Rebel Magisters (31 page)

One of them, a slightly built boy I didn’t recognize, ran toward us and threw his arms around Henry. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re safe,” he said, except it wasn’t a male voice.

At the same time, both Henry and I said, “Flora?”

“Did you think I’d let you go away without saying good-bye?” she asked.

He turned to me. “You brought her in on this?”

“I needed all the help I could get, and she figured out what I was doing on her own. But I did not arrange for her to be here.”

“Oh, stop gabbing,” Flora said. “We must go.”

“Yes, the word has apparently gone out about my escape,” Henry said.

We climbed into the carriage, and it took off down the road. Henry and I sat side by side, and he took my hand, clutching it. We were so close. Once we made it to the airship, he’d be on his way out of British territory. I didn’t think the governor would risk the treaties with the native tribes to search for a fugitive. Henry out of the colonies would be almost as good as Henry in England. At least, I hoped that’s what the governor would think. Did he have any idea of the full role Henry played in the rebel movement?

The small window onto the footman’s roost opened, and the man there said, “There’s a patrol carriage signaling for us to stop. Hang on. We’re about to speed up.”

I clutched Henry’s hand tighter. Had the soldier had second thoughts, or were there more patrols? I was surprised to see that Flora didn’t look concerned at all. “Don’t worry, we have plans,” she said.

“I wasn’t part of planning this,” I said.

“My friends are very good at escapes,” Henry assured me, but I was close enough to feel him trembling.

The carriage made an abrupt turn, throwing me against Henry. It continued at a rapid pace for a few minutes more, and then the window opened again. “They took the bait!” the rear lookout said. “They’re going to be surprised when they find Lord Melton in the carriage they catch. Lucky for us, his is identical.”

Henry laughed, leaning back against the seat. “Ah, yes, the ploy we used to escape after we robbed the excise house. Good old Melton.”

Knowing that they already knew about Henry’s escape made me worry what else we would face, but we reached the hangar without further incident. Everett, the airship’s pilot, ran toward us as we got out of the carriage. “The
Liberty
’s ready to go when you are.”

“Good, because we ought to hurry,” Henry said. “I don’t know how long our little ruse will throw them off.”

As we approached the airship, Flora handed Henry a bag. “Matthews put together some things for you, and there’s some money in there, too.” We reached the ship, and she embraced her uncle. “Take good care of yourself, Henry. I know I’ll see you again.”

“And you take care of yourself and the other children. Keep up your reading.”

She released him and turned away, wiping tears off her face. He looked at me, smiling at me in a way that made my heart melt. “And you, Verity. You’ve got to be more careful.”

“I’m not the one who got arrested.”

“You could have been. You still could be. Please look after the children as well as you can. I know they’ll end up under their grandfather’s control, but he likes you, so there’s a chance he’ll keep you on. I know the cause is important, but please, for me, make the children your priority for now. You’ve done so much already.”

Tears stinging my eyes, I nodded.

“I’ll try to send word to you through the Mechanics,” he continued.

“Maybe we’ll even be able to arrange a meeting,” I said, my voice rough with the tears that threatened to spill at any second.

“Wait until things die down.”

“Of course,” I agreed.

“Well, then, I suppose this is good-bye for now. Thank you again.” He turned to board the ship, then turned back, dropped his bag, pulled me into his arms and kissed me. His mouth against mine was hungry, desperate, saying without words all those things that it was too late to say. When at last both of us needed to come up for air, he held me a bit longer, cradling my head against his shoulder. “I will see you again, Verity. Count on it,” he whispered.

I was so stunned I couldn’t speak or move as he picked up his bag and jumped on board. Flora joined me, hooking her arm through mine and leaning against me while we watched the crew release the mooring lines. Henry leaned over the side of the gondola, waving to us, as the ship lifted off the ground and sailed away. When it was out of sight, the carriage driver called out, “Come on, ladies, we need to get you back into the city.”

Henry was safe, but our night wasn’t over yet. We climbed into the carriage, and it started off down the bumpy country road. Soon after we turned onto the main road, we stopped. I heard a harsh voice asking, “What are you doing out here?”

