Charlotte feigned a yawn. “I couldn’t sleep. And it seems neither could you. Will you join me in some tea? There’s sugar in the pantry so we can sweeten it.” Wrexford had left another purse that morning and she had splurged on a treat for the boys.
“Naw,” said Raven, evading her gaze. “Me ’n’ Hawk just feel like a breath of fresh air, that’s all.”
Suspicions roused, Charlotte turned to his younger brother. “What are the two of you up to?”
“N-Nuffink!”
Her senses were now on full alert. Hawk only said “nuffink” when he was nervous about something.
“Nothing,” she corrected softly.
Hawk hung his head. “Sorry.”
“I hope ‘nothing’ truly means you have no mischief in mind.” Charlotte ran a hand over the thick nighttime braid of her hair, wishing she dared to gather them in her arms. “I worry about you,” she said honestly. “If you run afoul of the authorities, I haven’t the connections or the money to secure your freedom.” Boys of their age were routinely transported to the Antipodes for stealing an apple or a loaf of bread.
“We’ve no mischief planned, m’lady,” said Raven. “I swear it.”
The boy was an excellent liar, but she had dealt with far more jaded scoundrels.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Another false yawn. “Lud, my eyes now feel heavy again. I think I shall forego tea and return to bed.” Hugging her arms to her chest, she started back up the steps. “Please take care.”
“Aye, we will!” they chorused.
Weasels.Wrexford’s teasing moniker popped to mind. They were, she knew, sneaking out on some adventure—and one of which she would definitely not approve.
I’m not their mother or legal guardian, she reminded herself. They were free to do as they pleased.
As soon as she turned the corner of the landing, Charlotte took the treads two at a time, moving swiftly and silently to her bedchamber. Crouching down at the window, she watched the street below and waited. Several moments passed, and then two small shapes slipped out into the shadows, their stealthy steps heading west.
Charlotte dressed in a flash, grateful that breeches and boots were so much easier to don than the cursed layers of feminine frills, and hurried out into the night. A thin haze of mist dulled the starlight, and puffs of pale vapor skittered through the darkened streets. The boys were no longer visible, but thank God, she was familiar with their favorite routes to the heart of Mayfair.
Be damned with legalities. If danger lay ahead, she wasn’t about to let them face it alone.
The sky was fast darkening with clouds. Hat pulled low on her brow, Charlotte wove her way through the maze of alleyways and side streets, avoiding the occasional tavern and gin-hole where trouble might gather. It was near the markets at Covent Garden that she spotted the boys up ahead. They were moving at a cautious pace and taking care to blend into the surroundings. But she knew what to look for. The hunch of their shoulders, the angle of their heads, the rhythm of their gait—she knew every nuance by heart.
As they cut up Coventry Street and crept into Piccadilly Street, she slowly but surely shortened the distance between them. The boys were skilled, but they made one cardinal mistake.
Charlotte ducked into a gap between the buildings and held herself very still as she checked the way behind her.
No sign of movement or sound of footsteps. She took up the chase again, just in time to see the boys take shelter in a passageway by the corner of Albermarle Street.
The nape of her neck began to prickle.
I have an idea.Wrexford’s eyes had taken on a dangerous glint earlier in the day, just before he had rushed off. If what she suspected was true, she would save the Crown the bother of an execution and hang him herself!
She, too, took cover and made a quick assessment of the situation. A glance showed the boys were still in hiding. Guessing that the Royal Institution building was their ultimate destination, Charlotte considered her options. Darting up Old Bond Street, which lay directly to her right, would allow her to circle around to the other end of Albermarle Street and find a vantage point from which to observe what trouble was brewing.
Damn the earl. It was one thing to risk his own neck....
Slipping out from her hiding place, she followed the line of darkness cast by the buildings, anger giving impetus to her steps.
In a matter of minutes, the massive fluted columns of the Institution rose out of the gloom, the pale stone taking on a pearlescent glow as the moon broke free of the clouds. Finding a recessed set of stairs, she took up position just as a nearby church bell struck a single ring.
Charlotte tensed.
The sound seemed to reverberate through the air for an eternity.
Nothing.
