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“He is at Windsor?”
“No, I believe he is being held in the same prison cell that your brother so recently occupied. The king thought it a nice jest.”
“Good.” Philippe planted his hands on his hips. With any luck at all he would be on his way to Knightsbridge before luncheon tomorrow. “In the morning I want you to go to the prison and have Seurat brought here.”
Carlos sucked in a sharp breath. “You surely do not intend to hang the poor man in your drawing room?”
“Nothing so dramatic,” Philippe assured him.
“Then what do you intend to do with him?”
“I intend to release him.”
Carlos muttered a curse a
s he straightened to cross the room and stand directly before Philippe.
“Have you taken leave of your senses?” he demanded. “A few weeks in a damp cell will not have eased Seurat’s crazed lust for revenge on your father. If anything he is no doubt even more anxious for blood.”
Philippe shrugged, his once-fierce need to exact payment from the pathetic creature overwhelmed by his need to prove to Raine that he could change.
“Perhaps, but I no longer intend to protect my father, or even my brother, from their own sins. I have far more important matters to attend to. From now on they shall have to fend for themselves.”
“And if Seurat decides to make you the focus of his retribution?”
A slow smile curved Philippe’s lips. “He will not.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because he will know that his life is being spared solely because Raine pleaded his cause, and that she will soon be my wife.”
Carlos gave a slow shake of his head, regarding Philippe as if he had never truly seen him before. And, in truth, he hadn’t, Philippe acknowledged. Until Raine had tumbled into his life, he had closely guarded himself from others. He was determined she would never be hurt by another even at the cost of his own happiness.
“This makes no sense,” Carlos growled. “You have devoted months, not to mention a near fortune, to capturing Seurat. Why would you simply release him?”
“Because it is what Raine desires,” he said simply. “And I intend to prove that from this day forward her happiness is all that I care about.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
FOR ONCE RAINE BARELY noticed the chilled breeze as she turned the cart onto the narrow path and urged her ancient horse to a pace just above a slow crawl.
When she had left her cottage earlier in the day, she had no notion of what to expect when she arrived at the local vicarage. Certainly the vicar had been encouraging when she had spoken with him about the possibility of holding classes for the girls. But she had no real notion of whether or not there would be any genuine interest from the villagers.
After all, many households needed their daughters to begin earning a wage when they were still very young. The girls might very well be forbidden from using an entire afternoon on something that would bring in no coin.
Much to her surprise, however, when she had walked into the vicarage she had discovered the drawing room nearly overwhelmed by the numerous children. Even more surprising, they had all been avidly eager to learn.
Her heart held a decided glow of warmth that battled the falling gloom of the late afternoon as she rattled down the road. She might not be about to alter the world, but at least she could make a difference in this small village.
For now, that was enough.
Lost in thoughts of the numerous supplies that she would need to order from London, Raine paid little heed to the shadows that lined the narrow path. Why should she? Since her father had given up his role as the Knave of Knightsbridge the roads were once again safe.
Or at least they should have been safe.
As she pondered how many slate boards and boxes of chalk she would need for the upcoming months, there was a rustle in the hedgerow that made her stiffen with the first flare of alarm. A tingle inched down her spine as she realized just how alone and isolated she was on the barren stretch of path.
Telling herself it was no more than a stray dog, or perhaps a grouse settling for the night, Raine futilely urged her poor horse to a faster pace. She was less than a mile from her cottage, she reassured herself. In just a few minutes she would be safely in the stables and…
