Free Mistress of Greyladies by Anna Jacobs Page B

and began grinding his face against hers in a rough kiss, running his hands over her body, pinching and nipping.
    She began to fight back in earnest, trying all the tricks she’d heard of for dealing with cheeky fellows and yelling for help. But Frank was so big and much stronger than her,she felt like a butterfly caught by a big cat. He put one big meaty hand over her mouth to stop her calling for help.
    Suddenly the grip on her eased and Frank cried out in shock.
    It took her a minute to realise what was going on. The man who’d been sitting on a nearby bench had grabbed Frank and pulled him off her.
    Frank swung his fist, but the man dodged the blow and clipped Frank on the side of the head.
    Phoebe was afraid someone was going to get hurt and shouted, ‘Stop it! Stop it now!’
    But Frank had an ugly look on his face and he punched the fellow in the chest. Only, once again, his opponent dodged the full force of the blow.
    Running footsteps made her turn round to see a policeman coming across the garden to join them. ‘Oh, thank goodness!’
    ‘What’s going on here?’
    ‘This fellow attacked me for no reason,’ Frank said at once.
    Phoebe gasped at this lie. ‘He did not. It was you who attacked me and this man came to my aid.’
    ‘Don’t tell lies, Phoebe, just because we quarrelled. We’re walking out, Officer, and she got upset with me.’
    ‘How are you—’
    The policeman held up one hand and said, ‘Quiet, please. Now, miss. Do you know this man?’ He indicated Frank.
    ‘Yes. He’s my cousin’s stepson. But I’m
not
walking out with him. He wants to but I won’t. He grabbed hold of me and started pawing me. I was trying to get away and calling for help, and this man kindly came to my rescue.’ She turned to the stranger. ‘I can’t thank you enough.’
    ‘I don’t like to see men forcing themselves on women.’
    Frank glared at him. ‘I wasn’t forcing her. It was just a lovers’ quarrel. Mind your own bloody business or you’ll regret it.’
    The policeman got in between them. ‘Now, sir. Calm down, if you please. She’ll come round.’
    ‘
I will not come round!
’ Phoebe shouted at the top of her voice. ‘Leave me alone, Frank Hapton. I’m going back to my lodgings to get a good night’s sleep and I don’t ever want to see you or speak to you again.’
    Into the silence, the stranger said quietly, in an educated voice, ‘Shall I walk you back, miss? Perhaps you can calm this fellow down, Officer.’
    Frank jerked forward, but the policeman was almost as big and much more muscular. ‘I think you’ve done enough for tonight, sir. Leave her to calm down and talk to her more gently tomorrow. You won’t get anywhere by forcing a woman.’
    The look Frank gave her, the way he bunched his hands into fists, made her feel afraid of what he’d do next, but he breathed deeply and let his hands fall. ‘You’re right, Officer.’
    The policeman looked at Phoebe. ‘You go straight to your lodgings, miss. We don’t want any more trouble.’
    As if she’d started this, she thought indignantly. She turned and walked away. The stranger fell in beside her.
    ‘My name’s Corin McMinty. I’ve been visiting relatives and I’m catching the last train to London. I’ll walk back with you, but I promise you that you’ll be quite safe with me.’
    She believed him, liked his quiet voice with its educated tone. Though he had an Irish name, there was no sign of an Irish accent. ‘I’m Phoebe Sinclair and I’m
not
walking out with Frank.’
    ‘He seems pretty determined to marry you.’
    She sighed. ‘Yes. I don’t know what to do about it. He won’t take no for an answer and he knows a lot of people in Swindon, so he says he can stop me finding a job. He only decided to marry me recently.’
    ‘Is there a particular reason for that, apart from the fact that you’re very pretty?’
    She glanced sideways, but he wasn’t looking at her in that way, hadn’t even spoken as if he