“I’m fine now. I hardly ever even think about it. I couldn’t very well let him hurt my friend, could I?”
“No,” he said softly.
She squeezed his shoulders, smiling. “I’ll fight to the death for those I care about, you know. That includes you and your brother.”
A suspicious sniff reached her and he moved away, shrugging off her touch.
After a misting rainy day, the clouds had cleared, revealing a bright full moon. “How did you end up in London from”—she shot him a grin, letting him know she was on to his and Owen’s ruse—“Somerset?”
“We wanted to see the horse races.”
Rebecca frowned. “The horse races! But that’s a days’ ride from—”
“We got to Ascot. And then”—he sniffed again—“I talked Owen into us going on to Vauxhall to see the fireworks. We were already so close, you see. I didn’t think it would hurt anything.”
It wasn’t that close, she wanted to scream. Her heart pounded in her chest. “Have you any idea of the danger—” She could hardly breathe for thinking of what could have happened. Why, just in the last year or two one of the upper crusts of society was found to have been involved with a child-stealing plot. Of course, the blackguard was let off scot-free due to his elevated position, she thought, disgust filling her. She inhaled and gentled her voice. “Do you realize how perilous London is for unaccompanied children?”
His eyes glistened in the moonlight. He nodded and lost his battle with a pooling tear as it trekked down his cheek.
She leaned in and brushed it away. “Why was that man after you?”
Oliver’s legs were too short to touch the ground but his legs swung, giving face to his nervousness. His focus moved to the ground. “He’s not after me. He doesn’t know about me.”
“He doesn’tknowabout you?” He looked out over the garden, hiding his expression from her. Nevertheless, she heard the honesty in his voice. “How is that possible?”
His legs kicked harder. “I hid.”
“I see.” Yet she didn’t, though relief filled her to the brim. “That was quite clever of you.” Her foot tapped the ground. “Why did you give the duke different names for you and Owen?”
His chin dropped to his chest. “It’s just a game me and my brother play,” he muttered.
As if she believed that. She nudged his shoulder with hers, teasing him. “Is that the only game you boys play?”
“Well, sometimes we trade places. No one can tell which one we are if we don’t talk.”
That brought her up. “What do you mean ‘if you don’t talk’?”
He jumped up as if he’d said more than he’d expected.
“Oliver?”
He yawned. It was completely fabricated. He’d likely shared all he was willing to share. Well, she’d allow his secrets, for now. There was a long day ahead tomorrow and they needed their rest. Scamming a duke was exhausting business. “Does Serena know you left the room?”
“She was sleeping. Why was the duke yelling at you?”
The little imp had smoothly turned the tables on her. “He wasn’t yelling at me.”
“He was mad at you.”
True enough. “Yes, but it has no bearing on our mission.”
“You think he’ll leave without us?” Was that hope she heard in his voice?
She snorted. “The right and proper Duke of Ryleigh? Marquis of Dorset? Viscount Woodsford? Admiral of His Majesty’s Royal Fleet? No, he won’t leave us behind.”
“Blimey,” Oliver whispered.
Five
