Chapter 17 #3
He smiled down at her with such warmth in his eyes that Gwen was transported back to the days when they had almost, but not quite, been sweethearts.
He smelt spicy when she drew close to him.
It must be the pomade or cologne he was wearing, though she tried not to sniff too obviously.
Danny was tall and broad-chested and he made her feel quite comfortable at his side.
Flickers of longing raced through her, and she bit her lip.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked. ‘It’s not too far from where I saw you last time we met. Are you staying in this area?’
Unexpectedly, he increased his pace, meaning that Gwen had to walk a little faster than customary and tug his arm to slow down.
‘I’m sorry, I do everything at a rush. My mind works far too quickly, and I just gather people along with me,’ he said apologetically. His mouth twisted and he tipped his hat back slightly then forward again. Gwen wondered if it was an unconscious habit.
‘Why are you visiting London?’ she asked.
‘I can’t burden you with that woe.’ Danny’s voice dropped almost an octave, causing Gwen to wonder what dire abomination had drawn him to the city.
‘Please, tell me. If it is causing you woe, then perhaps I can do something to help.’
‘There is woe and there is woe,’ Danny answered. His lips quirked downwards and he looked momentarily furious. ‘I don’t want to burden you, and I doubt you can help me in any case.’
Gwen put her hand on his. ‘I can listen.’
‘You always did.’ His face softened. ‘Very well. I’m looking for my niece. Do you remember my younger sister, Morfydd?’
Gwen nodded. Morfydd had been a pretty girl seven years younger than Danny. His mother had believed the change of life had happened, but as it turned out she was wrong.
‘She was widowed six years ago and sadly died three years ago, leaving a daughter. Ruth had always been flighty but the loss of her final parent seemed to change her. She was fifteen two months ago, and within days of her birthday, she ran away from home with an unsuitable young man.’
Gwen winced in sympathy. The girl was over the legal age of consent, of course, but still very young.
‘You disapprove of their marriage?’
‘I would be grieved that she didn’t feel able to discuss her intentions with me, if that is all her plans entailed.
However, I don’t believe marriage was uppermost in her mind.
She left with the intention of becoming a dancer.
I traced her to Cardiff, where I discovered that the theatre group she had joined had been booked to appear in London. ’
‘That’s good news, isn’t it?’ Gwen asked, but Danny shook his head.
‘By the time I had managed to settle my affairs and was free to follow her, it appears she had a quarrel with the man and left the troupe. I’ve spent a lot of effort and money and now I have traced her to this borough.’
‘Do you have a picture of her?’ Gwen asked. ‘I don’t come here often, but I might have seen her.’
‘A small likeness, but it is not the best and it is two years old.’
He reached into his breast pocket and showed Gwen a carte-de-visite of a pretty girl with dark hair swept into rolls over her ears, and eyes that were similar to Danny’s.
She wore a blouse with a waterfall of lace across a well-developed bust and had a graceful air that hinted at her dancing ambitions.
‘I’m afraid I haven’t seen her,’ Gwen said glumly. She committed the image to memory in the hope that she would recognise Ruth if she came across her. Danny slipped the picture back into his pocket.
‘I doubt you will have. I fear she has fallen low enough to be working in a house of ill repute. Ruth does not appear to be plying a trade on the streets, but there are unscrupulous people who prey on innocent young women and lead them into prostitution.’
Danny stopped walking and closed his eyes briefly. Gwen’s blood froze. She’d seen the evidence of this only the night before, when Augusta’s man had been trying to coax the housemaid. Was it possible that Augusta herself was involved?
She gave a groan of horror and Danny squeezed her arm gently.
‘It’s a dreadful thought, isn’t it? I’m sorry to burden you with such images. I don’t know how many of these men and those places there must be within this square mile alone.’
He spread his hands around, encompassing the street as if expecting to see a dozen of them appear before his eyes.
‘What do you intend to do if you find her?’ she asked.
‘I will demand they are arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.’
His voice hardened and a look of steel filled his eyes. He was attractive in his determination, but Gwen nodded silently, her speech stolen.
Danny took both of her hands between his. He lifted them and her heart began to race, thinking he was about to kiss them, but he stopped short of that and pressed them to his heart as he looked into her eyes.
‘You were right that a pair of ears was a help. Thank you.’
‘I have to go. My husband will be waiting for me.’
Danny’s eyes dropped. ‘Of course. I am staying at Godwin’s Hotel near Farringdon. If you happen to hear or see anything of use, please leave me a message there.’
Gwen bit the inside of her lip. ‘I will.’
She picked up her hem and hurried away.