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“Your thief was back. Whether he’s working for Galloway or St.George—”
“Galloway?” Her brow furrowed inconfusion.
Marc shook his head. “The Home Office,” he clarified. “Regardless of who the fellow works for, it’s not safe for you and the girls to remain here.” Then he towed her into the corridor and toward the staircase. “Pack only what you can put in a small valise. You don’t want to stand out in thecrowd.”
“Where areyougoing?” she asked, trailing behind him up thestairs.
“If anyone thinks I’m with you, they might head for Saddleworth Hall. If they do, we’ll be ready for them, but I’d rather keep them far away ifpossible.”
* * *
Noneof that made any sense in the world to Caroline, but all thoughts and questions died on her tongue the moment she spotted Rachel at the top of the stairs. Her daughter’s eyes rounded in surprise when they landed on a half–naked Marc, and Caroline had no idea how to explainthatto her daughter. At least he hadtrouserson.
Marc halted briefly in the middle of the staircase too. Then he heaved a sigh and continued on. “Listen to your mother,” he said to Rachel as he passed her. “And don’t give her adifficulttime.”
Rachel’s mouth had fallen quite open and Caroline rushed up the steps toward her daughter. Marc continued on to Caroline’s chambers, but Rachel’s eyes were firmly fixed onCaroline.
“Mama,” she breathed out, clearlyhorrified.
Caroline pulled her wrap tighter about her waist, not that there was any reason for modestynow. Anyone could tell what she and Marc had been about, and though Rachel was an innocent girl, she wasn’t stupid either. “Someone broke into the house,” Carolineexplained.
“That’s what you think I’ll believe?” Rachel glanced toward Caroline’s bedchamber where Marc haddisappeared.
“Not him.” Caroline urged Rachel toward her daughter’s doorway, still not certain what she was going to say about Marc. “Get dressed…” What was it Marc had said? “Wear something old. Something from last season. One of your mourningdresses.”
“Why?” Rachel stopped just inside the threshold of her room and glanced over her shoulder atCaroline.
“Because we’re headed to Yorkshire.Someplacesafe.”
“Yorkshire?” Rachel echoed, incredulously as if it was the most disagreeable place on earth. “What in the world is inYorkshire?”
Saddleworth Hall. “Lord Haversham’s family seat.” Caroline pressed Rachel further into her chambers. “Now hurry, I have to wake Emma and get dressedmyself.”
Chapter21
It would be latefor most people, but it would still be early for Laura, at least if she was keeping her usual hours. Marc rapped quickly on the door of her little place on Bedford Square. A moment later, the actress opened the door and her eyes widened when they landedonhim.
“What areyoudoing here?” she demanded, tossing her blonde locks over her shoulder and synching her wrap tightly about her waist as though he hadn’t seen every part of herbefore.
Marc gestured to the inside of her home. “Entertaining? Or are youalone?”
“I fail to see how it’s any of your business either way,” Laura repliedwaspishly.
Well, they certainly weren’t going to have this conversation outside. “Unless you’d like for me to publicize yourrealname and your true profession, Miss Hale, you’ll invite me in and toss out whomever you have inthere.”
“My real name?” She frowned at him like he was mad, but then shewasan actress. She was good at pretending in all aspects of her life. “Are you deep in your cups,mylord?”
“Come now, MissBurke, did you really not think I’d figured it out?” He had, after all, always known who she really was, even that very first time when their gazes had locked back stage at the theatre when he was there to visit someone else. How could he not? Laura looked so much like her sister. And then she’d put all of her acting abilities to the test as she made it her mission to seduce him, which he let her do. He didn’t, after all, have anything to hide from the Home Office. So if they wanted to waste their time having operatives, and pretty ones at that, take him to bed…well, the Home Office did owe him something, didn’t they? “Iamwaiting.”
Laura Hale, or Anna Burke as she’d been named at birth, opened her door and stepped aside for him to enter. “No one’s here,” she muttered as she shut the doorbehindhim.
And Marc believed her. If someonewasthere, she wouldn’t want them overhearing this particular conversation. London’s powerful men would not be happy to learn that the government was keeping tabs on them from the nightstand of a very pretty whore. “You owe me a favor,” he said, and made his way directly into herparlor.
She scoffed as she followed him into the room. “I don’t owe youanything,Marc.”
“Well—” he shrugged “—notyou, specifically, though your family certainly does owe me. But you,specifically, get to repay me on their behalf. Aren’t you fortunate?” He had, after all, saved her sister from certain death, once uponatime.
“What do you want?” She folded her arms across her amplechest.
