Chapter 13

Lilian shifted uncomfortably under Frederic's gaze as he studied her with a frown. The pair was in his study shortly before dinner. She'd been dreading it from the moment she got in till the moment a servant let her know Frederic had wanted to see her in his study.

"This is the best you could come up with?" he sighed.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked, shifting in the plain dress she'd gotten from Matthew. It was perfect. A plain blue cotton thing, bare of any lace, embroidery, or decoration. "It's always worked before."

He scoffed. "Before? Was making your way to the docks something you used to do often?"

"No, but my brother and I used to sneak out and go for walks in the park or to local markets. Sometimes it's nice just to leave expectations behind, you know?"

He studied her for a moment. "That surprises me. I must admit I'm surprised you would feel that way."

She couldn't help but smile. "Yes, well, I imagine we still have much to learn about each other, dear husband."

He hummed. "You know, just because someone is wearing a cheaper dress doesn't mean they wouldn't take the time to add small details themselves."

"What do you mean?"

"It could have a little embroidery or something to make it seem like it belongs to a real person. It's so simple, it almost looks like a costume on you."

"Oh? Do you have something better lying around you'd rather me wear?"

"No, I suppose not," he sighed, looking her over for another moment before he leaned back in his chair. "I suppose it will just have to do for tonight, but if this works, we will need to find you something better to wear."

Lilian's eyes lit up. "Already planning for next time?"

"Just want to be prepared if you somehow pull this off."

"I think I'm going to surprise you."

He rolled his eyes. "Perhaps, but I'd rather you not surprise my mother by showing up to dinner in that."

"Right." She smiled at him. "Then I should go get dressed. I'll see you in the dining hall shortly."

She made her way back to her room, where Anne was already waiting.

The maid frowned when she saw her dress. "I don't think I noticed that one in your wardrobe before?" she said. "And it definitely isn't what I dressed you in this morning. I suppose that explains the dress I found on your vanity stool."

"You didn't. It's new. Leave it in here once you're done helping me dress. I'll be putting it on after dinner."

"As you like, Your Grace, only…" Anne hesitated.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Can I ask why?"

Lilian smiled. "I just want to wear something simple when I go for a walk with my husband after dinner."

"How sweet." Anne smiled, putting the finishing touches on her hair. "When should I be back to help you prepare for bed?"

"I don't think that will be necessary. Enjoy your evening."

"I will try. I hope the two of you enjoy your night as well."

"I'm sure we will."

Anne couldn't stop grinning at her as she helped her change. "If you don't mind my asking, does this have anything to do with why the Dowager Duchess looked so smug when I saw her earlier?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean. It's just a walk in the garden."

"You don't need to lie to me. I'm your lady's maid. You're going to sneak into town for a romantic evening together, aren't you?"

"Anne, don't be silly. Why would we do something like that?"

"She used to do that with her husband. She told me about it a few times when I practiced helping her get dressed before you got here."

"Do you still help her?"

"No! I'm here to be your maid and confidante. She has her own. She just needed to make sure I knew how to do the job."

Lilian hummed.

The pair continued in silence until Lilian was ready for dinner. Then she dismissed Anne for the evening.

"Thank you for all your work today. I hope you have a great rest of your night."

"I'm sure it won't be as interesting as yours."

Lilian rolled her eyes as Anne curtsied and then headed off. She spent a minute sitting at her vanity before making her way to the dining room. Frederic and Louisa were already waiting for her when she came in.

"There you are." Louisa came over to her. "I was starting to wonder if we should send a search party."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I didn't realize I'd taken so long."

"It's quite all right. We don't mind waiting for you, do we, Freddy?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you like, Mother. I hate to make you wait because someone needs to work on their time management."

"Freddy, she's your wife. You should be more lenient with her."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure I treat her with ample leniency."

"You had better. The woman is a duchess, after all, Freddy."

"Yes, I'm aware. I gave her the title."

"Well, it's hers now, and you had better respect it."

"Yes, Mother." He rolled his eyes. "I will."

"You had better. I will be asking her to make sure you keep your word."

"I'm sure you will."

The trio sat down, and their meal was served.

"Lilian and I will be out for a walk after dinner, so if you need us and can't find us, that would be why," Frederic said.

Lilian's eyes darted to him, shocked he would talk about this so openly.

"Through the gardens or into town?" Louisa asked as though it was the most normal thing in the world.

"We should still have a bit of sunlight. I was thinking we could go through the park. Perhaps look at the stars. It's so hard to see them from the house."

"It really is. It makes me miss the country estate I grew up on sometimes. There was a perfect view of the sky almost every night."

"Unless it rained," he added before she could.

"Cheeky boy. Just because you've heard my stories far too many times doesn't mean you should interrupt. Your lovely wife hasn't gotten sick of me yet, have you, Lilian?"

"No, of course not!"

The pair laughed at the look of shock on her face.

