The coachman jumped down from his mount and was hurrying toward them, the lantern held high. Light sent strange shadows flickering through the branches of the trees.
“How on earth did you find us?” Sinclair said, grasping his servant’s hand in a firm, grateful grip.
Robert grimaced and gave a glance over his shoulder. “Boy! Come on over here and face the music!”
They followed his gaze. Someone else was with the horses, someone small like a child. He shuffled toward them, his boots too big, every step getting slower, as if he’d rather be going in the opposite direction.
“Georgie!” Eugenie cried, and a moment later she was holding his hands, just as she’d done outside the tavern. “Oh Georgie, I was so worried about you. Are those awful men really your brothers?”
Georgie bowed his head. “Stepbrothers,” he said in his gruff little voice. “I didn’t want to do it, truly I didn’t, but I knew if I didn’t they’d belt me. They’ve belted me before, miss.”
“Oh no, poor Georgie.”
Sinclair came over and rested a hand on Eugenie’s shoulder. “I think Georgie needs to tell us everything before we absolve him of his crimes,” he warned her.
She glanced at him beseechingly. “But Sinclair, surely—”
“No excuses, Eugenie.” He fixed a serious gaze on the boy. “Well, Georgie? What is the whole story? And make sure you leave nothing out because I will know if you do.”
Georgie glanced nervously at Eugenie and then swallowed and straightened his back and lifted a brave face to Sinclair. “I expect you’ll belt when me I’m done, Duke.”
“I expect I will.”
Robert gave a snort of laughter, turning it into a cough under his master’s baleful look.
The boy began to speak. “My stepbrothers make me hang around the tavern, keeping an eye on whoever passes through, and if there’s someone with blunt—like you, Duke—then I send them word. I get them to travel into the woods, tell them some tale or other. It was easy with you and the lady, because you were looking for someone and I could pretend I knew they went that way.”
“Yes, very clever,” Sinclair said sternly. “And you took my pistol, Georgie, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir.” He swallowed audibly. “I had to take it. I didn’t want no one shot. I knew once Seth and Harry had your blunt and your horses they’d be happy. The landlord always buys the horses from them. He pretends he doesn’t know where they come from but he knows, course he does. He pays for the horses and everyone is happy.”
“I found your horses at this tavern the lad talks about,” Robert put in. “The landlord was trying to sell them to me, but to buy time I said I’d have to consider it. Then this brave lad came up to me and told me the whole tale, including his part in it. I shook the truth out of the landlord and promptly sent for a constable. I don’t know if the constable’ll find the other two, Georgie’s stepbrothers. Georgie won’t tell me where they’re hiding out, will you, son?”
Georgie lifted his chin as three pairs of eyes fixed on him. “They’re still me brothers,” he said. “I can’t see ’em hang, can I?”
“Might be the best thing for them,” Robert muttered, but at the same time he gave the boy a pat on the shoulder as if to commend his loyalty.
Sinclair found himself glad to see his horses, and in a strange way he was glad to see Georgie, too, although what they were going to do with the boy now he had no idea. He was certain of one thing, Eugenie would not want him to go to gaol. The boy had showed courage when it was needed and he deserved to be rewarded.
“So your stepbrothers have my money. Where does that leave us?”
“I took some of it out and left it in your bag,” Georgie said quickly. “Didn’t you see it? I didn’t give it all to them, Duke, I promise you. I wouldn’t have given them any but they knew you were a toff and toffs always have blunt on ’em.”
Sinclair believed the boy about the money. “Still I doubt it will get us very far.”
“They was surprised you fought for your ring and your watch. They thought you was a right ’un.”
“Does that mean they admired you?” Eugenie said in amazement.
“He stood up for himself,” Georgie explained. “Not many toffs do.”
“He risked his life for a ring,” Eugenie retorted.
“It weren’t the ring, it were the principle of the thing,” Georgie said.
“Very true, Georgie,” Sinclair agreed. “One should always stand up for principles.”
“What about Framlingbury, Yer Grace?” Robert interrupted. “We could go there. Wouldn’t your uncle help you?”