It was dark behind the house, but a footman holding a small lantern led the way down a path into an alleyway where a carriage was parked. Mariah smiled. Vivien’s regular vehicle was only the best and highly recognizable with its bright red trim. This carriage was not. It was small, a bit run-down and would blend in perfectly with a thousand others rumbling around on the streets this night. “Where did you find this thing?” she asked. Vivien did not reply as the footman helped them up into the rig and shut the squeaky door behind them. Inside, the carriage was perfectly serviceable, though nothing fancy. “This was a vehicle I was provided many years ago by my first protector,” she finally explained. “I kept it even when I had newer models, both as a reminder of where I began and a conveyance for my servants if they needed to go somewhere. I would hate to have them being forced to use hacks, which are very expensive.”
