No Place for a Lady Read Online Free PDF Page B

kicked the door shut behind her. "'Ave a little rat's piss," she said as she sloshed the tankard down before Ballast, spilling drink over the coins and notes piled there. Then she grinned at Ballast's startled expression. He probably had already known she was in the pub. Ballast simply had not expected her to push her way into his back room without so much as a by-yer-leave.
    Continuing her role as a cocksure youth, she perched insolently on the only other piece of furniture there—a rickety chair opposite the desk—then began swinging one foot back and forth as so many children do. Meanwhile, she studied her opponent.
    Ballast had gained weight. Thickset and heavy by nature, his flesh now seemed to hang on him while his mouth drooped in a perpetual frown. But his fatty body was all that had gone soft. His narrowed black eyes and his meaty fist appeared just as hard as ever.
    "Got a minute t' speak wi' an old, dear friend?" Fantine asked happily, pretending to a confidence she didn't feel.
    "Humph!" snorted Ballast, his gaze returning to the pound notes before him.
    Fantine was not fooled. She knew his attention was firmly fixed on her. And if she had any doubts, the actions of the other three would have tipped her off. The boy glared at her, his face a mirror image of his father's contempt, except that his gaze still held a lively intelligence that could be dangerous. As for the other two, Fantine's back prickled as they moved silently behind her, one on each side.
    "Go' a tad bit o' business fer you, guv," Fantine said as she bounced slightly on the seat with boyish enthusiasm.
    Ballast continued counting his coins with dogged determination. "Forty-eight. Nine. Fifty."
    Fantine swallowed. Fifty pounds. Oh, the things she could do with such ready blunt. It had been a while since her last job with Penworthy, and her money was stretched painfully thin. Her empty stomach growled loudly.
    Suddenly, the man looked up, his gaze intent."'Ave t' do wi' th' nob?"
    Fantine blinked. "Wot?"
    Ballast grinned as Fantine forced her thoughts into order. The man might be crude and slow, but he had not become a dockside force by being completely stupid. She had to remain sharp if she wanted to keep herself and Chadwick alive.
    "Oh," she stammered. "Naw," she answered, her cockiness returning with each word. "'Is queer nibs jes wanted a night peeping at London's soirded underbelly. So naturally Oi thought o' you."
    Ballast straightened slightly, clearly not catching the insult. "Oi've th' best drink on the docks."
    Fantine had a lively retort ready until she caught the flash of annoyance in the boy's eye. He had understood the insult and was not pleased. She had best watch her tongue.
    "'Is nibs is just an... an incidental," she said. "Oi've come about a matter fer another lord."
    "Moving up, ain't ye, Rat?" That was from the boy, his tone as haughty as any peer's. "Two lords in one day? Comin' t' you? Oi don't believe it."
    She turned to look at him, noting that he would grow to be as tall as his father, but at present was more gangly than broad. What was his name? Jack, but everyone called him Sprat. His father doted on him, and he was smart as a whip.
    "Oi ain't nowhere's t' go but up," she said, her voice cheeky. "'Sides, it were a friend of 'is queerness. Wants t' buy information."
    "On what?" asked the boy, stepping forward, his eyes narrowed. He was much too suspicious, and therefore the most dangerous person in the room.
    "'Ey, who's running this meetin' anyway?" she asked, turning back to Ballast. "Ye give 'im all yer brains? Or do ye still 'ave some left t' negotiate wi' me?" She narrowed her eyes, leaning forward in as much of a challenge as she dared. "Or should I take me business t' Hurdy?" She named Ballast's primary rival.
    True to form, Ballast took the bait. Cuffing his son back, he matched her glare for glare. "You deal wi' me, Rat. Tho' I ain't so sure I should trust ye after th' last time I saw ye, so keep yer tongue