Barclay yapped as the girls laughed and stepped into the pool. The dog didn't like getting wet. Shay took a deep breath as the cool water hit her skin. It was so good to be home, she just wished Hannah was here with her, Julia and Izzy. Tommy and Andrew had gone with their father and mother to Ludgershall with the horses. Hannah had offered to have Simon stay with her because he was too young and easily distracted. She would travel with Shay and Julia to attend the ball tomorrow night, so today it was just the three girls enjoying a wade in the stream.

"You be careful, Izzy. I don't want you to wet me." Julia cocked her head at her little sister who was throwing stones into the water.

Izzy gave Julia a cheeky grin and feigned tossing a rock closer to her.

"Izzy don't you dare! Shay! Tell her not too."

Shay laughed when Izzy turned to her with a mischievous look on her face. "You will be so sorry if you do, missy." Shay cocked her head and bit down a smile.

A sound in the distance caused Barclay's ears to stand to attention. He stood on all fours and turned to peer through the trees. Barclay growled and twitched his tail just once, before he took off.

"No! Barclay! Come here boy!" Izzy watched the dog bolt into the trees yapping as he went. She dropped her stones and scrambled up the bank.

"Izzy! Where are you going?"

"It's Barclay. He's got his ears onto something. I have to go after him." She lifted her skirts with her grubby hands and ran barefoot in the direction the dog had taken.

Julia turned to her older sister. "We have to go after her, Shay." She clambered up the bank, lifted her skirts and ran after Izzy.

"Julia! She'll be back!" Shay watched them go. She sighed and waded to the bank. The hem of her muslin dress got wet where it tipped the water's surface, and then collected dirt as she too climbed up the embankment. There was no time to put on her boots so, she held up her skirt and ran after her younger sisters in pursuit of the family pet. She followed the path that each in turn had taken, knowing full well that it would bring them out onto the Ludgershall Road. As she ran, a twig caught the ribbon in her hair, and tore it from its place, causing her fair locks to cascade over her face and down her back in thick soft waves. Shay released her skirt with one hand and pushed hair out of her eyes, so she could see the path better, and then grabbed at her hem once more.

She rounded the corner and skidded down a small slope onto the road to find her sisters. Izzy was on the ground with Julia standing dumbfounded in front of four horsemen.

"What in world do you think you're doing you silly girl?" A tall well-built man with light brown hair and hazel eyes, was leaning forward over the head of his horse, glaring down on Izzy who was almost in tears. Shay pushed past Julia, took hold of her twelve-year-old sister's hand and pulled her to her feet.

The man yelled again, "Are you girls scatter brains? What do you think you're doing running out into the road and giving no warning?"

Shay turned to face him. "Scatter brains. Certainly not! However, you, sir, must have the brain of a bear with your brutish growl and ill-mannered temperament!"

Shay hadn't had time to assess the situation. Another of the men chuckled at her words. She spun towards him and froze. He was dressed in a strange cloak with a hood over his head. Shay took in all four men. Each wore a similar coat. Where had she seen this type of clothing before?

She looked back at the man who had laughed. Even though she could only see the bottom half of his face, and he was no longer making a sound, she could tell he was still laughing. "You, sir, should go and join the circus to become a clown, if you find this situation humorous. How rude you are to leave a young defenceless girl to such abuse!"

He lifted his long leg over his horse's neck and slid from his saddle in one quick easy movement.

Before Shay had a chance to gather her thoughts, he stepped forward and took her by the upper arm. Shay gasped at the realisation that she was still holding onto the hem of her skirt with one of her hands, and her bare feet and ankles were showing. The man had his head hung looking down at them. Shay immediately let go of the fabric and watched him slowly lift his head. He pulled the hood back so his whole face could be seen, and stared at her with black eyes that flashed to a shade of treacle. His hair was tied back in a knot, loose strands framed his face. Shay held her breath. She had seen this man before. She remembered the scar across his cheek, but for the life of her, she couldn't picture the place.

*

An intense tightening gripped Samuel's stomach. Where had he seen eyes like this before? He studied the girl's face. Whitechapel. He had knocked her over. This was the same girl, he was sure. For some reason his words came out in Arabic. "It is a shame the pleasure of looking at your beautiful face is detracted by your unpleasant tongue, madam."

