“Mr. Trewlove.” She couldn’t stop herself from moving up to Sophie and greeting her with a rub of her neck and a kiss on her forelock. “You brought her back, delighting the children once again.”
“Did my actions delight you?”
“You know I’m always delighted to see Sophie,” she said, giving him a teasing little smile. “However, with a saddle on her, it’s going to take most of the morning to give these children a ride.”
“The saddle is for you. I was hoping you’d accompany me somewhere.”
“Going about during the day is a bit risky. Or at least it was. I received a letter from my brother, so now I’m given to understand that no one is searching for me.”
“How fortunate for you.”
She angled her head thoughtfully. “You gave me your word you wouldn’t bother my family.”
“I vowed not to bother your mother. You’ll never know how hard that vow was to keep.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What did you do to my brother to prompt him into writing his letter?”
“Merely woke him from his slumber.”
“Is he now gallivanting about town wearing a splint?”
He grinned. She did so love his grins. “No. As he was an innocent in all this.”
“Yes, he was. Did he look well?”
“He looked put out to be disturbed. But I do think he is worried about you. I assured him you were where you wanted to be, doing what you wanted.” He tipped his head to the side. “Now, I’m hoping you’ll want to take a ride on Sophie.”
She did. Desperately. “She is my weakness.”
The air seemed a bit clearer today, the sun a bit brighter, as she rode Sophie slowly through the streets of London. It felt marvelous to have her beneath her.
“The manner in which the sisters were watching me, I think they believe me to be up to no good,” Finn said.
“Are you?” she asked.
He hitched up a corner of his mouth. She’d never seen him ride a horse. He rode one well, with confidence, but then he’d never been lacking in that regard. “Would you be disappointed if I were?”
She was disappointed in herself because she wouldn’t be. But she held her silence on that matter. No point in confirming what he no doubt already suspected. “How did you manage to keep Sophie all these years, while you were in prison?” she asked.
“When I was arrested, Aiden came to see me. Actually, all my brothers did, but Aiden was the first, so I asked him to take Sophie from Mick’s pen and see to her for me. I was afraid your father knew she was alive, might discern where I was keeping her.”
She furrowed her brow. “I wonder where my father came up with the notion you’d stolen her. I never told Miriam—I never told anyone—she was alive.”
“I’m not certain he did know. He just claimed I stole his horse, didn’t give specifics. He didn’t need any proof. He was an earl. They took him at his word.”
She was horrified by the notion that her father would wield such power so unjustly. “His actions disgust me. I know you don’t want me to continue to apologize, but my family owes you so much. My father treated you shabbily, and I had no idea. If he were still alive, I’d not be able to bear looking at him.”
“Let’s talk about something more pleasant.”
She couldn’t blame him for wanting to move on. “I’ll be rescuing more children tonight if the woman comes through on her promise to meet me. Although as I mentioned last night, I must find a source of income rather quickly. I’ve been using the money I received from selling my wedding gown and jewelry to purchase children. It’s almost gone.”
“You might do better to place the ads yourself, to be a baby farmer. Then you’d acquire the children right off. Or at least some of them.”
She looked over at him, not at all surprised to find his gaze focused on her. “That’s brilliant, Finn. I hadn’t thought of that. An advert would no doubt be less costly than what I’ve been paying these women, and the children would be brought to me directly.”
He shrugged. “I was a thief in my youth, for a while anyway. Considering all the angles is one of my strong suits. Although you’re likely to discover some of these children belong to people you know. How would you feel about that?”
“I won’t judge them. I can assure them their children will be well cared for. Hopefully they’ll find some comfort in that.”