The second dinner was over, Lilian all but raced back to her room, throwing on her simple dress before racing to Frederic's office to wait for him.

A few moments later, he came out in a simple shirt and pair of work pants. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Lilian beamed. "Absolutely! But first, I need to ask, why did you tell your mother we were going out?"

He looked confused. "I didn't tell her where we're going or why. What does it matter if she knows we're going out?"

"Matthew and I always had to take such care to hide our adventures."

"Yes, well, when my father was alive, he and my mother went on plenty of their own adventures, probably at least once a month. We're just carrying on a family tradition, really, or we would be if we were going out to have fun."

"We can't multitask?"

"What?"

"I know why you're doing this, but you can still enjoy yourself while you're at it," Lilian suggested with a grin.

He looked skeptical but led her outside without another word. Lilian tried to contain her excitement as they made their way down the street, but based on the glances Frederic kept shooting her, she knew she was probably all but vibrating with excitement and glee. The giant grin plastered on her face certainly didn't make it any more subtle.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" he asked with a deep frown.

"You don't need to worry about me. I'll be just fine. You'll see."

"I suppose that remains to be seen."

She giggled, and the pair made their way down the streets. Lilian couldn't help but notice the way Frederic kept stealing glances at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What are you looking at?" She frowned. "Do I have something on my face?"

"What?"

"You keep staring at me. It's weird."

"I'm not staring at you. I'm just walking near you. Get over yourself."

Lilian shrugged. "All right."

Since what he was doing wasn't staring, it was only fair that she imitated his behavior. It only took a few minutes before he looked at her and frowned.

"What are you looking at?"

"What?"

"You keep staring at me. Why?"

"I'm not staring at you. I'm just walking next to you. Get over yourself."

He scoffed. "Do you feel smart now?"

"Should I?"

"I wasn't staring at you."

"Neither was I."

He shot her a look. "I wasn't."

"As I said, neither was I."

"I was scanning our surroundings. You just happen to be part of the surroundings. That's all."

"Of course." She nodded. "So was I."

"Fine," he huffed. "Be obstinate."

"I will. It's fun."

He huffed, and they continued their journey in silence.

It wasn't much longer before the pair stopped outside of a small tavern a few streets away from the docks.

Frederic turned to her. "Now, I'd like to remind you that if I think you can't handle it, I will take you home in a heartbeat."

"Yes, yes." She rolled her eyes. "So you have said, but very soon, you will see that all of your concern is completely unnecessary."

He gave her a look and then led her inside.

The tavern was a large open place with better lighting than Lilian would have expected and a large fire roaring in the corner. There was a long bar at the back, and tables filled the floor. Dozens of people filled the place, chatting and having a grand time.

Lilian's eyes darted around, wide in amazement. "This place is incredible! Where do we start?"

"First we act like this isn't the first time we've been somewhere like this."

Lilian calmed herself. "I can do that. I just got excited."

He rolled his eyes. "Then we go get a drink. In the meantime, keep your eyes out for that man."

"Don't worry, I will."

He eyed her skeptically but kept his thoughts to himself as they approached the bar.

"Good evening," he said to the man behind the counter. "I'd like to start by getting something for my wife and me to drink."

The bartender was a large man with a sunburned nose and red hair. He spoke with a loud and jovial voice, "Of course! Were you thinking of beer or ale tonight, my friend?"

"Why don't we start with two glasses of ale."

"Coming right up, Sir."

Only when the man left to get their drinks did Lilian speak. "You're getting me a drink too?"

"Of course. You're here with me, aren't you? It would be far stranger if you weren't drinking."

Before she could respond, the man was back, setting their cups in front of them. "Here you both are. Anything else I can get you? My wife makes wonderful sweet bread. We should still have some."

"I think we are all right for now, thank you. But if you've got a minute, there is something you can help us with."

"Of course! What can I do for you?"

"I hope it isn't too much trouble, but my wife and I aren't from around here. We just got to town. We were wondering if you could tell us about this place."

"I'd be happy to help where I can. What do you want to know?"

To Frederic's shock, Lilian chimed in. "My mother was very worried about us coming to the city. For her sake, I feel obligated to ask if there are any places we should stay away from. She's worried London isn't a safe place for us to build a life."

"I am happy to say that you can tell her not to worry so much. While it is true that London had been rather dangerous for a long time, the law is finally doing what it needs to to really crack down on that scum! I'm also happy to be one of the first people to welcome you to the city. I'm Billy." The bartender held out his hand.

"I'm Dan. This is my wife, Lilly." Frederic shook his hand.

"That's all very good to hear." Lilian clasped her hands in exaggerated relief. "If I'm being honest, I was quite nervous to move to such a big city, but it was also so exciting, my nerves were hardly enough to keep me away!"

"You're very welcome in the city, Lilly. It's a great place to live and raise a family if I do say so myself." Then the bartender got serious for a moment. "London is very safe, but you should still be smart. The only thing I would advise is to stay away from the docks at night. While the Bow Street Runners are doing their best and have made progress, progress still takes time, and it's best not to play with fire."

