Blackness was closing in. Charlotte tried to claw her way back to consciousness, but everything had turned hazy and all she could hear was a loud buzzing, like the sound of angry bees.
And then there was naught but silence.
CHAPTER 26
“Where did you get that?” repeated Horatio when he received no answer to his first query.
Hawk hastily moved his sketchbook to cover the scrap of fabric. “I—I don’t remember,” he stammered, glancing at his brother for help. “W-Why do you ask?”
“Because it’s important.” Horatio moved a step closer. “It may be a matter of Royal Navy security.”
“In what way?” demanded Raven. “If you know anything about the bit of cloth, you need to tell us.”
“I’m sorry, but my oath as a midshipman—an officer in His Majesty’s service—prevents me from revealing that information to you.” Horatio turned back to Hawk. “Please—try to think harder about where you found that piece of cloth.”
“I’m sorry, but his oath to Wrexford and our family prevents him from revealing that information to you,” interjected Raven. “And it does for me as well.”
“And me,” added Peregrine from his spot on the floor.
A fraught silence held the four of them in thrall.
Peregrine slowly sat up. “Do you play chess, Osprey?”
“A little,” said Horatio warily.
“Then you know what a stalemate is.”
“I think so,” came the answer. “A stalemate is when it’s a player’s turn to move, but his only choice is to put his king into check, which is forbidden by the rules.”
“Correct. So the game can’t continue,” said Peregrine. “There can be no win as well as no loss.”
“Unless the players agree to bend the rules?” said Raven.
A smile. “Correct.”
Horatio frowned. “What are you suggesting?”
“Perhaps there’s a compromise,” pointed out Peregrine. “Lord Wrexford is a former military officer and has recently performed some important investigations for the Crown.”
“I . . .” The warring of emotions was writ plain on the midshipman’s face as his gaze moved in turn to each of his three new friends. “I cannot risk saying something that might inadvertently betray my country.”
At the wordbetray, Raven shifted uncomfortably. “Oiy, betrayal is the worst sort of sin. We would never ask you to do that.”
“Oiy,” agreed Peregrine. “But given that we are all trying to do the right thing, perhaps there’s another way to work together.”
“Go on,” said Raven.
“Osprey is Aunt Alison’s relative—” Glancing at Horatio, he added, “I may not be part of this family by blood, but Lady Peake is of the opinion that friendship and love are even stronger bonds, so she insists that I call her Aunt Alison.”
Horatio shuffled his feet, the flickering lamplight making it impossible to read his expression.
Peregrine cleared his throat and moved his gaze back to Raven. “As I was saying, given that Osprey is Aunt Alison’s relative, that makes him part of our family, too. Which means that you could explain just enough about the fabric for him to decide whether his oath as a naval officer permits him to share what he knows.”
Raven thought for a moment, then stepped back a few paces and beckoned Hawk and Peregrine to join him.
Horatio waited with stoic patience as a back-and-forth flurry of whispers took place.
“Oiy, that could work.” Raven’s announcement signaled that the private conference was over.
