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“Wales?” he gritted out between histeeth.
“Rhyd Ystwyth Mining. The fortune he married,” Laura explained. “It’s in Cardiganshire, in the River Ystwyth Valley. He never goes there. He’s made apointof never goingthere.”
“So that’s where you think he’s—” Sebastian winced as she finished a stich “—headed?” That last word sounding more than slightlystrangled.
“Well, he had no love for his wife. No one would think to look for himthere.”
“Except you?” Sebastianasked,
“I did know him rather well, at one time.” She stuck him with her needle once more. “Almostdone.”
“Thank God,” hemuttered.
She pierced his skin again. “But you won’t tell Galloway,” she said evenly. “Tell me youwon’t.”
“He’s committingtreason.”
Laura breathed out a breath. “When you have proof of that,thenyou can tellGalloway.”
“I saw him with my own eyes,Laura.”
“You saw himtalkingto St. George, nothing more, and you couldn’t even hear them. It could quite simply have been a chance meeting. Do you honestly think they were saying something treasonous with Lady Staveley right there, listening toeveryword?”
“I think your feelings for the man cloud your judgment,” Sebastian countered, even if she might have apoint.
“Well, I think he’s running right now because ofyou. I think he’d do anything in the world to protect Caroline Staveley, and your break in at her home this evening has spooked him. Do you really think a man like him would runotherwise?”
Laura did make a valid point, he supposed. With everything Sebastian had ever known or ever heard about Haversham, he wasn’t a coward. And if the man was leaving London, odds were he hadn’t thrown his lot in with St. George. He’d stay in Town to finish his part of the conspiracy if that was the case, wouldn’t he? “Perhaps you’re right,” heconceded.
“So you won’t breathe a word of this to Galloway?” She snipped the thread against his leg, the coolness of her scissors against his skin made himshiver.
“You do have a pair of scissors in your hand and I’m in a fairly vulnerable positionrightnow.”
Laura laughed. “Honestly, Sebastian, has anyone ever called youababy?”
“Yes,” he said honestly. “Though it’s usually in the throes ofpassion.”
Chapter22
Damn it all,Marc cursed the day Blackaby of Bow Street was born. The obnoxious man was posted right outside Haversham House, peering up as though the building itself might give him all of life’s answers. Theincessantfool.
Marc glanced down at his pocket fob. 4:15. He had to change into something more serviceable, throw his pistol and a few other items into a valise and still get to the coffee house on Piccadilly in less than an hour, something he could easily have managed on any other given night, but with Blackaby standing guard…well, that damned runnerdidadd an extra wrinkle intotheplan.
* * *
Emma cried softlyagainst Caroline’s arm, and if she wasn’t trying to be strong for her children, she would probably have cried right along with her. Rachel, across the hack on the opposite bench, still hadn’t looked at Caroline without an accusatory stare since they’d fled StaveleyHouse.
The door to the hack opened and Simmons peered inside. “I’ve secured passage formy sister and her familyall the way to York. You’ll have to change coachesthere.”
Thank heavens Simmons had traveled to the coffee house with them as Caroline had never purchased passage on a mail coach before, she’d never ridden in a mail coach before, and she doubted she couldblend indoing so now. It was still so hard to believe that they were in danger, and fleeing London under the cover of night, disguised as someone from the servants’ class. And now they had to change coaches in York? What if they missed the coach headed to Driffield? Or what if she made it to Saddleworth Hall without Marc and his staff turned her away? Orwhatif—
“His lordship has done this a number of times, milady.” Simmons must have read the panicked expression in her eyes because he added, “He’ll be with you, and all willbewell.”
Which was what she kept telling herself. But where was he? “Any sign of hislordship?”
The butler shook his head. “But he knows the schedule, madam. And our driver here says you can stay in the hack until it’s time todepart.”
“I miss Fluff all ready,” Emmawhimpered.