"I see, thank you for the words of advice." Lilian smiled at the man.

"Always happy to help a new resident. Welcome to London. I hope it's everything you dreamed of."

They thanked him again, and the man got back to work, leaving them alone. Lilian took her glass, still surprised Frederic got her one at all.

Frederic was openly watching her now, a strange look on his face.

"Will you admit that you're staring this time and not scanning the surroundings or whatever you claimed last time?"

"The only thing I have to admit is that you handled that better than I would have expected," he begrudgingly praised.

"Why, thank you. I'm glad I'm not a complete disappointment, after all. I am shocked by this development." She rolled her eyes.

He snorted. "Oh, I don't know about that. After all, we still have plenty of time for you to fall short."

To his surprise, she let out a loud laugh, taking a drink of her ale. She smiled, delighted by how smooth it was. "Well then, I look forward to seeing how I end up letting you down. I'm sure it will be a fun experience."

He stared at her in shock.

She let out a pleased hum as the dark, rich flavor coated her tongue. "This is really good. We'll have to come back here sometime."

He blinked in shock. For a moment, his mouth opened and closed in confusion. "I didn't expect you to like the ale."

"Then why did you order it for me?"

"If I'm honest, I thought it would be rather funny to see your reaction to it. I thought it would be too bitter for you."

She laughed. "What? Just because I was raised to be a Society lady, I only drink sweet wine and champagne? That would be silly. Also, I love a good, dry red wine."

He blinked, a smile slowly crossing his face. "I suppose I may have made a few incorrect assumptions."

"I look forward to finding out what other assumptions you have and crushing them underfoot." She raised her glass.

"As do I." The pair toasted.

They continued to enjoy their drinks, eyes scanning the room. Lilian nodded towards another couple who were just sitting down.

"They look nice. Why don't we try talking to them?"

Frederic frowned. "We aren't here to talk to people because they seem nice. We're here to talk to people if they seem like they know something."

"How are we supposed to know if we don't try to talk to them?"

Frederic rolled his eyes. "Think about it. Do they look like the kind of people who would know about illegal activities?"

"I don't know. How are we supposed to know if we don't talk to them?"

Frederic gave her an incredulous look. "You can't be serious."

"Will you just trust me," she huffed before approaching them.

Frederic could only sigh, chasing after her.

"Good evening," she called to them. "I'm Lilly, and this is my husband, Dan. We're new in town and came out tonight to try and meet a few friends," she said with a smile.

"Well, it's lovely to meet you. I'm Jane. This is my husband, John. What brings you both to town?"

"Work. My husband got a job in the area. It only made sense."

"That's great. We did the same thing when my John got a job with the local law enforcement."

"You work in law enforcement?" Frederic perked up. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? It's just, well, I'm sorry if this sounds paranoid, but I'm going to be at work all day, and I'm a little worried about my Lilly being home alone all day."

"Of course! But you really don't need to worry. Half the gangs aren't even around anymore, and the ones that are tend to just operate at night."

"That's good to know, thank you. But where are they going? I heard a few years ago that London was a hub for crime."

"It was, but since the Bow Street Runners came to town, we've sent them running for the hills," John said with pride. "Seems like every other day, we're getting word that another gang leader made a run for it or had to dissolve their gang."

"You're doing great work, love." Jane squeezed his arm. "Won't be long now until they're all gone."

"Yeah, well, we've only got the worst of the worst left. Like that awful wretch, Little Tony. I sometimes wonder if we'll ever catch him."

"Little Tony?" Frederic schooled his expression. "I feel like I've heard that name before. Should I know who he is?"

"Not unless you're part of a criminal group. If you've heard people talking about him, it's probably because they owe him money or are looking for opium."

"Goodness!" Lilian gasped. "He sounds dreadful!"

"He is. I've been trying to track him down for months now, but we've hardly gotten anywhere."

"Why?" Frederic asked.

"He's too careful. We still have no idea what he looks like other than his height. Apparently, he's super short." John snorted.

"Try and stay hopeful." Lilian smiled. "I'm sure you'll catch him soon enough."

"Thank you, Ma'am. Why don't you let me buy the two of you another round?"

"That would be lovely. Thank you."

They spent a while longer at the first tavern before Frederic stood. "All right, you did far better than I was expecting. Are you ready to try something more?"

Lilian raised an eyebrow. "Have you been holding out on me, husband?"

"Do you really think I would start the night off by taking you somewhere dangerous without getting a chance to ensure you know how to blend in?"

"Good to know I passed your test." She finished off her ale, getting to her feet. "Let's get going."

He led her outside, and the pair made their way down the street. They went to a few different bars and taverns, and most of what they learned seemed to confirm what the man at the first pub told them. The Bow Street Runners were really cracking down on criminal activity, and many gangs were starting to flee the city.