Lisa bit her lip, suddenly thinking that returning home might be for the best. But then her worries about what Richard might be up to made her rethink. It was not as if she would be on the street long. She just had to walk from the carriage to the building they had stopped in front of, Lisa encouraged herself and then wondered why the driver wasn’t getting down to open the door.

Probably afraid to leave his seat and risk someone jumping into it and taking off with his hack, she thought on a sigh and opened the door herself. Really, Bet was right, she did have a tendency to get herself into some sticky situations, Lisa thought as she descended to the ground. Once there, she pushed the door closed, glanced nervously about and then hurried forward to the door ahead of her. She had nearly reached the building when the sound of the carriage hurrying off made her halt and whirl round in time to see the hack reach the corner and start around it.

Lisa gaped after it with amazement, hardly believing the man had just left her there. She hadn’t even paid him yet, she thought and then wondered if the stable master had. If so, she would send him to get the money back. But—

Lisa drew her thoughts to a halt as she became aware that she was beginning to draw the attention of the groups of men on the street. Noting the looks she was getting, she whirled back to the door a bit desperately. Surely, the runner would find her a hack to take her back home after they’d finished their transaction, she assured herself. And he’d send a guard with her too. That was what she was here for.

Lisa reached the door and then hesitated, unsure whether she was expected to just walk in or knock. If it were a store she would have just walked in, but perhaps its being an office meant knocking. Biting her lip, she shifted from one foot to the other and then tapped at the door before glancing nervously over her shoulder. The moment she did, she wished she hadn’t. Three men were now walking in her direction, eyes fixed on her like she was a mince pie and they were hungry.

She turned quickly back to the door, beginning a prayer under her breath. It was the hallowed old “Please hurry, please hurry” mantra. But when the door didn’t open after repeating that three times, she knocked again, more firmly.

Lisa kept her gaze locked firmly on the panel of wood before her as she waited, almost terrified to look around, half afraid that if she did she would find the men on top of her. But the door wasn’t opening and there wasn’t a sound coming from inside.