Shay's eyes flicked wider. Now she remembered. He had knocked her down the day she went for flour. She took a breath. "I have no idea what you are saying, but you had better let me go before I slap you."

"Sammy?" James murmured.

Omar touched James' arm and stopped him from speaking. He kicked his horse forward and chuckled as he leaned down. "My master says, it is a shame the pleasure of looking at your beautiful face, is detracted by your unpleasant tongue, madam."

Shay wrenched her arm free and huffed. She pushed her messy hair away from her face and glared up at him. "I am not a madam and you can tell your master I am certainly not here for his pleasure, but to retrieve my sisters." Shay focused back on her attacker. "Tell him if my unpleasant tongue displeases him, I am glad of it!" She turned abruptly, took hold of each girl's hand, and then led them up the embankment into the thicket of trees, and out of sight.

Taking long steady breaths Shay tried to calm her nerves as she followed the path. What were the chances of that happening? She bit on her lip to supress a smile, because she remembered thinking he was beautiful, the day he had knocked her over. Another grin tried to erupt because even if his remark was a little hurtful, it implied that he thought she was beautiful too.

A breath of shock stung the back of her throat. Oh my god, what was she thinking? She wondered if he recognised her, and then brushed the thought aside, because it was very unlikely. He was easily remembered because of the scar on his face, and the fact that he didn't speak English. His clothes also stood out, though it was only his cape today. The rest of his clothes appeared very normal.

Once they were back at the creek she slumped down and began to put on her boots. "Whatever were you thinking, Izzy. You could have been killed?"

Izzy gulped back some tears and also started to put on her shoes. "You won't tell Papa, will you, Shay. I was chasing Barclay and didn't hear them."

"Didn't think more likely, and no I won't tell Papa." Shay looked over at Izzy and grinned. "Even if I did, you know he won't scold you."

Julia sat on the log beside Shay and sighed.

"What is the matter with you, Julia, you haven't said a word?"

"Oh. Sorry. It's just, well. He was so handsome. Don't you think?"

"Julia, "Shay huffed. "He was just plain rude. Even if I couldn't understand a word of what he was saying, to take hold of me like that was very disrespectful. I hate to think how they treat women wherever he comes from."

Julia giggled. "Not him silly. The other one. The one with fair hair."

Shay frowned, and then remembered there had been four horsemen. She couldn't recall what the fourth had looked like. "I didn't take notice, Julia. I was so shocked by the behaviour of the other two, and the poor servant who had to translate."

"Well, he had the softest brown eyes, large. I've never seen eyes like that before, and he smiled ever so nicely at me. Rolled his eyes at the others and shrugged at the goings on. Oh, I do wish we had introduced ourselves properly." Julia sighed dreamily and suddenly cocked her head in question at her sister. "Who do you think they were, Shay?"

"You are such a sop, Julia." Shay giggled. "How many young men have you been infatuated with, in all of your seventeen years?"

"Shay. The way you speak, anyone would think I'm flighty."

"Well, there was Mister Robinson, and young Hamish Markem from the butchery. Though Papa would never let him near you, even if he is handsome, and then there was..."

"Shay, please stop!"

Shay laughed and touched her younger sister on the cheek. "I'm teasing you, but I'm sure if you had been older, and one had asked to marry you, you would have begged Papa to give his permission."

Julia grinned. "So did you find him handsome?"

"Who?" Shay tied the last of her laces and looked up at her sister.

"The gentleman you said should become a clown in the circus."

"No." There was no way she was going to admit to thinking he was beautiful. "I don't look at men like that, though he did have interesting eyes. Almost black. I'm sure they twinkled discourteously when he looked at my bare feet and ankles."

They both looked at each other and burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Whatever must they have thought of us?" said Julia as she contained herself.

"I don't really care," said Shay. "Did you hear what his servant translated about my unpleasant tongue? I really hope he told him my reply." She stood up and brushed the back of her skirt with her hand. "Come on, Izzy. Let's get home and see if Barclay has turned up."

Ah... ♥♥♥ Shay and Samuel's second meeting, however, it isn't going so well.  Maybe he will marry Amanda.  What do you think?

Join me next week to see what Samuel thought of this meeting.

Picture taken from Electric Literature.