Revenge of the Duchess

Chapter 2

"Oh my." 

The owner was much more enthusiastic now. The Gardners were a wealthy merchant family, friends with the Chases. The owner's eyes flitted to the full pouch Annabeth carried. 

"Good thing I have all the hairpins out on display already. I was just about to put them away."

"Oh, my. Already?"

"Oh, yes. My last customer was also looking for some hairpins. If you'll follow me, please." The owner led Annabeth to the back store room.

Annabeth's heart sank as the hairpins were revealed. Here was further proof. Immediately, she could see two hairpins set in rubies in the similar design as the one Luke had given her. They were more expensive than the sapphire version. 

"Do you have an emerald or sapphire version of this?" She asked the shop owner.

"Oh, dear, we just sold out of this hairpin style. If your mistress can wait awhile, we will have this in stock in a week or so. It is less expensive than this ruby hairpin."

Annabeth shook her head. "That's all right, then."

Something caught her eye. A butterfly shaped gold hairpin with soft golden pink pearls inlaid in the wings. The pearls reminded her of a pearl necklace she had received as a wedding gift. It had been her favorite necklace to wear on a daily basis. It was with a small tinge of sadness that Annabeth realized that she would not receive the necklace in this lifetime since she would not get married to Luke. Perhaps she could get something similar commissioned.

"How much is this?" She asked the owner.

"You have a good eye. Your mistress would be very happy with you!" The owner exclaimed.

He named a price that Annabeth did not hesitate to pay. It would have been relatively expensive as it would have amounted to a commoner's month worth of salary, but it was nothing compared to the wealth of the Chase family.

The owner bowed Annabeth out as she exited with unusual courtesy, telling her that her mistress was welcome to come anytime. Annabeth clutched her hairpin tightly, her money pouch a little less heavy.

Annabeth started walking back to where she had appointed the stable hand to pick her up. As she walked, Annabeth felt the sensation of eyes watching her.

Shit. Annabeth pulled her hood down lower.

She was sure that no one would recognize who she really was. Perhaps some thieves who had seen her exit the jewelry store without any other companions wanted to rob her. Annabeth hastened her steps, trying to stay in areas where there were more people.

Annabeth moved to the side when a wagon carrying vegetables charged down the road.

"Mmmph!"

A hand suddenly darted from her right side, pulling her into a dark alley.

"Quick, grab her money!" A couple of dark clothed men surrounded her.

Annabeth felt hands reaching for her nearly empty money pouch while another tried to press a sweet-smelling cloth to her mouth.

Fools, Annabeth scoffed as she evaded the rough hands easily. These thieves must be desperate, robbing people in the middle of the day. Unfortunately for these dolts, Annabeth was trained in self-defense. Her parents being scholars, were more progressive than other nobles, so Annabeth learned some self-defense skills with her brother. Malcolm had given her a beautiful dagger for her sixteenth birthday, polished steel with a sturdy handle and wickedly sharp blade.

Annabeth whipped out her trusty dagger. Suddenly, the man who had tried to chloroform her found a blade digging into the back of his hand.

"Yoowww! You bitch!"

Annabeth loosened the dagger from the man's bleeding hand and aimed a well-placed kick at the man's groin. The thief collapsed, groaning in pain.

Of course Annabeth didn't forget about the other two men. She slipped out of the way as one attacker tried to punch her. Using the momentum of the man's action, Annabeth grabbed onto the man's arm and flipped him neatly over her shoulder. The man hit the alley's wall and became unconscious.

But the third man...

Annabeth whirled around but the third man had already been taken care of. A new stranger, a dark hooded man, had knocked out the third. Annabeth could tell the sword the man wielded was of high quality.

Then the hood unfurled and Annabeth gasped. The man had black hair as dark as midnight, a straight nose paired with a sharp jawline, and piercing green eyes. Overall, he was quite handsome.

"Percy." Annabeth whispered.

During her marriage when she ran her company, Duke Perseus Jackson had been a business client and collaborator. His company owned a fleet of ships known for taking dangerous trips across the seas to trade luxury goods and other cargo. Annabeth's company had often enlisted Percy's help in buying unique timber and other construction supplies. They had become close enough for Annabeth to call him by his nickname after she had won a bet.

But the Percy in this timeline had not met her yet. Percy's eyes narrowed, turning wary as he heard her whisper his name.

"Who are you?" He asked slowly.

His sword had turned instinctively towards her. She knew that with just a casual flick of his sword, he could take off her head. Such was the power of being the Head of the Black Knights Order.

Too late did Annabeth realize her mistake. She was still too used to the mannerisms of her old life.

Annabeth quickly curtsied. "Thank you for saving me, kind sir. I must be on my way."

Keeping her head down, Annabeth moved past the Duke and darted into the streets. She half-expected him to stop her, but he didn't. Now would not be a good time to be introduced to Percy. She was dressed as a maid, and there would certainly be probing questions she did not want to answer.

"Should we follow her, Your Grace?" Percy's second-in-command asked.

"No, there's no need." Percy waved his soldiers off. "Take these men and lock them up in jail."

The woman had indeed been strange. Though dressed in a plain cotton maid uniform, she had been carrying a dagger far too exquisite for that of a maid. The hilt had lovely diamonds embedded, and the blade was sharp. Not to mention, the young woman had stellar fighting skills. Even if Percy hadn't stepped in, he had a feeling she could have found some way of taking care of the three men. If he hadn't caught the sight of her dagger or her fighting skills, he might have thought her just a plain maid caught by some thieves by unlucky circumstances.

But her face had been quite lovely overall. The hood had hidden most of her hair, but he could tell it was golden, with soft wisps of curls framing her jawline. Calculating grey eyes had stared straight up at his, filled with shock, recognition, and some emotion he could not decipher. It was as if she was seeing though him, looking at him, yet looking as though he was someone else.

Percy bent down to pick up the fallen handkerchief the woman had dropped in the scuffle. It was fine silk, only something a noblewoman or a wealthy commoner would have. There was a gray owl perched over a scroll embroidered in the corner. He did not know who this woman was, yet she had recognized him and said his nickname.

"Find who this belongs to."

A/N: Hope you've been enjoying this far! I have to finish my laundry real quick, and I'll pop up the next three chapters. I took a little time to fix these chapters up c: