If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 4

Though she had only heard it once, Georgiana instantly recognized the voice of the man holding her as the same one she encountered at the art supply shop yesterday. The cool, crisp scent was also unmistakable.

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

The man dragged her quietly down the hallway and into a room, locking the door behind them. It all happened so quickly that the guards at the end of the corridor didn’t notice them.

The room was pitch dark, not even a sliver of light penetrating the space. Something sharp pressed against her chin.

“If you don’t want to find out how far my patience extends, you’d better stay quiet,” the man warned.

In the darkness, Georgiana nodded vigorously, her eyes wide with fear.

As if seeing her compliance, the man released his grip. Her legs gave out, and she sank to the floor. The sound of a match striking and lighting a candle filled the room, and the flickering light illuminated the man’s face as he glared at her.

“Why were you following me?”

“I-I wasn’t following you. You were standing where I was… I was just curious…” Georgiana stammered, her voice trembling.

“You expect me to believe that?” he sneered, bringing the candle dangerously close to her face. As recognition dawned on him, his expression shifted to one of disbelief.

“Wait… you’re the girl from the art shop yesterday?”

“Yes, that’s right,” she confirmed hastily.

The man laughed dryly, seemingly amused. He put away the sharp object, though his suspicion hadn’t entirely faded.

“You really expect me to believe you weren’t following me?”

“It’s true,” she insisted.

His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her intently. In the candlelight, his eyes, which had appeared a bright ocean blue in the daylight, now glowed with a reddish hue like a sunset over a river.

She felt as if she might drown in their depths, forgetting even to breathe. Her mouth went dry, and she bit her chapped lips as she tried to explain.

“It’s true. I stepped out for a moment during the ballet and saw you standing where I had been…”

“And why did you approach so quietly?”

“I didn’t want to disturb you…”

She couldn’t bring herself to admit that she had wanted to see his face. Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps and commotion came from beyond the door. The wooden floorboards vibrated slightly under the weight of several pairs of boots.

The man and Georgiana both turned their heads towards the door simultaneously, as if on cue.

“Did the suspicious person come this way?”

“Yes, I saw him near the back of the audience just a moment ago.”

“Where could he have gone? No one left through the entrance we came in from.”

“Could he be hiding somewhere?” The voices outside grew closer until they stopped right in front of the door.

Unlike Georgiana, who was frozen with fear, the man remained calm and collected.

Suddenly, the sound of the door handle turning could be heard. It rattled halfway before locking with a metallic click. Georgiana felt her heart plummet.

“What is this room?” someone asked outside.

“It’s a storage room. Guests also use it to rest,” came the reply.

“If there’s no sign of anyone leaving, he must still be inside. Open this room, too.”

“Yes, sir.”

The door shook violently as they tried to force it open. Georgiana’s eyes widened in panic as she looked up at the man. He pressed a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet, and quickly hid himself behind a curtain on one wall. His silhouette blended seamlessly into the shadows.

Just as the man disappeared into the darkness, the door burst open, flooding the room with light. Eric, along with a man in a constable’s uniform, entered the room.

Eric spotted Georgiana sitting on the floor and shouted in surprise, “Georgiana, what are you doing here? I told you to watch the ballet!”

She had no idea why the man had hidden himself, but she knew that being found alone with him in this enclosed space would not end well for her. She decided to keep quiet about his presence.

“I wasn’t feeling well… I couldn’t leave, so I came in here to rest…”

She kept her eyes fixed on Eric, avoiding looking towards the curtain. Her pale complexion seemed to convince them as Eric’s sharp gaze softened slightly.

“Have you seen a man in black clothing?” the constable asked, scanning the room with his eyes.

“No, I came in here because it was empty. There’s no one else here,” she answered, managing to keep her voice steady despite her nerves.

“If you are found hiding someone suspicious, you will face severe punishment,” the constable warned, causing her to shrink back.

Eric intervened smoothly, “Constable, she’s new here and doesn’t know much about the place. She wouldn’t be able to help anyone even if she tried.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s a relief. Still, we must search the room to be sure. He could have hidden somewhere inside.”

As the constable began to search the room, Georgiana prayed that the sweat trickling down her temple wouldn’t catch their attention.

He walked past her and started inspecting around the sofa, moving closer to the curtain where the man was hiding. Just as Georgiana’s tension peaked, she heard a loud voice echoing down the narrow hallway.

“Georgiana! Where are you? It’s time to go home.”

Willow’s drunken voice boomed through the corridor, followed by the thuds of his body hitting the walls. His loud and disorderly presence seemed to draw the constable’s attention away from the curtain.

