Had he not actually been watching the child, he wouldn't have caught the way her eyes landed on him and then immediately focused on her own food and drink. Essex took another long pull of his coffee and reviewed her in his mind: the higher pitched voice that wasn't quite that of a child's but certainly not within the range one associated with a fully grown woman; the heavy make-up he could see around her eyes even from where he sat that could have been almost synonymous with 'harlot' in any of the larger cities or could be an attempt to appear older so no one would try and peg her as a run-away; the concentration she put into eating that disgusting attempt at a muffin and how she huddled into her own jacket over the hot drink.
The doctor finally settled on her being in her mid-teens - likely 14 or 15, 16 at the oldest - and probably homeless for the past month or so; perhaps just beginning to wear out her welcome at some friend or boyfriend's house. Her clothes were too clean and she still had the money to splurge on a 3 dollar cup of coffee and a 2 dollar treat. She might even have just gotten off a bus. Anyway he thought about it, he certainly didn't like the implications of her appearance or actions. He also didn't like that he was as concerned as he felt - though he could deal with that after he saw to the child.
Nathaniel got up and headed back to the counter and quietly bought two of the same muffins the girl had gotten - pumpkin apparently. Once the cashier handed them over he and the last of his coffee moved back across the room to the table the girl huddled at. He sat as casually as he could and placed the bag down between them as something of a 'peace offering', then leaned back in his chair to drink the last of his black coffee. His dark eyes fixed on the child and how she reacted. That would determine his next move.