Grae had meetings with suppliers most of the day, preparing for his upcoming trip, so she didn’t have to worry about him showing up unexpectedly as she snuck out. She didn’t want to have to lie to him anymore.
By midday she had already heard back from six people who wanted to meet immediately; all promised her the sum she requested. Three hundred pounds each. The amount would be a pittance to those who could afford to pay so much more than she demanded for their secrets.
Four others wanted to meet her tomorrow morning. That left only two she had not yet heard back from. They were to meet her on Fleet Street at staggered times. An hour was all she needed. She had no desire to dally, and neither would these people.
At noon, she tucked the six chosen packets into her pocket and told Becky only that she had a job to do. Her friend knew better than to ask questions. Arista snuck out through the garden exit. The midday sun sat high in the sky, and she was sweating in her black mourning dress within minutes. Every so often she stopped to make sure that no one was following.
The veil over her face held in the heat, and sweat beaded on her skin as she walked to the next street over. From there she hailed a hackney cab. It was even hotter inside the carriage, yet she didn’t dare open the shade covering the window, or even lift the veil farther than her nose. In the light of day, even with her disguise, discretion was of the utmost importance. No one could know what she was doing. Especially not Wild.
When they reached their destination, a busy but discreet intersection, Arista held her breath until she heard the impatient knock. The door opened, and a man climbed in and sat across from her. The space inside the carriage seemed to shrink.
“Do you have it?” he asked.
Arista nodded and pulled out the packet of secrets that belonged to him. It was one of the thicker ones, as Lord Sommersville had used Bones’s services more than once.
He reached into his jacket and removed a bag of coins. “Three hundred pounds, as agreed.” They made the exchange and Sommersville did not bother with niceties. He exited the carriage before she had even tucked the money away.
The other five transactions were almost exactly the same. No one wanted to spend a second longer in her company than necessary, and in less than an hour, she was on her way back to Talbot Street. When she returned, Sophia insisted they spend the day together, and Arista didn’t mind the shopping at all. Spending time with Sophia, learning how a normal girl spent her days, was quite nice. In fact, Arista had a rather good time when she was with Sophia. And if Grae had found out anything about Louis, he had not mentioned it to her; by the way Sophia’s disposition never wavered, Arista doubted Grae had said anything to her either.
Days like today gave Arista hope that a better future was within reach.
The next day, the remaining four exchanges went as smoothly as the first half dozen. By the time she returned to the Sinclairs’ and tucked the collected money into the small chest she had bought, a weight was gone from her shoulders. She only had to arrange passage on Grae’s ship, and everything would be ready.
Except she had not seen Grae to ask him.
Sophia said he and her father were trying to woo a new client and that they were terribly busy, but there was a mischievous sparkle in Sophia’s eyes that didn’t quite fit with her explanation.
When they returned home from their second afternoon of shopping, Sophia followed Arista to her room. The girl was practically bouncing off of the walls, and Arista knew that something was going on. She didn’t have to wait long to find out.
There on her bed lay a beautiful light blue gown. It was much fancier than any day dress Arista owned now, and she could only stare at it in wonder.
Sophia clapped her hands together. “Do you like it? It was one of mine, but you are smaller than me, so Becky spent two days altering it to fit you. I do so hope it fits, because the color will be exquisite with the shade of your skin.” Sophia lifted the dress off the bed and held it up in front of Arista. “I knew it,” she beamed.
“It’s very beautiful, but I don’t understand. I have no need of a dress this fine.” Still, she could not resist reaching out to run her fingers along the silky material. Tiny beads had been sewn along the neckline in the pattern of flowers. The dress was truly fit for a queen.
Sophia giggled. “You can’t go to the opera in a day dress, silly.”
“Opera? We’re going to the opera?” She had been to the theater once, when Nic paid one pence apiece so they could stand in the back and watch Romeo and Juliet. It had been crowded and sweaty, and she had barely glimpsed the actors who spoke such beautiful words with all the other people standing in front of her.
And still, it had been one of the best nights of her life.
But the opera?
Those productions only happened at King’s Theatre, where the wealthy liked to go. She never dreamed she might see the inside of such a place, let alone watch an actual performance there.