We met Mrs Disraeli at eight o'clock, just as she had wanted. She sat on a bench with a bag beside her which contained a small corgi. I smiled towards Mrs Disraeli.
"Madam." Jacob greeted.
"Mr Frye, Miss Faraday." She had a certain disappointed tone to her voice.
"Ready to take the air?"
"Now is the perfect time to see Devil's Acre. It should just be coming alive." I grinned. Mrs Disraeli let out a loud sigh.
"I'm afraid I must cancel our arrangement. The lawn is crawling with scandal-hunting journalists, and I simply cannot be seen in the company of someone so..." She groaned and gestured to Jacob and I.
"Rough?"
"Yes. Thank you, Miss Faraday."
"I'll see them off. You follow along when it's clear."
"I will stay here, then."
"Yes, yes." Mrs Disraeli gave a wide smile. "Oh, be gentle, won't you? The press are notoriously touchy about any violence to their person." She scooped up her bag and the dog gave a soft yap. Jacob gave a laugh as he stepped closer to the bag.
"I'll barely ruffle a hair on their heads." He went to stroke the dog, but it growled and barked.
"Shush, Desmond." Jacob simply edged away and went off to distract the journalists. I took a seat on the bench, as did Mrs Disraeli. "Desmond has never really liked men." She chuckled. I reached over to pet Desmond and he inched his head into the palm of my hand.
"He is very sweet. I always wanted a dog, but my father was allergic to them. We had rabbits, but my mother didn't like them and one of them bit me on the hand." She smiled.
"I do love my Desmond. Dogs provide companionship. Perhaps you should get one."
"Well, Madam, we live on a train. It wouldn't be the nicest place for a dog to live, though I wish I could have one." I looked down at my fingernails. "My brother always said he would buy me a dog. He never had the time to, though."
"Why, my dear? What happened?"
"There. They have been taken care of." Jacob chimed. "Now, let's get you ladies to the carriage so that we can be on our way to Devil's Acre. Carina, will you be on the top with me?" I nodded.
"Neatly done, young man. Dizzy ought to keep you on to deal with the Liberals. Now, a drive is definitely in order, I think."
~~
Jacob stopped the carriage in the slums and gave a sigh.
"We have to be ready to fight. This place is dangerous."
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Rookery ~ Assassin's Creed Syndicate
FanfictionRookery noun A dense collection of housing, especially in a slum area. Carina Faraday must embark on a mission to discover more about her deceased parents, whom she barely knew anything about prior to their deaths. She must create alliances along th...
