Chapter 14 Entering the City (6)...
It turned out that she ran away just to elope with her lover.
No wonder she was so skilled in teasing him, it turned out that she had practiced it on other people a thousand times.
Then what was he? A tool to help her hide her elopement with her lover?
It turns out that those tricks to get close to him are essentially to make better use of him.
Irene didn't care for him at all.
Leo was tormented by the ring mark throughout the meal. No matter where he looked or what he thought about, his thoughts would eventually return to the ring mark.
On that ugly, narrow ring mark.
The marks are very fine, and it is obvious at first glance that there is no luxurious jewelry inlay.
Leo sipped his coffee.
The ring mark was shallow, so maybe she hadn't worn it for long at all.
Leo swallowed the last of his bacon.
On the bright side, maybe her lover had died suddenly on the way, perhaps from tuberculosis or plague.
Leo thought maliciously that a man who seduced women to elope with him could not be a good person.
He was lucky to have an intact body.
"Let's go to the tailor shop to buy clothes first, and then Leo will change into men's clothes and buy me a gun. It's settled," Irene arranged in a hurried tone, as if there were wolves chasing them. In her mind, Tina and her group were almost the same as wolves.
Before Leo had the chance to tell her that he had decided to go north alone, she grabbed his wrist and rushed straight to the store.
Just as he stood at the door of the store, the proprietress came out nimbly from the alley behind with a basket on her shoulder, and he didn't have a chance to say anything.
"Morning, girls. What do you want to buy? We just got a new batch of dresses in the store."
The proprietress took out the key to open the door and greeted them with a smile. When she saw Leo, a look of surprise flashed across her eyes.
"What a beautiful girl, who are you from?"
Irene was startled. She calmly stepped forward and protected Leo behind her, saying:
"We are here to visit relatives. She is my sister. We are here to buy some clothes."
"Sister?" The lady boss smiled and chatted with her, "Then your mother must be very beautiful, otherwise how could she give birth to such a pair of beautiful sisters."
When the proprietress said the word "mom", Irene clearly felt Leo's breathing behind her suddenly become heavier, like a venomous snake that was hit in the vital spot.
Oh no, it seems that his mother is a taboo for him. Irene's heart suddenly rose to her throat. She held Leo's left hand tightly, fearing that he would pull out the gun and point it at the boss's wife again.
This is a busy city, and she doesn't want to attract the attention of the police. They are already in a state of panic and have to behave themselves.
The woman looked at him pitifully, holding his cold and soft left hand.
He knew what she was afraid of, and who wouldn't be worried about an armed murderer?
Leo felt vaguely dizzy, his chest filled with all kinds of indescribable emotions, dragging him deeply into a vortex of pain. At the center of the vortex were Irene's clear and bright eyes, which seemed to reflect all his dark thoughts.
He turned his head away, not daring to look her in the eyes.
Irene felt inexplicably lost and clenched her empty palms.
He looked like he was angry again.
Leo shook off Irene's hand in embarrassment, turned around, took two steps out of the door, and waited by the carriage with his arms folded.
Just like when she was having dinner just now, she didn't know what she was angry about. She was just like the kitten she used to have at home, which would ignore people when it was angry.
But at least he didn't point the gun at her now, which was progress.
"She has such a bad temper, she's just a little girl and you can't say anything to her," the proprietress said jokingly with a smile.
Ignorance is really bliss. If I knew that he had just shot and killed someone a few hours ago...
The boss lady might faint from fright.
The fewer people who know about it, the better.
Irene glanced at Leo, who was standing outside the door with a cold expression. She didn't know how to respond, so she just smiled at the proprietress. Then she began to look absent-mindedly at the ready-made clothes in the store. In fact, her mind was all on Leo.
The store is not big, but there are a lot of clothes. Various long skirts and shirts are hung on the walls, as well as several printed silks and accessories.
John once mentioned that Leo was the illegitimate child of a gypsy prostitute. Was that the reason why he had a bad relationship with his mother?
Irene suddenly realized that she knew almost nothing about Leo. For example, where did his gun come from?
Why was he bullied like that even though he had a gun - the wounds on his body were piled up one after another, and it was obvious that he had been bullied for a long time all the way from the UK to the US.
The many mysteries surrounding Leo further aroused Irene's curiosity. What kind of environment would make Leo become such a person who trusts no one and is so pitiful?
If that were the case, she really didn't know Leo very well. If she wanted to travel with him, she would have to get to know him better. At the very least, she had to make sure that Leo would not hurt her and Hannah.
From the current perspective, although Leo had a gun, he only killed John. She could still understand this. After all, it was a tit-for-tat. The other people in the manor - including the black slaves John brought to beat him - were all alive and well. At least it showed that he would not attack innocent people.
