Chapter Twenty-Three
Tom and Gladys – of the romance of the stage – Gladys’s past – Tom’s future.
Gladys looked the Decharles family carriage up and down. It looked smart enough on the outside, but it bounced terribly over the cobbled streets.
“How do you put up with the jostling?” she asked Tom.
“My seat is sprung, see?” Tom said.
“Can I ride with you then?”
Tom couldn’t have looked more shocked if he’d been asked him to juggle eels. “I suppose,” he said carefully. He scanned the surrounds, furtive as a thief, then helped Gladys up onto his seat.
The carriage took off with a jerk. “Got to get you home quick, miss. Then I must fetch up his lordship from Admiralty House.”
“Right-o.”
“Do women ride up with coachmen where you come from?” he said.
“In Australia?” she said. “Yes. But
