Chapter 190: Chapter Hundred And Eighty Nine

The bright afternoon sun poured warmly over the busy streets of the capital city. The central market was packed with wealthy merchants, noble ladies in colorful dresses, and noisy shopkeepers shouting about their expensive goods.

Camilla and Zade were shopping together. Zade had insisted on taking his older sister out of the Benson mansion to buy her nice things.

Zade carried a massive stack of square and rectangular shopping boxes. There were boxes filled with soft silk fabrics, jewelry, sweet perfumes, and expensive shoes. He balanced the tall stack carefully against his chest.

Zade stopped walking in front of a large jewelry shop. He turned to look at his sister.

"Are you sure these are all you need, sister?" Zade asked. He sounded genuinely concerned that she did not have enough.

Camilla looked at the huge pile of boxes. She let out a small, tired sigh.

Camilla nodded her head firmly. "They are enough," she replied. She looked at her younger brother with a slightly confused expression. "I don’t know why you want to spend so much money today? You just bought out half of the street."

Zade frowned slightly, looking away from her.

"Is it because of your husband?" Zade spoke softly, his voice carrying a sudden, deep note of bitter rivalry.

Camilla was surprised by the question. She blinked her eyes.

"Damon?" Camilla asked, her delicate eyebrows pulling together. What did the grumpy General have to do with Zade buying her ten pairs of shoes?

Zade turned his eyes back to her. He lifted his chin proudly.

"He might have more money than me," Zade replied, his voice firm and highly defensive. He glared slightly at the ground. "But I am not as stingy as he is. I will not let you walk around looking like you are managing just because that man refuses to treat you properly."

Camilla stared at her younger brother. She thought about the chest sitting in master bedroom right now, filled to the absolute brim with shiny gold coins that Damon had sent her and has remained untouched. Damon was many annoying things, but he was certainly not stingy. However, she could not tell Zade about the gold without explaining the complex, messy situation of her marriage.

"Why do you want to compete with him?" Camilla spoke calmly, shaking her head. "You do not need to prove anything to him, Zade. You are spending your own estate’s funds."

Zade took a step closer to her. His eyes were serious and full of deep, brotherly love.

"You are my sister," Zade replied softly. His voice shook just a tiny bit with raw emotion. "He tried to take you away from me before. He kept you in that cold house for a whole year. You stopped writing to me. You forgot about me because you were so busy trying to please him."

Zade tightened his grip on her arm just slightly, making a firm promise.

"I won’t let him succeed this time," Zade declared proudly. "I will show you that your family can provide for you better than he ever could. I will buy you everything you ever want."

Camilla looked at his determined, serious face. She felt a warm flutter in her chest. Zade truly cared about her. The original Lady Camilla had been foolish to ignore such a loving, protective younger brother.

Camilla smiled a soft, gentle smile. She shook her head slowly and let out a quiet sigh.

"You are a very good brother, Zade," Camilla thought to herself, feeling a wave of affection. "But you are also very dramatic. Competing with a military general over shopping is a terrible plan."

"Come on," Camilla said out loud. "Let us go home. I am tired of walking."

She turned around and began walking toward the edge of the busy market street. A beautiful carriage with the Kennedy family crest was waiting for them near a quiet corner. The carriage driver sat patiently on his high wooden seat.

Camilla walked up to the carriage. The footman opened the door. She lifted the front of her silk dress and entered the carriage smoothly. She sat down on the soft velvet seat, resting her hands on her lap. She looked out the open door and waited for him to follow.

Zade turned to the footman. "Take the boxes to the back compartment," Zade instructed the footman.

The footman nodded silentl, took the boxes and walked toward the back of the carriage to load the packages.

Zade turned around and walked toward the open carriage door. He raised his right foot, preparing to step up into the carriage to join his sister.

Suddenly, Zade stopped moving.

He stood still on the stone pavement. He slowly lowered his foot back to the ground. His eyes were fixed firmly on a narrow, dirty alleyway located directly across the street from their carriage.

The alleyway was dark and cast in deep shadows. The bright afternoon sun did not reach between the tall, old brick buildings.

Zade narrowed his eyes, squinting to see clearly into the shadows. He saw a man standing against the brick wall.

"Isn’t that Allen?" Zade spoke out loud, his voice full of surprise.

Inside the carriage, Camilla heard his question. She leaned forward. She peeped out of the carriage door, following Zade’s gaze across the street.

Her sharp eyes adjusted quickly to the dark shadows of the alley. She looked at the man’s neat brown hair and his expensive, light grey coat. She remembered the polite, friendly face from the grand ball. She remembered the man who also defended her against Lady Adeline and Elora in the garden.

She murmured to herself very quietly. "He is the one."

But Allen was not standing alone in the dark alley.

Camilla looked closer. Allen was surrounded by a group of four very rough, dirty, dangerous-looking men. They wore old, torn leather vests. They had unwashed hair and ugly, scarred faces. They held thick wooden clubs and rusty daggers in their hands. They were backing Allen deeply into the corner of the brick wall, trapping him completely.

Zade stared at the rough men. His heart gave a sudden, hard jolt in his chest. His breathing stopped for a brief second.

He instantly recognized the dirty leather vests. He recognized the ugly faces. He remembered the terrible, heavy blows to his ribs.

"Isn’t it those kidnappers?" Zade spoke, his voice rising in sudden, hot anger. His hands curled into tight, shaking fists at his sides. "It is the remaining gang members from the Old Man’s Rye Tavern! The ones who ran away!"

Zade felt a massive wave of pure rage flood his veins. He hated those men. They had beaten him and Austin without mercy. And now they were cornering another innocent noble.

"They dare to..." Zade growled angrily through his teeth.

He took a step forward. He completely abandoned the carriage. He wanted to march directly across the street, meet them face to face, and punch them all in the jaw.

But before Zade could take a second step, a small, pale hand reached out from the carriage door.

Camilla firmly held his hand. Her grip was tight and completely immovable. She stopped his forward momentum entirely.

"Wait," Camilla commanded softly. Her voice was not angry, but it was incredibly serious and strictly professional.

Zade looked back at her in confusion. "Sister, they are going to hurt him!"

"I know," Camilla whispered calmly. "But rushing in blindly will only get you stabbed. We need to assess the situation first."

She let go of Zade’s hand. She slowly stepped down from the carriage. She moved very quietly, making absolutely no sound on the pavement.

"How did Allen get involved with them?" Camilla asked herself in her mind. Her eyes were fixed entirely on the dark alley.

She thought about Allen’s polite personality.

"Allen is a wealthy noble," her internal voice analyzed the scene. "He usually stays in the safe, rich areas of the city. Why is he standing in a dark alley with a group of dirty tavern thugs? Was he ambushed? Or did he come here to meet them secretly?"