A burly man rushed out of a narrow alley between the buildings. Eleanor had just enough time as he reached for her to shove the parasol between them, press the button, and thrust. His scream filled the air.

“Good Lord!” A constable ran up. “What’s going on here?”

“Clearly, an attack on this lady.” Lady Bellamny rushed to Eleanor. “Are you all right, my girl?”

“I cannot believe a lady could be attacked in the middle of the day!” A woman Eleanor had never seen before glared at the constable. “Your people must do a better job!”

A crowd was forming as she glanced at one ruffian on the ground with a bullet hole in him and the other man bleeding from her sword parasol. Her hands trembled slightly. “I will be fine.”

Her ladyship looked down her nose at the blackguards before turning back to Eleanor. “You did well. Is that a new style of sword parasol?”

She dragged her gaze away from the criminals and all the blood. “It is. My brother Walter had it made for me.”

“It is very effective.” Lady Bellamny nodded approvingly.

Another constable had joined them and dashed off again to get a conveyance for the wounded criminals. “I will need a statement.”

“What the de-deuce is going on?” John reached for her. “Thank God I came this way. Eleanor, are you hurt?”

“I will be fine.” The number of people suddenly there was making it hard to breathe.

He took her arm, tucking it in his.

Lady Bellamny poked the constable with her cane. “You need to find out what they were after. I saw the whole thing and will give you a statement. Bellamny House on Upper Brook Street. You may wait upon me there.” She turned to Eleanor and John. “Come along, you two. There is no need to be the subject of the curious. Where were you going?”

Eleanor was suddenly sluggish. As if she was underwater and couldn’t seem to see or hear well, but her ladyship’s brisk, no-nonsense tone brought her about. “To Hatchards.”

“Be on your way.”

John glared at her ladyship. “I should take her home.”

Lady Bellamny narrowed her eyes. “You will do exactly what I am telling you to do. I shall come by later.”

Eleanor tugged John’s arm. “Let us go.”

“What happened?”

“I was attacked. Turner saw them come out of the alley and shouted. He shot the first blackguard and I turned just in time to use my sword parasol on the other. Matt was right when he warned there might be repercussions because of the mine.”

“What mine?” John’s tone was low but had become more of a growl.