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"I can’t right now," Ao at once"

Lily sla the spatter of ink, and thrust the quill in Amelia’s face She trerip "Write Write it down"

While Amelia addressed the foot on a scrap of paper

Lily read it "Peter Faraday Who is Peter Faraday?"

"Aht hi at Morland House He’s injured He … He ith your brother, the night he was attacked"

A wave of dizziness dropped Lily back into her chair She was completely disoriented This bit of information … it both explained sowas clear She had to get to Woolwich, and quickly Julian had no idea what he could be facing

Meredith touched her hand "I’ll go with Amelia now She needs help"

"Yes, of course," Lily said, pushing to her feet She helped her friends to the door "I pray all goes ith Claudia"

"Thank you" Amelia put a hand to her brow "I only wish there were soe to Spencer"

"Don’t worry, dear He’ll learn of it soon enough"

Lily intended to deliver the news herself

"There they are Those two, on the ridge"

Fro, Julian followed Ashworth’s gaze Two convicts labored on a rocky breakwater, some yards distant from the riverbank The men, dressed in standard-issue buff breeches and brown coats, were shackled to one another at the ankle Under the watchful eye of a cutlass-wielding officer, they passed and piledup the breakwater Julian noted with satisfaction that the prisoners’ tattered, soiled garer these past six months

"You’re positive it’s them?" he asked

Ashworth nodded "Had a chat with the officer down at the dock He confirmed the names Nasty sorts, the two of them Hardly--"

The boo of heavy e, the armory wasn’t a quiet place

"Hardly th "That’s why they’re working in shackles When their day’s labor is finished, a guard will be striking the irons An officer will give thes and their papers, and then they’re on their way"

"And so are we"

Once Stone and Macleod left the warren, they would follow and bide their time No doubt the convicts’ first order of business would be a pint at the local tavern and a visit to the closest brothel With any luck, they’d apprehend the led at their ankles Three against two, and pistols in their favor No contest Perhaps they’d wrangle a name from the brutes then and there, and Julian would at least have a direction for his efforts He wouldn’t be able to go hoh he were journeying in that direction

Until then, they would wait and observe fro an unused bay in the dockyard This s of ships was flanked by high platforh-planked stairs

By revealing himself to be the famed Lieutenant Colonel St Maur, Ashworth had easily talked their way into the armory and dockyard No one suspected They were just a friendly group of gentlereatest struggle had been shaking free of the ht footsteps clattered on the wooden steps Theto see ould join the to trade battle tales with Ashworth or curry the favor of a duke

But it wasn’t an officer who eed on the platfor dress and dark winter cloak, rushing straight for hiht on a board, and his heart pluhted herself

"Jesus Christ," Julian blurted out, taking his wife by the shoulders He couldn’t help but give her a little shake To be sure she was safe To be sure she was real "Lily, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I’ated ass" Her eyes blazed with fury, and she trembled in his arms He’d never seen her in possession of such intense, evident rage and fear

But she wouldn’t be here if her love didn’t surpass both of these

His heart rolled in his chest "This much, Lily? You truly love me this much?"

"Of course I do, you hateful man Damn you" She clutched her side with one hand and raised the other in a fist Lowered it Raised it again Then punched his shoulder, hard

He kissed her full on the lips She struggled for a y for the cause of defense But he would not be pushed away He held her tight with his ar the sweetness of her skin and the salt of her tears "I love you," he ainst her lips "I don’t kno it’s possible to love you so much I will die of it"

The platform trembled beneath their feet A powder explosion in the ar the foundations of the earth

"See here!" the duke called

With reluctance, Julian lifted his head, ending the kiss

Morland waved the his head toward the breakwater "Looks as though they’re sloork Perhaps they’ll be released early"

Julian turned to Lily and signed, "Go You erous"

"No," she said, still holding her side "You don’t understand It’s Peter Faraday"

Peter Faraday? How the devil had she learned of Peter Faraday?<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>