Historical Fiction Smack Down, Round One
Entry Title: "No Murderer"
Pictures Used: 1, 2, and 4 of the Victorian Era, and the group photo of the lamp. Just to note, the flash back with the children is not meant to be the photo of the children playing, just part of the main character's past.
Words: 2,639
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It will be a dark road, one paved with not the most purest of intentions, yet she knows it will be a victorious one. She would have never willingly set foot in the slums of London if she didn't believe it so.
She tries to keep a calm expression on her face, her eyes moving from one side of the narrow street to another, looking for a familiar grey overcoat, green eyes, or the neatly combed hair of the man she had been meeting with for over a month. A shady character he is, but he has proved himself a very valuable ally. Her gloved hands shook slightly, as she held her skirts up and off the ground, careful not to expose too much of herself and to keep it from getting dirtied on the ground.
Charlotte tried her best to keep her expression calm, and her pace quick. The sooner she could find the Oxford Arms, the better. She was not dressed like she usually would be, not when she used to live in these parts while a young woman. Now, with the dresses that her...family had provided her just seemed to make her a target for thievery, possibly worse things if she wasn't careful.
It was not long before she found herself on a familiar stretch of road, one she walked every time she came to meet with the man. She kept her head down, though she could see the figure of a man standing just past the tunnel between the two buildings, the faded Oxford Arms sign hanging above it as it always did.
Odd...she thought to herself, slowing her pace slightly, he is very punctual, he even has the gull to mention when I am late. Yet, here I am, standing in this alley by my lonesome...
She allowed herself to glance up at the man standing at the end of the tunnel, his gaze on her. She felt a small unpleasant tingle rush up her spine as she turned herself away from him slightly to see if she could spot her friend.
No sign of him, her irritation rising as her anxiety spiked as well. Charlotte kept glancing at the man out of the corner of her eye, he was walking towards her. Her mouth dipped into a scowl, Charlotte slightly turning herself to get ready to leave. To run, if need be.
Though, before she was able to take a step, she collided with a solid body. She let out a little yelp, jumping back slightly as she placed a hand on her chest, mouth parted slightly in surprise. She took in the grey overcoat, which remained spotless as it always did. She wondered how he manages to do so, with his line of work, but the thought is fleeting as annoyance crossed her features.
"Frances!" she exclaimed, trying to ignore the dancing mirth in his gaze, "you have given me such a fright!"
"I apologize, my dear," he said, Charlotte seeing that he was trying to sound sincere, but she could see the start of a smile crossing his features, "I assumed that you had seen me, I did not intend to frighten you so."
Charlotte took a glance towards the tunnel once again, seeing that the man had disappeared. A frown graced her thin lips, turning her attention back to Frances, who stood with his hands behind his back.
"Did you see that man?" she asked, taking another glance towards the tunnel.
"Ah, yes," Frances stated, "he has been making himself present when I meet with clients such as yourself. He has not yet made himself a threat to me, but there will come a time where I fear I will have to deal with him."
