the road, Lucas slunk back the way he had come, his presence no more than a shifting shadow in the alley.