Persuasion in the Pantry [Maid for More #1]

Chapter 30: A Woman's Prerogative -Part 1

Mina weaved through the streets with practiced ease. It was only when she had passed well and truly into the limply beating heart of the East End that she thought to check if the Captain was still keeping pace with her.

Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted him paused at the entrance of the alleyway with soot smeared along the side of his face. She doubted it would aid the wound he had sustained from the fight, however it did give him a street-worthy air that the elite Spanish Guard would have been shocked at. If he was exhausted by their dash through town he did not show it, which was either a testament to his endurance or his stubborn will to refute defeat. Mina thought it was the latter. She offered him a quick nod before racing once more down lane.

It had been a while since she had worked in the area and the stench of the refuse laying plainly in the streets reminded her of one of the many reasons why she had left. There were certainly no treacle tarts to be found here. She dashed between the tightly packed buildings crammed with poverty and filth which lent such a sense of foreboding that even the sun dared not enter the shadowed alleys. Her eyes darted from balcony to balcony, aware that danger lingered on every corner like Death waiting eagerly to welcome London's eastern citizens into his arms.

As she ran, Mina swatted at the grubby linens that hung from bridging lines above, shielding them from the grey oppressive skies reserved for only the impoverished. When she skidded at a dead end, she scrambled up a small wrought iron ladder leaning against the southern wall and disappeared into a cavity in the run-down building.

Mina heard Marco climb in behind her, the broken tiling crumbling under his girth, and waited for only a moment before wordlessly scurrying further into the tunnel towards the narrow shafts of light at the end. It lay shuttered closed by the unevenly boarded slats of shipping crates haphazardly nailed together which revealed neither lock, nor latch.

"Here, let me," Marco offered, moving to thrust his shoulder into the offending structure.

"Don't you dare!" Mina hissed, punching him in the shoulder for effect.

The Captain frowned and was about to inquire how she proposed to penetrate the sealed exit when Mina let loose a long howl. Marco's eyes widened drastically at her impression of a wolf baying at the full moon and Mina had to crack a smile.

It only took a moment before his questions were answered, as a sharp crow sounded from the other side of the door, as well as various other animals sounds not native to London. There was a brief scuffle and the slats were pulled away to reveal a small nest of unwashed miscreants settled in the cramped square between the building backs.

"Hey guys!" Mina yelled from above before sliding down a half tube like structure into the pit.

"Mina!" a petite street urchin with mousy brown hair called out, grasping her in a big warm hug when she reached the bottom. "What're you doin 'ere? I missed yer sorry face but, nice to see yer fillin' out there tho'," she eyed Mina's wide hips that accentuated her slight frame.

"Gee, thanks Emma," Mina huffed playfully.

"Yeah, didna 'spect to see you again. We got a bit worried." A young lad with a heavy coat, four sizes too large for him, piped up from the corner.

"If you ar 'ere for yer take then yer can sod righ' off!" another filthy urchin called from underneath a swaddle of worn blankets and old newspaper.

"Urgh," Mina huffed. "Keep yah shirt on, Antonia! I'm not 'ere for yer money."

Emma rolled her eyes at their familiar antics. "But seriously Mina, what do yer need? Yer not in troubler ar yer?"  

Mina grasped her old friend's hands quickly. "No, but I do need your help. I need to find Marm again? Wait, did you cut your hair?"