“Coming back from a hunting trip,” was the reply.

“We need to check inside.”

“Be my guest.”

Flora was still in her boy’s clothes, and I was wearing the oversized coat and hat, but I didn’t think either of us would pass as boys under close inspection. However, I didn’t know if they cared about anything odd, so long as they didn’t find their fugitive. The carriage door opened, and a uniformed man held a lantern up as he peered inside. Apparently satisfied that we weren’t harboring an escaped prisoner, he shut the door, and soon the carriage resumed its journey.

We weren’t stopped again on our way back into the city. I had the driver drop Flora and me off at the northernmost subway station, as that seemed the safest way to get around while the police and soldiers were on high alert. “What is this place?” she asked, gazing around the station with awe.

“It’s a small railroad that runs underground. There’s a station near the house.”

“We can’t go back there.”

“What do you mean?”

“I got an emergency message in the night from you that your sick friend was dying, and I went out to sit with you. At least, that’s what the staff knows. If the authorities are searching for Henry, they’ll wonder where we’ve been, so we should be seen leaving wherever your friend is and coming home from there.”

That made sense, so I had the subway operator take us all the way down to the station nearest the boardinghouse. While we were still in the station, I took off the overcoat I was still wearing and had Flora put it on over her boy’s clothes. Underneath, I still had on my working attire. Flora carried a bag she’d brought with her from the carriage that I presumed contained her usual clothes.

Once we emerged on the street, we trudged as though coming home from a long night of work, making our way to the boardinghouse. Lizzie opened the door for us. “I assume he made it,” she said.

“Yes, he’s away,” I replied. “But I’m afraid my sick friend didn’t make it. Lady Flora was kind enough to come sit with me through the night and comfort me in my friend’s passing.”

Lizzie raised an eyebrow at that. “Then it sounds like we’ll be having a funeral this week.”

Flora raised her bag. “Is there somewhere I can change?”

Lizzie sent her to the bathroom while we went to Lizzie’s room. I peeled off my working clothes. While I adjusted my dress and tidied my hair, Lizzie gestured down the hall where Flora had gone. “So, that’s the girl my brother’s been swooning over.”

“You met her in the park.”

“Only briefly. This seems to be an entirely different side of her.”

“One I only just discovered, myself.”

Flora joined us, looking more like her normal self. She paused, staring at me. “Well, you do look like you’ve had a sleepless night,” she said with a satisfied nod. “And your eyes are even red and puffy. I think you’ll be very convincing.”

I put on my coat and hat, feeling myself transform back into a governess as I did so. As we stepped out the front door, Flora hooked her arm through mine and whispered, “Lean on me.”

The events of the night were catching up with me, and the relief of having made it through made me weak, so I didn’t have to act like I needed to lean on her. I was grateful for her support as we made it to a busy street where she could hail a cab.

The city was waking up as we journeyed uptown, and the morning traffic made our journey slower. I wasn’t at all surprised when we reached the Lyndon mansion and saw a police carriage parked in front. Henry would have had to be stupid or crazy to go home after escaping, but I supposed the authorities had to look there.

At least, I hoped they were only looking for him. Might they be looking for me? I must have tensed because Flora said, “Relax, Miss Newton, and leave the talking to me.” We waited for Mr. Chastain to come out and pay the driver and open the cab door for us. Flora lent me her arm again as we made it up the front steps.

“Why are the police here, Chastain?” she asked once we were inside the foyer.

Before he could answer, a police officer stepped out of the parlor and faced us. “Where have you ladies been?” he demanded.

“Miss Newton had a very ill friend facing her final hours last night,” Flora said, now sounding very much like Lady Flora Lyndon, granddaughter of the royal governor. “I sat with her as we waited for her friend to pass. It’s been quite a trying night for both of us, so I would appreciate it if you told us your business here and then left us alone.”

“Do you know the whereabouts of Lord Henry Lyndon?”

“He was arrested a few days ago, but we haven’t seen him since then. I would have thought you’d know that.”

“He was missing from his cell this morning.”

I gasped in shock and leaned more heavily on Flora, feigning a fainting spell. The truth was, I was so scared right now that I didn’t have to fake much. I thought my legs would go right out from under me.

