Page 45 of How To Tempt A Bodyguard

Then he stopped.

Florence was already there. She was standing behind the men, bracing herself for violence.

"That's quite enough," she said.

Her voice was different from before. This was command. Authority. The voice of someone used to being obeyed.

Matthew approached quietly and positioned himself in the shadows.

The men turned, surprised. The bigger one, barrel chested with a face like spoiled meat, looked her up and down and sneered. "Run along, milady. This ain't your concern."

"I'm making it my concern." Florence didn't move, didn't retreat. "The girl is coming with me."

"The girl owes money. She's coming nowhere ‘til it's paid."

"How much?" Her tone was crisp, businesslike.

The man named an exorbitant sum. Probably a lie.

"I'll pay her debt. Now let her go."

"The debt just doubled," the second man said. "You're soft in the head, lady."

Without taking her eyes off the men, she pulled coins from her reticule. She offered the money with steady hands. Her voice didn't waver. "Take it and leave."

“Triple.” The bigger one smirked.

They stood in silence thick with tension.

Matthew waited, hand still on his knife. If they moved on her, he'd end them. Simple as that.

Florence finally smiled. “Shall we settle this with a magistrate?”

"Magistrate don't care about the likes of her."

"How about the likes of a marquess’s sister?"

The threat hung in the air. The men looked at each other, calculating.

The bigger one finally snatched the coins from Florence's hand with a curse, counted them quickly, then jerked his head at his companion. They left, muttering threats that were already empty.

Florence ignored them. She'd already turned to the girl, and her whole demeanour changed again. Not soft, exactly, but gentler.

"Are you hurt?" She was checking the girl's arm where the man had grabbed her, lifting it carefully, checking for damage. "Any pain?"

"N-no, milady. I'm... I'm fine."

"You're shaking." Florence removed her shawl and draped it across the girl’s shoulders. "Do you have family? Somewhere safe to go?"

"My ma's dead. I work at the big house up the road, but I..." The girl's voice cracked. "I lost my position. Those men said I could work for them, but I’d need to pay ahead for room and board."

The girl didn’t have to explain. Both Matthew and Mrs Archer knew what they were about.

"Do you have relatives?”

The girl shook her head.

“Do you know where you might want to go?"