From Coal to Diamond

Chapter Two

Before the sun had risen, Elizabeth was back out on the street, waiting for any news. She was as well dressed as she could be, her hair pulled back into a loose braid. The mornings were getting colder, so she had taken the piece of scrap fabric she called a shawl and wrapped it around her.

If Fred saw her, she could count on being told first. And if she acted first, it didn't matter if others knew. First come, first served. If she failed, that was when they could go after her. All she wanted was that necklace, or anything the woman wore that was aether. Sometimes it was a ring or bracelet.

She stood quietly in the same spot she'd spoken with Fred the day before. People started leaving their homes, ready to start another day working as hard as they could to provide shelter and food for their family. Elizabeth bit her lip as a woman walked past, a young child being tugged along behind her.

Every time she saw a mother and her daughter, she felt a tug on her heart. Her mother had passed away long ago, she never had the chance to grow up as a normal girl would have. And as soon as she could hold her own, her father set her out to start picking the pockets of any wealthy person with a heart.

Shaking her head to get free of those memories, she watched as the streets started to fill with groggy people, yawning as if they'd just woken up. Elizabeth needed the woman to come again. Fred would tell her if she came, but there was no guarantee that she would be there two days in a row. Normally her visits were few and far between.

An hour passed, Elizabeth fidgeting with her hands while waiting for any sign Fred might be coming towards her, or for the woman. If she could spot the woman, she'd be ahead of the game. Fred would still get his share, but she could start working. Clouds started to drift across the sky as she waited.

I really don't need a storm right now. She thought, her eyes turning to the sky to examine the clouds. They weren't dark enough for a real storm, but they would certainly be a reason to avoid going outside. Biting her lip, she glanced back to the crowd. Feeling the hair rise on the back of her neck, she spun around and noticed a young girl about to tug at her dress.

"A lady asked me to give this to you." The girl shyly held out a letter. "She said you'd have something for me."

Elizabeth examined the girl for a moment before taking the light piece of paper. "If you're going to double dip, best not to still be holding the coin she gave you in your free hand."

She watched as the girl quickly looked to her hand and tightened her grip on the coins. "Yeah, well it was worth a shot. She said she'd be waiting at the cafe around the corner."

Before Elizabeth could open the letter, the girl was already wandering back into the crowd. Shaking her head, she carefully opened the letter to see very neat handwriting.

I have noticed that you have been watching me, and I can understand why. I seem like a fairly easy mark. But I assure you I am not.

I have a proposal for you, if you're interested in listening. You would not have to pick pockets for the rest of your life, and you might even find you enjoy what I have to offer.

The cafe on the corner, I will be sitting in the back.

Madam Marion Devitt

Folding the letter up, she quickly searched the crowd for any sign of Fred. But he wasn't anywhere in sight. If the woman had been noticed, Elizabeth knew she wouldn't have long before someone else walked up to her and got what she wanted. Glancing both ways, she crossed the street, walking briskly to the cafe.

The name of the woman seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it. It was a name she'd heard and knew was good. But she was too frantic in trying to work out her plan to attempt to think on it. She needed whatever jewelry the woman had.