An American Gentleman by Emma Brady

Author:Emma Brady
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: victorian, historical, romance, NewYork, trip
Publisher: Emma Brady
Published: 2021-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

FREDERICK RETURNED a short while later, the thief in his hands by the shirt collar. She wasn’t expecting it to be just a boy. The child’s face and arms were covered in dirt, enough to make him appear as if he had never been bathed before. It made the white of his eyes stand out in stark contrast, around his dark-colored eyes. He had dark hair, at least as far as she could guess, and it was long enough to fall to his shoulders in clumps. He had a pinched face and pointed nose, but he held himself straight even as he struggled to free himself from Frederick’s grasp. The boy was proud, even as he appeared to be a filthy ruffian. Charlotte found something about that kind of pride admirable.

“I can take him to the authorities,” said Frederick. “You should return to the hotel.”

“Let me go!” the boy yelled. “I don’t want to go to the coppers.”

“I didn’t want to chase you down and the lady didn’t want to have her bag stolen, yet here we are.” Frederic gave the boy a shake.

“Don’t hurt him!” said Charlotte, watching the boy’s head wobble.

“Oh, he’s tougher than he looks.”

She was about to ask Frederick how he knew that when she realized that the boy reminded her of Frederick. Not just in appearance, but in demeanor. Frederick had that same sort of bold confidence she saw in the boy.

“Does he have a name?” Charlotte asked. “Perhaps we can take him home instead of to the authorities.”

“You don’t want to turn a thief in to the police?” Frederick’s eyebrows shot up.

“He’s just a boy. He’s not a hardened criminal. Perhaps his parents might be worried about him. He shouldn’t be out here alone, in the dark.”

“He’s not the only one who shouldn’t be here.” He thought she couldn’t hear him muttering under his breath.

“Please. Let us take him home and then we can go back to the hotel.”

Charlotte knew that her sweetest look seldom worked on Frederick. The man was hard against a woman’s tears after years of working for Sinclair, but she tried them anyway. She pleaded with him in the look she gave and to her surprise, she heard a sigh of defeat.

“Fine. We will see the creature home, then back to your own room and no more trouble tonight.”

The boy had stopped fighting his hold and watched the two of them while they sorted things out. Charlotte leaned down, so she could better see his face. The boy was scared but trying to hide it. So much like Frederick.

“What’s your name, young man?” She asked, keeping her tone soft and gentle. “Where do you live?”

He shook his head and pressed his lips tightly together.

“Tell her, boy, or we will be taking you to the police after all.”

The boy glanced up at Frederick’s hard expression and then back to her. She knew he was trying to decide which fate was worse. She hoped he decided to trust her.

“Henry.” He finally said. “Henry is my name.

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