During their monthlong absence, the Black Sheep had become a legend. As they’d traveled south from their wedding, they’d heard more and more tales about how the infamous Wick cousins had unmasked Lord Hawley as a highwayman. Of course, Charlotte was featured in many accounts. Everyone from the lowliest tavern maid to the wealthiest noble absolutely relished recounting how a highborn lady had literally torn the mask from Hawley’s face. The fact that the viscount’s own brother had assisted only made the story more salacious.
Printed caricatures and cartoons about the capture abounded. Everyone was clamoring for the viscount to hang. Some discussion had even begun about stripping the title of duke from Lansberry. No matter the outcome, it seemed highly unlikely that Hawley would ever return to his position of power. Charlotte, Matthew, and their friends had not just defeated him but ensured that he could no longer hurt others as well.
“Welcome home, Dr. and Lady Matthew Talbot!” The shoutedgreeting pulled Charlotte from her reverie, and she nearly stumbled through the open doorway. To her shock, she found their friends gathered around the long tables of the Black Sheep. Even Pan and Banshee watched from the rafters. Although Charlotte had sent a missive ahead to Hannah and Sophia that she and Matthew would be arriving, she had not expected a private fete.
“Oh, this is wonderful!” Charlotte cried in delight. “You even have a cake with white icing!”
“Which we defended with our lives!” Mr. Powys cried out. “We have the battle wounds to prove it.”
“You’re injured?” Matthew stepped into the room, scanning his friends with the eyes of a concerned physician.
“We just were mildly attacked by Pan. We have plied him and his lady love with dried fruit, and he is satisfied now.” Alexander pointed toward the rafters with his eyes where parrot and capuchin were happily eating.
“Hello, Banshee! I’ve missed you.” When Charlotte said the monkey’s name, the little imp immediately began to chitter with joy.
Abandoning a miffed Pan, Banshee climbed down to give Charlotte a heart-meltingly sweet hug. With the monkey clinging to her neck, Charlotte recounted the tale of her trip with Matthew to Gretna Green and back. Matthew interjected here and there, but mostly he seemed content to sit next to her and hold her hand under the table.
“So how are things here at the Black Sheep?” Charlotte asked when she finished. As if sensing the tale had ended, Banshee released her and climbed back into the rafters to rejoin Pan.
“We’ve had so many new customers since Hawley’s capture,” Sophia said.
“And the crowd has gotten even more interesting,” Mr. Powyspiped up. “More swashbucklers. More political dissenters. More bloody nobs too.”
“Even though no one has publicly mentioned the back room, we’ve had a parade of new female customers,” Hannah said.
“My drivers have been asking me what is happening at the Black Sheep since they’re getting so many requests to stop here,” Mr. Belle added.
“I may be partially responsible for the clandestine rumors floating among interested young ladies in London’s drawing rooms,” Calliope said with a smile.
A scowling Mr. Powys hurried to add, “Women with connections to my theater have also made their way here. The Black Sheep shouldn’t just be a refuge for the rich.”
“Agreed,” Charlotte interjected before Calliope and Mr. Powys started yet another spat. “In fact, Matthew and I were discussing an idea for the future of the Black Sheep. Hannah and Sophia would need to approve it, of course. And it would involve all of you.”
“What is it?” Hannah asked.
“The Black Sheep has always been a haven for peoples of all backgrounds and even for misfits,” Matthew explained. “It was one of the few places where I have felt truly comfortable.”
“It was a welcome sanctuary for me to explore my yearning to become more than what Society and my parents had ascribed for me to be,” Charlotte added. “But I required more than a physical place to explore my inner self. I needed your help to break the bonds holding me back. I could not have stopped Hawley without all of you.”
“We were thinking of letting it be discretely known that the Black Sheep is not only a sanctuary but a place where people can come for assistance when they have no other alternatives,” Matthew explained.
Charlotte looked at Hannah and Sophia, realizing that her request put them most at risk. They could have their licenserevoked, or even find themselves thrown into prison. “We understand that you two would bear the brunt of the danger.”
“Peril is what we live for,” Sophia said with a broad smile. “Helping others seek justice complements our original mission here in London.”
“We should raise a toast to our new plans, but first, we need to lift our glasses to your nuptials,” Hannah said.
“Toast! Toast! Toast!” Pan cried happily from his roost as Banshee shrieked her approval.
“That reminds me,” Charlotte said, pulling dried buds from her reticule. “If we are to embark on this new endeavor, we’ll need extra luck. Matthew picked wildflowers for me to hold when we wed at Gretna Green, and I brought them back with me. Should I toss them or just hand one to everyone?”
“Toss,” Hannah said. “It will be ever much more fun. You and Matthew can even pretend that you’re escaping to your bedchamber.”
“You can use the entrance to the back room for the ruse,” Sophia suggested.
“Carry Charlotte in your arms!” Mr. Powys suggested.
“Carry! Carry!” Pan cried out.
