Rebel Magisters (Rebel Mechanics #2)(71)

Colin rose from the bench, doffed his hat, and bowed. “Lady Flora, Miss Newton. And who is this delightful young lady?”

“This is my sister, Lady Olive,” Flora said. Seeing Colin must have done her a world of good, for the color had returned to her cheeks, and she had a sparkle in her eye. “Olive, this is Mr. Flynn. He’s a friend of Miss Newton’s.”

“And of yours, I would hope,” he said. “May I present my sister, Lizzie?” Lizzie gave a slight curtsy.

Colin gestured to his left. “We just passed a cart selling roasted nuts that smelled absolutely delightful. Might I escort you two ladies over there to purchase some for you?”

“May we, Miss Newton?” Olive asked.

“Of course you may,” I said. Under other circumstances, I wouldn’t have left Flora alone with Colin, but I suspected he was arranging the situation so I could talk with Lizzie, and Olive probably made a better chaperone than anyone because she wouldn’t hesitate to tell everything that happened. Olive released my hand and took Flora’s, and Colin held his arm out gallantly to Flora.

When they were out of earshot, I said to Lizzie, “Obviously, you’ve heard.”

“Yes. And I’m afraid I have even worse news. We’ve just had word from one of our people who’s a clerk at the courthouse that they’re going to transport him to England by the end of the week.”





Chapter Nineteen


In Which

I Must Draw Upon

All My Resources




“They’re what?” I blurted, stammering in my shock. “But why? There hasn’t been time for a trial. They only arrested him yesterday.”

“I think that’s the point. The governor is already facing scandal. It would be even worse if someone associated with his family were to be tried for treason. If they send him to England, it keeps things quieter here, and it doesn’t make as much of a martyr out of Lord Henry. They’re probably hoping the whole affair will be forgotten here.”

“If they take him away, we’ll never see him again,” I said. My whole body suddenly felt heavy with despair.

“Probably not. Even if he’s not executed, it would be nearly impossible for him to get back to the colonies.”

“Executed?” I yelped.

“That is the standard penalty for treason.”

“We can’t let that happen! We have to save him.”

“I’m not sure there’s much we can do. They’re holding him at the fort. That’s not the sort of place where we can easily stage a jailbreak.”

“But we have people on the inside who could help.”

“And risk their positions? We need those resources.”

“And we need Henry. Without him, we’ll have a much harder time getting magister support.”

“Even if you get him out, he won’t be able to keep playing his regular role. You and the children won’t be able to live with him. He’ll be a fugitive.”

“Just like the Rebel Mechanics he helped escape from the city,” I reminded her. “You owe him. You’d all be in prison and your machines would be scrap metal if he hadn’t helped you.”

She sighed and glanced over to where Colin and the girls were returning with paper cones of roasted nuts. “I’ll see what we can do. If you can find a way to get him out of the fort, we may be able get him out of the city and to safety. How likely is it that you’ll be able to move freely?”

“For now, we’re staying at the house. I only have to worry about the servants or the children noticing my movements.”

“Then see what you can do and let me know. You’ll have to act quickly. There’s a government ship sailing for England on Friday, and odds are, he’ll be on it.”

Colin and the girls reached us, and we said our farewells to Lizzie and Colin before heading back toward home. Flora was starry-eyed, and Olive was excited about the roasted nuts coated in cinnamon and sugar. “Colin is really nice, and he’s funny,” Olive said.

“He is nice, isn’t he, Miss Newton?” Flora said. “I don’t think he’s the least bit insincere.”

“He told me to get the cinnamon nuts because they’re better,” Olive added.

“Don’t eat them all at once. You’ll spoil your dinner,” I said as I escorted them across the street.

My mind was already scrambling to create a plan. I knew so many people who had contacts or who were strategically placed. Surely I could use those contacts now. The difficult part would be finding a way to get Henry out of the fort. After that, I was certain the Mechanics could get him to safety, if they were willing to help.

When the music master arrived, I left the girls with their piano lessons and claimed Lizzie had informed me during our meeting in the park that one of our mutual friends was ill, so I needed to go look in on her. Mrs. Talbot offered to retrieve Rollo from school for me.

Lizzie hadn’t wanted to risk any of our highly placed operatives, but what I had in mind was lower down the scale. The people no one ever noticed might be just the group to pull off something like this. I didn’t personally know any of the laundresses or scullery maids at the fort, but I was sure that some of my shopgirls and laundresses would know someone.