To Deceive A Duke

Chapter 2

 A slight gust of air by her hips makes her eyes snap open, her hand shoots out and grabs onto something solid. She looks down at the boy who's shoulder she grips tightly, there is a small black purse in his tiny hand. He struggles in her grasp but as a skinny child of barely 10, it doesn't take much for her to keep hold of him. He frowns, annoyed at being caught, but then looks at her with pleading puppy dog eyes. 

"You know the rules, Iwan," Clarissa says sternly. Iwan pouts holding the stolen purse away from her.

"It's not fair!" He complains, "You always catch me."

"I do but the day I don't catch you is the day it's yours." She says, reaching over and nabbing her purse back. She slides it into her pocket then releases his shoulder, crouching down to look into his face. He has the prettiest green eyes and teeny dimples around his mouth. She fishes a handkerchief out of her pocket and wipes the grime off his small cheeks. He groans in protest but lets her clean off the dirt. 

Clarissa met Iwan when he was born, although she was just a child of 11 at the time. His mother was a seamstress that left Wales with her husband in search of a better life, however, when they arrived in London it wasn't quite what they were expecting. Iwan's father died in a mill accident three months after arriving. Pregnant, desperate, and starving his mother turned to prostitution to survive and ended up working for Peter and Roderick Lenoir, Clarissa's grandfather. Clarissa was helping her grandfather with his rounds when Iwan's mother went into labour. She held the strange woman's hand through the all the pain and the blood until the hand in hers went slack and Iwan's mother left the world for good, leaving a screaming curly-haired baby behind. Out of sympathy and having no children of his own, Peter adopted the baby boy and named him after his real father so that he would not forget his heritage and the parents that would have loved him.

"Did you eat today?" She asks him, folding down the collar of his ripped blue coat. 

"Stop it." He grumbles, shrugging her hands off and sticking his collar back up. She sighs and stands up.

"Well did you?"

"I ate some breakfast." He replies, "And I stole an apple and some bread."

"Is that all?" Clarissa questions, aware that Peter tends to forget to feed his adopted son with the running of The Strand taking up most of his mind. 

Iwan folds his arms around him and kicks at the ground. "Am not hungry."

She frowns but doesn't push the matter. She glances behind her at The One-Eyed Duke, the lights twinkle. "You had better be running along now. Peter won't be pleased if he finds you playing out here at this time."

"He ain't pleased about anything at the moment, he's always in a mood. Yells all the time." Iwan's chin juts in the air as he gives her a disgruntled scowl. She shakes her head fondly and messes up his blonde locks, he ducks under her arm and steps away. 

"He's just stressed." She reassures, "Some changes are happening that are weighing on his mind."

"Changes like your grandpa?" He asks curiously, dropping his hands from sorting out his hair. 

Clarissa's heartstrings pull at his innocent wide-eyed expression but she manages a small nod and a shaky smile.

"Exactly like my grandfather."

"Peter says he's up with my ma in the special place in the sky. Is that true?" Iwan looks up into the dark overcast sky, the blackness seems to have created a blanket over them. 

Clarissa also turns her head to the sky, "I do hope so." She murmurs. 

Sensing her sadness Iwan throws his slim arms around her waist and hugs her. She hugs him back and holds her breath, trying to dispel the tears that have formed. They stand in the street embraced for a minute, but he eventually pulls away and takes a step towards the nearest alley.