Abi hid in the darkness and covered her face with her shawl before the door was opened. Her eyes stared at the man warily.
He tilted his head with a look of disgust in them as if a filthy rat had entered his sight.
"Stefan, we have a thief here. Call the security." The man did not waste his breath waiting for Abi to reply. He turned to call him met. The only relief she had was… his voice was so low, barely enough a whisper. The men following her would not be able to hear him.
"I am not a thief." she begged, "two men are following me. They are forcing me and I am just hiding. Please be kind, my lord. Please.." she rubbed her nose on the ground. She had seen a few commoners, maids and servants doing it in front of nobles to get relief. It has mostly helped.
The man paused and looked back at her with his nose and mouth covered with his hands. She smelled of gutter. Of course she did. She was a guttersnipe after all. The action would have left ragged if she did not know it was a fact.
The man singalled another man, she assumed he was Stefan. The man bowed and left.
"Please do not call for the securities. I.. what is there to steal in this small box anyway?" she regretted the moment words left her mouth. It was not a way to ask for help. Why… Why did she have such a nasty temper?
"Nothing to steal?" he laughed, the chuckle was better than any lad had ever given her when she returned from her job or went to the church in her best dress. It would have left her ticklish if not for his cold eyes narrowing at her. The man was dangerous, more than the other rich bloke she had seen.
"Well, nothing much of course except the gold sconces on both sides. The vintage wine bottles in the corner. A few hundred gold coins under the seat and the finest silk curtain that would be more than a hundred pounds for you. The silverware and.." her jaw hit the ground as she noticed the things he painted. Why in the world had she not noticed them before? Tsk! What would she have done if she had seen them before? Her mother would kill her if she stole. She would call her sinner.
But what if her mother did not know? No one would know if she stole from here. She could deal with her conscience later.
Dion's eyes narrowed. He recognized a criminal when he saw one. Though the woman may not have entered his carriage to steal, it did not mean she was not entertaining the thoughts now. More than that, she might contain a plethora of diseases in her. She smelled like filth and her body was covered with it. But her eyes… if it was not for her eyes, he would have thrown her before she could open that foul and smelly mouth of hers.
"You touch a thing and I would make sure that you end up in prison for the rest of your life." The threat broke her back to reality and she looked away from her luxurious treasures.
"I did not come to steal. As long as you can let me hide for an hour or drive me to the next street, I will leave." she bargained, making the man amused.
"And what made you think that you can bargain with me when you have nothing to offer? Leave this instant." Abi knew that was about to come. But she was still hoping that he would be considerate since he had not thrown her out of the carriage the instant he felt her presence. But one could not press her luck too much.
Abi sighed but she could not leave. Not yet! The man named Stefan returned with a passive face. He leaned and whispered words to his master.
The man stared at the other side and her heart went cold. The way his eyes narrowed dangerously made her heart shudder. He scoffed and then entered the carriage. She suddenly felt the large cubicle was cramped. The air around her was sucked by his presence.
He loomed over her tiny body though he sat feets away from her. He looked more worried than her when it came to their contact. The man was sure she was contaminated.
"My aide said you have stolen from them and then ran away. They are only searching for you to take you to the guards." His voice was passive and held no emotion. It made her heart hammer in her chest.
"I.. you can search me, I have nothing with me." she offered, though her hands reached for her pocket. It was the amount she had earned in her morning shift. She regretted not hiding this money with her friend when she had the chance.
"Why should i? You are no concern to me. I am taking you to authorities." he tapped on the wall of the carriage and it started jerking her. She moved an inch and peeked out of the window. The men were still looking for her.
A breath of relief escaped her. She did not care if the man would take her to the prison.. He could take her anywhere. But it did not mean she would follow. As long as he crossed this lane, she would open the door and jump out. Then he could go to hell.
She was going to run to her house and take her mother with her. After that, she would disappear from this cursed village forever. His boss, his father and the whole world could rot to death for all she cared! She would steal enough from the house. These gold sconces were tempting too.. But this man was dangerous.
"Take off the cloak off your face and let me see you."