“I won’t say that you took her, but I can’t promise Lord Hungerton won’t learn about his wife’s escape,” Mr. Radcliffe said. “Furthermore, I intend to look into how it was possible Lady Hungerton arrived in such distasteful circumstances.”
Simone helped her mother as she took steps to leave the cell. Her legs were shaky and she didn’t seem sure-footed.
Caleb hurried to her mother’s side. “Allow me, my lady,” he said as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I won’t let you fall.”
Her mother smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“My name is Caleb, by the way,” he said. “My mother is Lady Oxley, and I have no doubt she will be happy to see you.”
“But not like this,” her mother joked.
Mr. Radcliffe cleared his throat. “Keep your voices down and follow closely behind me,” he ordered. “No one can be privy to what we are about to do.”
While they followed Mr. Radcliffe down a dark, narrow hall, Simone noticed that her mother was leaning heavily into Caleb for support. She found herself growing increasingly angry for her mother’s sake. How could she have received such poor treatment?
Mr. Radcliffe stopped by a door. “Wait here. I will send your carriage around,” he said. “If you are discovered, I can’tpromise anything. But no one comes to this wing anymore. It has remained vacant since the prisoners were moved to another hospital.”
With quick steps, Mr. Radcliffe hurried down the hall, disappearing around a corner.
“Do you trust him?” Simone asked.
Caleb nodded. “I do,” he replied. “I meant what I said to Mr. Radcliffe. If he even utters a word of what happened here today, it will not end well for him.”
Simone’s mother looked at her. “Is this really happening?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Yes, Mother,” Simone replied. “We are going to get you out of here and somewhere safe.”
“I am not safe as long as your father is alive,” her mother responded. “He put me in here and he is the only one with the power to release me.”
Simone reached for her hand and squeezed it. “We will find a way to keep you safe. You need not fear.”
Her mother grimaced. “You don’t know what your father is capable of.”
“He doesn’t know whatIam capable of,” Simone responded. “I promise you that Father will answer for what he has done to you.”
“Your father is a spy for France,” her mother revealed.
Simone’s heart dropped upon hearing the unexpected news. Why had she tried to believe that there was good in her father when he showed her time and time again that he was not the man she thought he was?
Caleb clenched his jaw but maintained his firm hold on her mother. “We suspected as much,” he said.
“How could you suspect such a thing?” her mother asked. “He fooled me for so many years, but it wasn’t until I met Juliette that I discovered the truth.”
Simone went to respond but a knock came at the door, drawing their attention.
Caleb opened it up, revealing a liveried footman. “The carriage is ready, sir.” He held up a blanket. “I thought this might prove useful.”
“That is very thoughtful of you,” Caleb acknowledged as he accepted the blanket. “We will need to be quick about this.”
Her mother’s eyes held understanding. “Cover me with the blanket and I will lay on the carriage floor as we depart.”
In a swift motion, Caleb placed the blanket over her mother’s head, and he returned his arm to her shoulder, supporting her weight.
Simone followed them out to the carriage and waited until her mother was resting on the floor before she sat on the bench.
Caleb sat across from her and reached for her hand. “You did it,” he praised. “You rescued your mother.”
“No,wedid it, together,” she corrected. “I daresay that we make a great team.”