“What is all this noise?” the constable, about to pull back the curtain, turned around with a frown.

“It sounds like a drunk man looking for his sister,” Eric replied, shaking his head as he looked down at Georgiana.

Just then, the very intoxicated Willow stuck his head through the open door, his bleary eyes immediately finding her, and his expression turned nasty.

“What are you doing here, hiding without answering?” he slurred, stumbling towards her. Only then did he notice the others in the room. “Who are these people? What kind of trouble have you gotten into now? You need to behave yourself…!”

Willow’s finger wavered as he pointed at the constable, and his face went pale with fear. He staggered back, falling onto the floor in his panic.

Georgiana could only wonder how many crimes he must have committed to be so terrified at the mere sight of a constable.

“Pathetic,” Eric muttered, looking at Willow with disdain. He then turned to Georgiana and motioned her away. “Georgiana, take your pathetic brother home. And never enter any room without permission again. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she replied quickly, nodding her head.

She helped Willow up and guided him out of the room. She had never been so relieved to see her drunk brother. His loud entrance had diverted attention from the curtain.

Hopefully, the man hiding would find his own way out.

As they left, Georgiana couldn’t stop thinking about the man’s identity, why he had come to watch the ballet, and why he needed to avoid the constable. These unanswered questions swirled in her mind as she made her way home.

Even as she lay on her creaky, old bed, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

***

In an alley littered with empty wooden crates, a dark figure moved along the walls. There was a faint sound of commotion somewhere, but the street soon fell silent, save for the occasional carriage carrying drunken passengers.

A black carriage, parked inconspicuously in the corner, swung open, and a large silhouette quickly jumped inside.

The brown-haired coachman, tense and alert, didn’t ask for directions but drove the carriage out of the alley without hesitation.

The night was still chilly, yet sweat beaded on the coachman’s forehead. He wanted to wipe it away with his sleeve but refrained, fearing it would smudge his disguise. Instead, he let it trickle down his face.

Once he was sure no one was following them and they were far from Fever Street, a small window connecting to the coachman’s seat opened. Through the narrow opening, a pair of ocean-blue eyes, calm and composed, gazed at him.

“Is anyone following us?”

“No, not yet. But Captain, how did they know and chase you?”

“They likely sensed something was off.”

“I told you I should have gone instead. Anyone could play an actor,” grumbled Henry, the coachman, who was actually the captain’s lieutenant in disguise.

“Your face might have been exposed after the last mission.”

“Still, it would have been less conspicuous if I had gone. You’re too noticeable. How can you not stand out with a face like yours?” Henry retorted, half-jokingly.

“Cut the bullshit.”

“Please, I hope it’s bullshit,” Henry muttered, lamenting his superior’s handsome features, which were ill-suited for espionage.

“Did you find anyone suitable? It’s hard to believe someone would willingly travel that far, especially after what happened with Miss Hammond.”

The captain silently agreed, swallowing his frustration. He had originally planned to undertake a critical mission with Juliana Hammond, disguised as a married couple.

Everything had been prepared, from their ship cabin to other details. Juliana was the perfect candidate for the final phase of his mission, so he hadn’t considered anyone else.

But a change in the schedule led to her being discovered by the senator she was spying on, and she had to flee abroad urgently. This left a significant gap in the plan for the mission next week. Traveling alone would require him to alter half the plan and make it difficult to move freely.

Finding a replacement for her role seemed almost impossible, especially someone willing to travel to a distant continent as a disguised couple.

Searching through various troupes and even visiting a cheap ballet theater, he had found no one satisfactory. After days of fruitless searching, the theater director grew suspicious of him.

Captain Locke rubbed his temples, thinking about the woman he had met earlier.

Her reaction to him was similar to that of other women who found themselves mesmerized by his presence, yet there was something different about her light green eyes.

Despite her fear, there was a resilience there. She hadn’t betrayed him to the authorities, which set her apart from most.

Yet, with a drunkard brother and a career in a third-rate theater, her life seemed predictable. But then, a thought struck him, making his eyes gleam.

Someone without ties, someone who could disappear without a trace… Perhaps she was perfect for this task.

Having made his decision, he described her appearance to Henry.

“Find her. Fever Street, number 32. A woman named Georgiana, around twenty years old, with short dark brown hair and green eyes.”

“Did you find someone suitable?”

“I’m going to find out.”

“Understood. I’ll send someone tomorrow.”

“Good.”

Using others for his own benefit felt distasteful, but he didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that now. He needed someone to replace Juliana and board the ship with him.

Only a week. He had to decide everything within that time.