The Hackney carriage took them back to Shepherd Market. Norina slipped quickly into Mrs. Rolo’s house, hoping that nobody noticed her.
Dawes kept the carriage and drove back to Park Street.
He was too sensible to drive up to the house, and jumped out at the corner.
Norina had given him the money to pay the cab driver.
When she had tried to give him something for himself, he refused.
“You’ll need every penny yourself, Miss Norina,” he said, “and don’t go bein’ too generous with it either. They’ll expect a woman as is ’ard-up to count the coppers.”
“Then that is what I will do, Dawes,” Norina promised. “But don’t forget – if you ever need anything – you only have to ask me.”
She thought as she spoke that she would much rather Dawes had her money than her evil stepmother.
At the same
