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but then he made the mistake of glancing Olivia’s way, and the blaze of beauty blinded and unbalanced him. His step faltered and his focus went astray, even while his legs kept moving.
    At this same moment, Lord Belder was hurrying toward Olivia’s carriage. The boy ran straight into him, and they both stumbled. The boy landed on the pavement and Belder in the gutter.
    The lad scrambled to his feet, threw Belder a horrified look, and set off.
    “Stop, thief!” Belder roared. A couple of his friends caught the boy as he tried to run past them.
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    His lordship rose from the gutter. Passing acquaintances treated him to the usual lumbering wit: “Just waking up, Belder?” or “Is that the latest in beauty baths, Belder?” and so on.
    Brown and black substances of unsavory origin splotched his fawn trousers and blue coat, his elaborately tied neckcloth, his waistcoat, and his gloves. He looked down at his clothes, then at the boy. The look made the boy squirm and yell, “It was an accident, your worship! I didn’t take nothing!”
    “It’s true,” Olivia called over the noise. “I saw what happened. If he’d been stealing, he would—”
    “Wait in the carriage, and let me deal with it,” Lisle cut in before she could explain how petty theft was properly done. She was, after all, an expert.
    “Don’t be silly,” she said. “I can settle this.”
    He tried to lead her away, but she shook him off and marched to the men holding the boy.
    “Let him go,” she said. “It was an accident .” To Lisle, the warning signs were obvious: the flush rising from her neck to her cheeks and the You blockheads implied in her stress on “accident.” Since he couldn’t drag her away bodily, he would have to drown her out. But Belder spoke first.
    “You don’t know what these wretched creatures get up to, Miss Carsington,” he said.
    “They bump into people on purpose, to pick our pockets.” Lisle said, “That may be so but—”
    “Not this one,” Olivia said. “A proper thief would have been so quick and efficient, you’d hardly notice him. He’d take care not to knock you down or draw attention to himself, and he wouldn’t pause, but get away instantly. Furthermore, they usually work in pairs.” She was absolutely right, and any rational man would recognize this.
    But Belder was in a temper, he had scores to settle, and the boy was the easiest target.
    He only gave her a patronizing smile and turned to the bystanders. “Someone fetch a constable,” he called.
    “No!” the boy shouted. “I didn’t take nothing!”
    He pulled and kicked, trying to get free.
    Lord Belder cuffed his head.
    “You great bully !” Olivia cried. Up went her furled umbrella, and down, sharply, on his shoulder.
    “Ow!”
    “Release that child!” She swung the umbrella at the men holding the boy.
    Belder grabbed her arm to stop her beating his friends.
    Lisle saw the dirty, gloved hand wrapped about Olivia’s arm. Then he saw red.
    He advanced, took Belder roughly by the arm, and yanked him away. “Don’t touch her,” he said in a low, hard voice. “Don’t ever touch her.” Page 23
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    Chapter 3
    Two minutes later
    O h, miss,” said Bailey. “They’re going to kill each other.” Lisle had flung Belder away almost as soon as he’d grabbed him, but Belder wasn’t about to let it end there. He pushed Lisle, and Lisle pushed back harder, knocking Belder against the fence. Belder bounced up, tore off his gloves, threw down his hat, and put up his fists. Lisle did the same.
    Don’t touch her , he’d said, in a low, deadly voice that made her shiver.
    How silly. She was no schoolroom miss—yet her heart raced as it had never done before, though men fought over her all the time, and though she knew it meant nothing special to Lisle. He acted