“The Runner in the village is looking for Hera Bythesea. No one else but my brother knows me by that name—andhecertainly wouldn’t havepaidsomeone to look for me.”
“Hera...” Penelope repeated with an odd little shake of her head.
“Don’t you see?” Hera injected. “Hemusthave been sent by Karl. What if he’s looking for me to make sure—as he intended—our child did not survive?” She spoke aloud her worst fear. “The war is over. The agreements between nations have been settled. I should have anticipated that he might try to find me...us.”Annis.
Hera swallowed what felt like her whole, jaggedly beating heart.
“Even if there is only a small chance the Runner was hired by Karl, I cannot be discovered.”
“Did Karl try and seek you out at the lying-in hospital?”
“I don’t know,” Hera replied. “But even if he did not, I cannot be sure he wouldn’t have if he’d had more time. His father called him to Vienna that very week. He had to leave immediately.”
“I can see why you’d be concerned,” Penelope agreed.
Hera’s voice quivered on the surface of her swelling upset. “Karl’s years of diplomatic service to his country connected him to powerful people. And now, he is free to return to England.” Hera bit her lip. “I’ve changed my name. I’ve attempted to conceal my appearance. But I’m still a governess. If there’s a Runner asking questions in the village, he’s only too likely to see the similarities between ‘Mrs. Montrose’ and myself. What if he locates me...or Annis?”
“Remember, my dear,” the Duchess of Ashbey soothed, “the Runner was only asking questions about you—not a child. And the hospital has no record of Hera Bythesea. Given the laws around bastardy, even if the Runner located Annis, Karl would have no claim.”
“There are any number of ways he might interfere. He could, for instance, do everything in his power to ruinmycharacter—and so prevent me from claiming Annis. If he’s the one seeking me out, I’m convinced that both of us are in danger.”
“Maybe someone else hired the Runner?” Penelope asked.
“Possibly,” the Duchess of Ashbey replied. “Although, it’s clear Hera will not rest easy until we can find out what’s going on.”
“But how can we do so without revealing I’m here?” Hera asked.
“He’ll seek an audience, I’m sure,” the Duchess of Ashbey said. “Instead of refusing, we’ll delay. You’ll just need to hide somewhere until we can find out the truth.”
“With due respect, duchess,” Hera replied, “don’t you think the disappearance of your nursemaid will raise suspicion—not to mention place my petition at risk?”
“Your departure wouldn’t raise questions if you were accompanying our children on a journey. Pen, could you take them back with you to Ithwick this evening?”
Pen considered. “Soldiers and seamen come and go freely from Pensteague. If the Runner were to somehow follow her there, he could easily insinuate himself into our community under a false name before we’d identified any risk.”
“As Chev did,” the Duchess of Ashbey replied.
“As Chev did,” Pen repeated. “What about Hevenhyll?”
“Hevenhyllisremote.” The duchess agreed.
“Hevenhyll?” Hera questioned.
“Hurtheven’s estate...” the duchess paused.
Hera opened her mouth, but a response failed to materialize.
“...Hurthevenhastaken Delmare to his home on his own before. And there are few I’d equally trust to keep both you and the children safe.”
“Ido not trust him,” Hera said.
Both duchesses turned to her with twin expressions of consternation.
“Has he done something he ought not?” the Duchess of Ashbey asked.
“No.”Not exactly. “He questioned me as if he knew I was hiding something.” And then there was the matter of the doll...
Penelope nodded. “He’s very good at sensing when someone isn’t fully forthcoming. Still, I, too, can vouch he is trustworthy. In the years my husband was missing, Thaddeus and I depended on him.”