Moreover, on the way, Leo took out the blanket he had hidden on his own initiative; just now when she spoke carelessly and hurt Leo, the boy did not kill her directly.
Come to think of it, Leo's personality is pretty stable.
But we still cannot measure Leo by modern standards, and we must not have stereotypes.
The boy was not resistant to wearing women's clothes and was very wary of others... These characteristics were completely different from the impression she had of men. If she had realized this earlier, she wouldn't have caused so much trouble because of changing into women's clothes.
I have to be careful next time, Irene sighed deeply, and reminded herself in her heart that this was the 19th century, an era when guns were everywhere and war was about to break out. If she wanted to survive, she had to be extra careful.
Irene pointed to a few ready-made garments and asked the proprietress to pack them up, and also picked out two wide-brimmed hats.
"Boss, do you have sewing tools? Scissors, tape measures, etc., new or old, I want to buy a set, and also cloth." Irene added, "I want better cloth, Egyptian cotton or silk will do."
"Okay."
It didn't take long for the proprietress to find all the items Irene wanted. It was very common for women to buy these things these days. On the plantations in Mobile, the hostess had to make clothes for the whole family.
Irene picked out some dark fabrics and bought some delicate buttons. The proprietress understood and smiled knowingly. She gossiped:
"Oh, whose boy is so lucky to have such a pretty girl to make clothes for him? Are you going to get married soon?"
At the same time, Leo just stepped into the store - Hannah asked him to come in to help with the things, and he heard every word of the boss's words.
When she looked up again, Irene pursed her lips and forced out a shy and reserved smile.
Dark Egyptian cotton has always been used to make shirts for men. Young ladies are reluctant to wear clothes of this color. Moreover, Irene also chose twill fabric suitable for making vests. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that this is clothes for her lover.
Besides, such expensive fabric is not suitable for daily wear, but probably for weddings, engagements and the like.
Looking at Irene's age, the proprietress naturally thought that she was making clothes for her fiancé.
Irene couldn't respond to this and could only give the proprietress a dry smile, which was consistent with the guilty look of a little girl when her lover was mentioned.
What else could she say? She couldn't just say she was making clothes for a friend. That would have felt weird, and Leo would definitely know that she was picking fabric for him, so there was no need to explain it to an outsider.
But in Leo's eyes, this smile was undoubtedly her affirmation of the boss's words.
It turned out that the cloth was not bought for him, but for her lover.
His heart felt sore and swollen, and the blood flowing in his body felt like concentrated sulfuric acid, stinging and burning him all over.
Don’t think about it—don’t think about it anymore.
What does it matter to him who she makes clothes for?
Leo pursed his lips tightly, veins popping out on his neck.
He tried his best to stop thinking about the ring mark, the expensive fabrics, and the shy smile on Irene's face after the boss asked...
Walk!
Go away - he had to get away from this woman now.
Anyway, they have already entered the city successfully. He is of no use to her anymore. Instead of being kicked away like a waste, he should be tough and turn around and leave now.
Let her go and reunite with her lover.
What will they do when they are reunited? Hold hands, kiss... and then find an altar to get married?
A series of terrible thoughts exploded in his mind like fireworks.
No, he didn't care, he didn't care what they would do.
Leo clenched his back teeth, anger burning in his chest, almost overwhelming his last bit of rationality.
"Let's go, what are you doing here?" Irene hugged the expensive clothes that cost her $20, and her heart was bleeding. You know, the hearty breakfast in the morning only cost 60 cents!
She tried her best to resist the urge to go back to the store and buy an expensive suit, and couldn't help but urge Leo: "Let's go, we still have a lot of things to do."
Yes, deal with the carriage, buy the boat ticket, find a place to change clothes...
Clothes - Irene couldn't help but think of it again - speaking of it, the style of that suit was really amazing, exactly the feeling she had been pursuing in her previous life.
If she could buy that suit and learn how to do it, her skills would surely improve by leaps and bounds.
But when she thought about the price again, Irene's breathing stopped.
She grasped Leo's sleeves tightly and couldn't help but ask, "What do you think of the last suit hanging in her store? Does it meet your men's aesthetic standards? If you think it does, just blink."
If Leo blinked, she would rush into the store and grab the coat, so that she would not be the only one who wanted it.
You can't ask Hannah about this. Hannah didn't even let her buy the cloth in her arms, so how could she agree to let her buy a piece of clothing that is more expensive than all these things combined?
Leo turned his head coldly. Irene was standing one meter away from him. He looked at her face - those urgent eyes, the bloody marks on her forehead scratched by thorns, and the fine white teeth revealed between her rosy lips.
He clutched his chest tightly, the raging jealousy almost burning out his sanity.
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