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Cynthia stopped at his back. “Henry is too smart by half. He always has been.”
“I’ll say. Well, I suppose that clears up any question of what our next move must be.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Her hand touched his shoulder, so he turned toward her, forcing it to slide off.
He met her gaze and didn’t even attempt to look light or happy. “We’re leaving Cantry Manor. Today.”
“I’ll pack the last of the cherry compote too. It’ll go well with the brown bread.” Mrs. Pell was a blur as she darted from the pantry to the table and then to the shelf above the stove.
“I’m sure this is entirely unnecessary,” Cynthia grumbled. Of course, Nick chose that moment to stride in from the hallway.
“Don’t be ridiculous. If your stepfather gets word you’re here, he has every right to take you by force. If we’re not here, he can’t do that.”
“I’ll be twenty-one in nine days.”
“And you’re free to return here in nine days. But for now, we’re going.”
“Where?” she cried.
Nick stopped his pacing and met her gaze. “Do you know the Duke of Somerhart?”
“Who?” She felt her face cool with shock. “Of course not. A duke?”
“Somerhart isn’t too far from here. About a six hours’ drive.”
“And…But…We cannot simply waltz up to a ducal estate and beg protection!”
Nick stared thoughtfully at the floor. “He owes me a favor.”
“A duke? That makes no sense. What could you possibly have done for a duke?”
His eyes crinkled in a smile. “I helped him find his runaway bride. Well, she wasn’t his bride yet, in truth. But they married shortly thereafter, so I gather it all worked out.”
“But…This seems a rather large favor to ask anyone, much less a man of such standing.”
“He was a broken man, Cyn. Tormented by unrequited love.” Something about his own words made him chuckle, and the laughter made Cynthia want to yell.
He’d taken full control of the situation, brushing aside every argument she’d made for calm. They could at least wait and see what happened.
“Where’s Adam?” Nick asked.
“He’s not back yet. Which is exactly my point! We don’t even know what those boys might’ve said.”
“Stop being so obstinate. One boy we might have been able to coerce into silence. But four boys? It’s hopeless. I don’t doubt someone’s sprinting to your stepfather’s door right this moment, eager to be the one to carry the story.”
The fact that his words were true didn’t make them easier to swallow. She’d meant to leave Oak Hall and the village of Neely behind. She’d meant to sail much farther away than the Somerhart estate. But now it felt too rushed. Her last night here in Cantry Manor and she hadn’t realized it. Her last evening in the kitchen with Mrs. Pell, and now she couldn’t even remember what they’d prepared. Her last walk along the sea. Last glimpse of the village.
How could she leave without even a fare-thee-well?
“I’ll simply hide in the passageways if he comes. I lived with you for days and you never even heard me.”
“Cynthia,” Nick scoffed, dismissing her objections with an exasperated shake of his head. “Have you packed yet?”
She clenched her teeth together to keep from screaming. “Yes, but I’m not going anywhere until Adam—”
The kitchen door flew in, propelled by gangly limbs. The face that followed looked a bit different than it had when he’d left.
“Adam!” she gasped. “What’s happened to your face?”