“Can’t you tell that she’s already been through a lot?” Flora said. “She needs to sit down. Mrs. Talbot, please bring Miss Newton some tea.”

Not waiting for the policeman to respond, Flora helped me into the parlor and eased me onto a sofa. She sank onto the sofa to sit next to me with her arm around me. “How can Uncle Henry be missing?” she demanded of the police officer, who’d followed us. “What have you done to him?”

“We didn’t do anything, my lady,” the officer said. I thought he looked a little flustered. I could hardly blame him, given the ferocity of Flora’s glare.

“The soldiers might have. He was in military custody, wasn’t he?”

“I, er, um, well, we don’t believe the soldiers did anything. They reported him missing.”

“I don’t think he would come here. He should know you’d look for him here first.”

“Do you know where he might be, my lady?”

“Have you checked our country estate? It’s up in Westchester, on the river. I know he goes hunting sometimes, but I’m not sure where. He’s very good in the outdoors. He’s an expert on bugs, you know. He might be able to survive in the wilderness for quite some time.”

The officer jotted this down in his notebook. “Thank you, my lady, you’ve been very helpful. We will keep you informed.”

“Do let us know if you find him. We’re quite worried. And I think you should look into the soldiers. They might not be kindly disposed to traitors and may have taken matters into their own hands.”

He frowned, as though actually considering that, and made another note in his book. “Then I will leave you ladies alone.” He started to leave, paused, and turned back. “And my sympathies for your loss, miss.”

I nodded a thanks, and Mr. Chastain opened the door to show him out. Mrs. Talbot arrived with a cup of tea for me. “You poor dear, I’m so sorry about your friend,” she said. I took the tea and gratefully let its hot sweetness revive me somewhat. “Did they say that Lord Henry had escaped?”

“They don’t know,” Flora replied. “He’s missing.”

“Oh my! I hope nothing’s happened to him.”

“All we can do is wait and pray,” Flora said piously. “Now, I think both Miss Newton and I could use some rest. We’ve had a long and difficult night.”

She helped me up the stairs, and I wasn’t sure I’d have made it without her assistance. Now that my mission was done, I felt drained of all strength. Once we were in my room, she surprised me by giving me a big hug. “We did it!” she whispered. Before I could respond, she was gone.

*

I wasn’t sure how long I slept, but I woke up groggy and hungry in the middle of the afternoon. I dressed and had just come out of my room when Rollo came tearing down the hallway from his room. “Grandfather’s carriage is outside,” he said.

I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I supposed it was inevitable that the governor would take charge of the children, and even more so now that Henry was gone. I’d just hoped he would have waited longer.

I didn’t make it down the stairs as quickly as Rollo did, but I was there in time to see Mr. Chastain open the front door. Instead of the governor entering, it was a pair of footmen bearing a sedan chair in which a veiled woman sat.

When the door had closed behind them and the footmen set the chair on the ground, the woman sprang nimbly from her seat. She was about my height, and there was something familiar about the way she moved. Before I could figure out what it was she reminded me of, she threw back her veil. It was Lady Elinor.

“Aunt Elinor!” Rollo cried out. “I didn’t think you could get out of bed.”

“Can’t and don’t want to are two different things,” she said. “I do calisthenics in my room when no one is there.”

“Aunt Elinor!” Flora echoed, coming down the stairs to join us, Olive trailing behind her. “What are you doing here?”

“Why, I’m to be your new guardian, of course. I persuaded Father that he was far too busy to take on the additional responsibilities, and it was better for you children to remain in your own home. So I will stay here with you. Is the Blue Room free? As I recall, it has a nice view of the park. That’s where I always stayed when I visited Lily.”

“But are you up to it?” Flora asked.

“Just as long as I don’t have to host dinner parties.” She turned to the footmen. “You can bring in my trunks.”

They carried the sedan chair away, and Elinor addressed me. “I think we should stick with your usual routine, the way Henry did things. I don’t anticipate there needing to be any changes around here, though you don’t have to worry about me disappearing to go hunt bugs.”