He helped Juliette ascend the long flight, keeping his hold on her lest she slip on the wet stairs. It gratified him that she accepted his help, even putting her arm about his waist and holding firmly. Her bonnet had been knocked askew, and as they stepped from the doorway, her hair loosened from the knot at the nape of her neck to tumble in tangles down her back.

Daniel swallowed hard as her hair brushed his hand. Such an intimate thing, touching a woman’s hair. Was she even aware?

Her cheek rested against his shoulder, giving her a vulnerability that called all his protectiveness to the fore once more. What was she doing, performing such dangerous work? Where was her uncle when she needed him? Anger flared through his chest. What was her family thinking? She could have been seriously injured, and if he hadn’t gotten to her in time, she could have been killed.

They paused in the narrow alleyway, shouts and the pounding of running feet heading away from their location. This close to the river, where the streets were a warren of alleys and lanes, it would be difficult to find a hackney. They might be in for a long walk. But first they would have to wait for the area to clear, for the fleeing mob and pursuing constables to move away. It wouldn’t do for them to blunder into a night watchman by mistake.

He would have a better vantage point if he could get to the crossroad ahead. No streetlamps or braziers lit the way, but there was a lighter opening between the buildings, and in the distance he could make out the crenellations of the Tower of London against the night sky.

He kept his arm about Juliette, steadying her. She leaned into him, making his chest feel oddly empty and full at the same time.

“Where are we going?” she asked. Her face turned up toward his, and her whisper feathered across his skin.

With a hard swallow, he answered in a rough-edged voice that barely resembled his own. “I want to make sure the way is clear before we venture too far. That corner should provide a good vantage point to see if there are still watchmen about.”

“We need to go to Haverly House. I promised Uncle Bertie I would go there if anything ill happened. Cavendish Square.”

“We’re a long way from Cavendish Square. Did you happen to arrive by carriage?”

“We walked to get far from our house, then hired a carriage. Uncle Bertie had the driver let us out about a mile away so no one could identify where we were going, and we arrived at the warehouse on foot.”

“Where is he? Why did he leave you on your own?” He stopped walking, wanting to stay in the shadows until he had more information.