poke
her sharply on the shoulder from behind and she span, fists up.
“Oh ho! Fancy
yourself a fighter eh?”
The boy in
front of her caught her wrists in his hands and twisted them
downwards so her skin burned.
“Let go of
me!”
Midge jumped
up.
“‘Ere
Zachariah, don’t do that. This is Isabella, she saved my life last
night… Pulled me out of the snow when I’d had a bang on the head.
We just gave her some breakfast… As a thank you.” She felt the
pressure on her wrists lessen. The little blonde girl disentangled
herself from Ruby and threw herself on the new arrival.
“Zachariah,
Zachariah, Zachariah, what did you bring me? I missed you. Look at
my tooth,” and she solemnly opened her mouth as wide as was humanly
possible.
Releasing
Isabella’s hands he lifted Lily high into the sky.
“Not much
today, Little Lil’. Everyone’s too cold and too hungry. Pickings
are sparse. But here,” he tossed a package to Ruby. “I got a few
bits from the butcher’s stall and some bread. Eddie’s gone to see
one of the boys off Painted Lady, see if he’s brought anything
upriver for us. Big ship got in a couple of days ago… from India.
Should be enough leftovers for all of us.”
Midge pulled
on Isabella’s hand.
“Is that the
one you came on?”
Isabella was
watching the new boy warily. If he hadn’t have been holding Lily
she’d have knocked his block off by now. She didn’t answer and the
boy looked at her.
“Just off the
boat eh? Might have known,” he sneered. Isabella judged he was
older than her, only by a year or two and he was starting to grow.
His legs and arms were too long for his clothes, but he wasn’t
thin, his bones had muscle on them and his jaw and neck were
thickening. His hair hung straight and black into his eyes and his
nose was long, but slanted, clearly broken, to one side of his
face, which made him look a bit like a wolf. His grey eyes,
however, were cold. It was a face, which had the appearance of
seeing too many winters and not enough summers.
She picked her
bag up again. This time she was definitely leaving.
“Oh please
don’t go,” Midge was hanging off her arm again.
“What, hang
around until his Lordship can think of something else unpleasant to
say? I don’t think so,” she replied nastily, shaking off Midge’s
hand. Lily was now whispering into Zachariah’s ear and the hard
look left his face.
“Is that so,
Lily-Loo?” He looked at Isabella. “Lily says you know some
tricks.”
“Yeah, so?”
Isabella replied, one foot half out the door.
“We like
tricks around here.” His face was impassive.
Isabella
adjusted her satchel across her body.
“It’s a pity
you’re not going to see any then, isn’t it?” She patted Midge’s
shoulder. “Bye Midge.” The other children were crowding around now
and she ruffled one or two heads. “Good bye and thank you Ruby for
the breakfast.”
Ruby looked at
her and pulled her close.
“Good luck
luvvie and thank you.” But the doorway through the sacks was barred
by the bulk of Zachariah.
Isabella drew
herself up to her full height, very nearly the same as his.
“Excuse me,
please.”
Zachariah
dropped his arm from across the gap and he smiled, at least that’s
what she thought he was doing. His teeth were showing anyway.
“Like I said,
we like tricks. If you show us one that’s any good, I’ll let you
stay one night.” Isabella’s first impulse was to tell him to stuff
himself, she didn’t need his charity, but the sky was now an inky
blue, and the stars pinpricks of ice. The temperature had dropped
and tiny ferns of frost had begun to coat the window outside. One
of the boys Zachariah had returned with was stoking the fire and
the smaller children were moving their bedrolls closer to it.
Another girl seemed to be warming milk in an old pot.
She felt the
fight go out of her.
“Only if
you’re nice to me. I won’t be able to sleep otherwise.”
The corner of
his mouth twitched as
her sharply on the shoulder from behind and she span, fists up.
“Oh ho! Fancy
yourself a fighter eh?”
The boy in
front of her caught her wrists in his hands and twisted them
downwards so her skin burned.
“Let go of
me!”
Midge jumped
up.
“‘Ere
Zachariah, don’t do that. This is Isabella, she saved my life last
night… Pulled me out of the snow when I’d had a bang on the head.
We just gave her some breakfast… As a thank you.” She felt the
pressure on her wrists lessen. The little blonde girl disentangled
herself from Ruby and threw herself on the new arrival.
“Zachariah,
Zachariah, Zachariah, what did you bring me? I missed you. Look at
my tooth,” and she solemnly opened her mouth as wide as was humanly
possible.
Releasing
Isabella’s hands he lifted Lily high into the sky.
“Not much
today, Little Lil’. Everyone’s too cold and too hungry. Pickings
are sparse. But here,” he tossed a package to Ruby. “I got a few
bits from the butcher’s stall and some bread. Eddie’s gone to see
one of the boys off Painted Lady, see if he’s brought anything
upriver for us. Big ship got in a couple of days ago… from India.
Should be enough leftovers for all of us.”
Midge pulled
on Isabella’s hand.
“Is that the
one you came on?”
Isabella was
watching the new boy warily. If he hadn’t have been holding Lily
she’d have knocked his block off by now. She didn’t answer and the
boy looked at her.
“Just off the
boat eh? Might have known,” he sneered. Isabella judged he was
older than her, only by a year or two and he was starting to grow.
His legs and arms were too long for his clothes, but he wasn’t
thin, his bones had muscle on them and his jaw and neck were
thickening. His hair hung straight and black into his eyes and his
nose was long, but slanted, clearly broken, to one side of his
face, which made him look a bit like a wolf. His grey eyes,
however, were cold. It was a face, which had the appearance of
seeing too many winters and not enough summers.
She picked her
bag up again. This time she was definitely leaving.
“Oh please
don’t go,” Midge was hanging off her arm again.
“What, hang
around until his Lordship can think of something else unpleasant to
say? I don’t think so,” she replied nastily, shaking off Midge’s
hand. Lily was now whispering into Zachariah’s ear and the hard
look left his face.
“Is that so,
Lily-Loo?” He looked at Isabella. “Lily says you know some
tricks.”
“Yeah, so?”
Isabella replied, one foot half out the door.
“We like
tricks around here.” His face was impassive.
Isabella
adjusted her satchel across her body.
“It’s a pity
you’re not going to see any then, isn’t it?” She patted Midge’s
shoulder. “Bye Midge.” The other children were crowding around now
and she ruffled one or two heads. “Good bye and thank you Ruby for
the breakfast.”
Ruby looked at
her and pulled her close.
“Good luck
luvvie and thank you.” But the doorway through the sacks was barred
by the bulk of Zachariah.
Isabella drew
herself up to her full height, very nearly the same as his.
“Excuse me,
please.”
Zachariah
dropped his arm from across the gap and he smiled, at least that’s
what she thought he was doing. His teeth were showing anyway.
“Like I said,
we like tricks. If you show us one that’s any good, I’ll let you
stay one night.” Isabella’s first impulse was to tell him to stuff
himself, she didn’t need his charity, but the sky was now an inky
blue, and the stars pinpricks of ice. The temperature had dropped
and tiny ferns of frost had begun to coat the window outside. One
of the boys Zachariah had returned with was stoking the fire and
the smaller children were moving their bedrolls closer to it.
Another girl seemed to be warming milk in an old pot.
She felt the
fight go out of her.
“Only if
you’re nice to me. I won’t be able to sleep otherwise.”
The corner of
his mouth twitched as
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