“Yes, yes.”
“Finally, we have your papers, which prove what you are doing to the people of Hood’s Bay. We also know what conversation the cabin boy was thought to have overheard—the truth behind why theTemerity’s captain was accused of treason. There has been great damage done here. A boy is dead, and Emily is seriously injured. We do not wish to engage in a campaign of blackmail and threats. May we avoid that and have your word that you will speak to Emily on this matter and come to some agreement with her?”
His brow knits. “With Emily?”
“She knows these people better than we do, and she cares for them more than we can. The situation might change, sir, but for now, sheisyour heir, and I would suggest you think of her as that. She is quite capable of fulfilling the role. Talk to her. Listen to her. It is only the two of you now.”
A look passes behind his eyes, one that might actually be grief. Then he nods. That is all he does. He nods.
We arein Emily’s rooms at Norrington Hall. The doctor has removed the ball and declared she was most fortunate to have been shot there. I’m not sure I would ever say anyone was fortunate to be shot anywhere, but I understand what he means. The location of the shot means that she has lost blood and will need time to rest and mend, but she is expected to make a full recovery. Her uncle is already preparing to travel to York to find a doctor to confirm the first’s opinion and a nurse to tend to her. Whatever else Lord Norrington might be, he is a loving uncle, and I must accept that.
Nicolas has not joined us here. Norrington has promised to see that the warrant is lifted and Nicolas receives a full pardon, but that does not mean he should risk walking into Norrington Hall just yet. He has already talked to Emily, and while they had the longer acquaintance, I feel as if I need to say more, as I was the one who committed the greater betrayal.
“You have known me for less than a day,” she says when I apologize. “I understand that you both did what was best. For the people of the bay and for that poor boy.”
“Yes, but Nicolas did not mislead you. He was truly your ally and your friend. I tricked you from the moment we met.”
“For good cause.”
I give her a mock-stern look. “So this is to be my punishment, is it? You will not let me properly apologize?”
She smiles and puts her hand on mine. “All right. I accept your apology even if you did not need to give it. Whatever your reason, you were kind to me, when I must seem to you a very silly girl.”
“A very silly girl does not help a fugitive. Does not defy her family to do so.”
She rolls her eyes. “It was a small thing.”
“You are as bad at accepting compliments as you are at accepting apologies. You are far from a silly girl, Emily.” I turn to face her. “While I am sorry that I misled you, I am even more sorry about what you had to hear on that ship. About your father and your grandfather.”
“My father and I have always had... a difficult relationship,” she says slowly. “He was good to me, but we were never as close as I would have liked. At least I no longer have to feel like an ungrateful child for doubting the sincerity of his love.”
She pats my hand again. “I will deal with this, both the personal and the rest. I know my uncle is not a good man but...”
“He is good to you.”
“Yes, and I can use that to advantage, for both my own situation and that of the people of the bay. If I cannot change his mind, then...” Her eyes twinkle. “With Nicolas gone, there is an opening for a new Robin Hood of the Bay.”
I lean in to kiss her cheek. “And you would fill it admirably.”
Of course,we will not skip off, leaving poor Emily to clean up the mess. However, I am a strong believer in allowing people to at least attempt to accomplish difficult things on their own, particularly if they are women, too often raised to consider themselves incapable of such achievements.
Emily and Nicolas have discussed a plan of action, and she wishes to attempt it independently, and so we will leave her to that, returning to check on her later, lest she find herself in trouble. I doubt she will. Her uncle is devoted to her—I saw that firsthand. She will be that soft voice in his ear, guiding him to make better choices. While I doubt she will be able to persuade him to make choices for philanthropic reasons, I’m sure he can be persuaded to make ones that will not land him on a gallows for treason.
There is another reason for us to leave Emily to it. Nicolas is no longer a fugitive, but his captain was a French spy. The authorities may decide to pursue Nicolas again. Clearly, as the son of a French nobleman, he could have been a party to the plot. Either he would hang, or he would be deported to face the righteous wrath of the French revolution. So he must flee to the one place he is safe: the future.
Emily promises to find and care for the mare as well. As I suspected, the horse had wandered to their stables. It’d been Emily herself who’d seen her abused state and insisted on taking her in. Now she will find her again, and if her former owner complains, she will shame him into selling the mare to her.
Mr. Walker takes us in his cart to High Thornesbury, and from there, we slip up to Thorne Manor. We really will need to have a word with the current Lord Thorne—we can hardly expect to be passing in and out of his house regularly without telling him something. For now, he is still gone, and so we make our way to the bedroom where the stitch waits. Then we clasp hands and leap through into—
Into a room I do not recognize. The room of a child.
“This is not your time,” Nicolas says as he looks around.
I walk to the dresser. On it is a lamp with a cord leading into the wall. I pull a chain, and the light ignites, making me gasp as Nicolas gives a start.
“Certainly not,” I say. “We must be in the future.”
“Lady Thorne’s time? The twenty-first century?”