Public Relations

Chapter One

Chapter One

Elizabeth

A spring mist hung in the air over the already busy streets of London as Elizabeth ran out of her building. She had already missed her usual tube, and while she knew another would be along soon, it would also be busier with morning commuters heading into work, too.

There was a slight chill to the cool air that wrapped its way around Elizabeth's body, the layer of dew from the night before still lay on nearby plants and railings undisturbed by the body's rushing past. Elizabeth liked to take in her surroundings, to exist with them, and not simply miss out on the beauty of the mundane. But not that morning.

Green tea warmed her left hand, while she struggled to position her papers and handbag on herself merely missing hitting others passing by. A moment to laugh about how silly she probably looked right then would arise later when she would be sitting in her office with Alana, but for the time being, she was flustered.

Feeling lost and a little dazed, wondering about her next step, Elizabeth began walking in the direction of her office. The street was not overly crowded, and most people had a common goal - getting to work on time. Crowd mentality meant Elizabeth followed suit walking on the left-hand side of the pavement as if they were cars on the road. It made it easier to avoid walking into others and getting pushed about, not that being pushed about was completely non-existent in their current system.

As the crowd reached the junction at the end of the street, people began to break off. Some headed into the tube station, others crossed over the road, and others simply had reached their destination. Elizabeth had begun to slow her pace, knowing she would have to stop at the light. Her bad luck so far that morning had left her unconvinced that they would be green when she reached them.

Shifting her arms again to accommodate her slipping files, Elizabeth was struggling to carry her load. Wishing she hadn't overslept or missed the train, she began cursing under her breath as she spilt a small amount of her drink down herself. She was not going back to change, that she had decided.

A voice broke through her thoughts as she heard someone shout thank you, followed by the slamming of a car door. A taxi! Breaking from the crowd, Elizabeth made a beeline for the now-empty taxi. Although it was loud on the street, the cab window was open.

"Excuse me, are you free?" She had expected a sarcastic or bitter comment, something along the lines of 'I ain't free, I charge a fair!'. It seemed that sarcasm was the language of a London cabbie, and she hated it.

The withered man jolted his head back with a gruff grunt, signalling for her to climb in the back. "Thank you!" She fumbled with the handle, struggling to get a good grip without dropping anything. Feeling as if beetles were scurrying up her back and down her arms, irritation took over. "I just want to get to work!" She felt rather pathetic as she pleaded with her thoughts trying to open the door. Stretching out her index finger to pull out the handle, she struggled to hold her cup steady.

Her mood washed away when a hand appeared over hers, long fingers reaching for the handle. "Need a hand?" The stranger's voice was gruff as if he had only been awake a short period. In a small state of shock, Elizabeth just nodded her head, not looking away from the hand over hers. A soft chuckle filled her ears, turning her head slightly she took in the wide shoulders, the smell of fresh linen mixed with a heavenly musk she couldn't place, and the smart, pastel blue blazer.

Pressure on her hand brought her attention back to the car door, and with a gentle cluck, they pulled it open. "Your chariot," His voice was playful, bringing a flutter of a smile onto Elizabeth's face. The warmth from his hand slipped away, and she stood for a moment, contemplating the strange encounter she had just experienced.