“Then he is much, much better off where he is.” She frowned. “What happened to Katie?”
“Fool woman started to flash her new riches about, buying some pretty baubles and all. Got her throat cut.”
Catryn swallowed her gasp of shock. It was a life she had no understanding of. Whores, baby sellers, women getting their throats cut. Thinking of Giles growing up in such a world made her want to sweep him up into her arms and hold him tightly, but she resisted the urge. He needed no comforting. He had come out of that world hardened but not ruined by it, and she had to respect that. Even while living that rough life, he had cared about what happened to others, such as that baby, so that goodness was deep inside his soul and no longer at risk of being lost to the world.
“And you and your mates have ended up in a much better place as well,” she finally said.
“We have. Lady Olympia helped us for a while, and then I met my father. He took us all in and Lady Pen is teaching us all how to be gents. It is a fine life.”
“Then let us put all that aside and learn more about the Battle of Taunton.”
The stopping of the carriage pulled Catryn out of a light sleep. As she sat up, she noticed that Giles was also rubbing his eyes and yawning. Both turned to look at Orion when he opened the door to the carriage. A brief look beyond him revealed that they were not near the docks, and yet she could swear she smelled that distinct fish and filth odor of a port.
“Where are we?” she asked as he helped her down from the carriage.
“Portsmouth. Just down the road from one of the docks,” Orion replied.
“Have you seen Morris?” she asked.
“I saw his carriage and team at an inn we just passed. This is the first place where I could put the carriage out of sight yet ready to make a fast escape. It is a short, easy run from the docks to here. Someone could see the carriage unguarded and ride off with it, so I have already hired a lad to watch it and have given him a whistle to blow to warn us. I have not yet caught sight of Morris or your son, so thought it best if you come along to help me look for them.”
“You had thought to leave me behind?”
“I did. This is no game, and these men may be stupid, but they are dangerous. At times, stupid and dangerous is worse than smart and dangerous. Smart at least considers their own skin in all they do. Now, we need to hide that hair or at least stay within the shadows.”
Catryn turned and reached inside the carriage for her bag. She got a scarf out of it, and with a few twists and turns had it tied securely over her hair. She then tucked the rest of her long braid beneath her coat. It was not very fashionable and she probably looked like some aging crone hiding her thin hair, but her bright red hair was now covered.
“That will do,” Orion said. “Now we shall hunt the man down.”
She glanced at the boy who sat under a tree watching them, and nodded in greeting before she hooked her arm through his and they began to walk through the town with Giles, keeping to the shadows and blending in with the crowd to shield them as much as possible. “You do not think Morris will recognize you?”
“If you had not noticed, I am not dressed in my usual finery.”
“Oh.” She looked over his attire, clothes more suited to a prosperous businessman than a knight from a large family riddled with titles. “I just thought that you wished to save your good clothes from becoming too travel worn.”
“There is that advantage, but this is a clever mask for the most part. Everything is of good quality but not too fine. Dull in color so not apt to catch the eye. Even the hat”—he touched his tricorn hat—“is good, but not a single thread of embellishment to make it fashionable. The same with my coat.”
He was right. If one came up to him and really studied his clothing, they might perhaps notice that it was made by an excellent tailor, one not many men could afford, but people rarely looked that closely at someone just strolling down the street. For once she, dressed in the rather plain serviceable gowns she had packed for this journey, did not feel dowdy standing near him.
She began to look around as subtly as she could. There were a lot of people wandering the streets, taking advantage of such a fine day. It would not be easy to see the unremarkable Morris in such a crowd. Catryn knew she would see her son, however, if Morris did not have him hidden away somewhere.
They had turned and were idly strolling back in the direction of the carriage before she finally saw Morris. Alwyn stood next to him, and she actually took a step in his direction. Orion’s grip on her arm immediately tightened and Giles stepped up so that he walked on her other side. It was hard not to push them both aside and run to her child, grab him up, and then flee with him. As her companions walked her across the road and into a shadowy alley between a dress shop and a hat shop, she fought to get a firm grip on her common sense. To run after her child would be idiocy, for Morris had four big men with him. All she would do was allow him to capture her as well.
“We need to make a plan,” Orion said as he lightly pinned Catryn between him and the wall of the hat shop. “Morris and his men outnumber us and outweigh at least two of us.”
“I know. I know,” she repeated with a little more force as she nudged Orion aside and moved so that she could look at Alwyn across the street. “I have been repeating that to myself since I first saw him and took a step toward him.”
“The boy looks hale,” Orion said as he moved to stand beside her.
“Yes, he does. That makes it easier to be cautious. It appears Morris is having some difficulty arranging a berth on a ship.”
Orion looked at the almost too thin man dressed in bright finery arguing with a burly, hairy sailor. The little boy stood by his side, a big man on guard on his other side, and appeared to be watching the boats. Then the boy said something and Morris glared at him. From the way the man was waving his hand in the child’s face it was obvious he was scolding Alwyn. The sailor just frowned at the boy, the look on his bearded face one of confusion.
“I gather he has given up on the idea of getting his hands on me as well,” Catryn said. “After all, he is obviously planning to leave the country.”
“That would depend on when he wants to sail,” replied Orion. “The carriage is a quick run from here through those trees, but I’m not sure what would be the best way to separate the boy from Morris so that we can grab him and have even the smallest chance of escape.”
“I can get him,” said Giles.
Orion turned to look at his son. “You may be a few years older than he, but he looks a healthy lad. Not sure you could catch him and run very far with his weight in your arms.”
“I will not have to.” Giles looked at Catryn. “The boy can run, aye?”
“He can,” she answered. “He can actually run very fast for someone with such short legs, and it is something he dearly loves to do.”
“Then all I need to do is to lure him away from Morris and his men, and get him just far enough away that he and I can run for it.”
“That could work.” Orion looked at the pub near the docks where Morris stood. “Wait here a moment.”
“What is he doing?” Catryn wondered, watching Orion stride away and disappear into the pub.
“My guess is he is seeing if there is anyone he can hire to step between me and your son and Morris and his bully boys,” said Giles. “Would not have to be a big delay or even a fight. Just enough time gained for me to get Alwyn to you and all of us to get to the carriage. That would be what I would do.”
“It would?”
“Aye. Used that trick on the streets a lot to stop the one we just lifted a purse off of from catching the one who did the lifting.”
“Oh.” Catryn could not stop herself from reaching out to smooth her hand over his hair, as if she could smooth away the memories of that hard life he had lived.
“I just need to think of a way to catch your boy’s attention,” Giles said, moving a little closer to her and tilting his head slightly so that she could stroke h
is hair more easily.
“You just have to get near to him,” Catryn said, pretending not to notice his silent bid for more affection, continuing the idle stroking of his hair as she spoke.
“What do you mean?”
Catryn sighed. “Alwyn is so drawn to be with other children that just seeing one is enough to have him moving closer. At the house in the country I let him play with the servants’ children when I can, although his father did not like that so we had to be circumspect about it when he was alive. In the city it is much harder to find him other children to play with, although I can get lucky on some days in the park. Alwyn wants to be with other children very badly, so smile at him, maybe wink, but act welcoming and he will do all he can to slip away and get closer to you.”
“He is that lonely for boys his age?”
“Think how you would feel if you did not have your mates.”
“Oh. Nay, would not like that at all. Bad enough we are living in different places now, but at least I know where they are and can go there most times I want to. And they are in London during that season you rich folk have.”
“Careful how you speak of us, my lad, for you have joined our ranks.”
“Damn. Keep forgetting that, but I have.”
Catryn decided not to scold the boy for his language this time and, with Giles at her side, watched Morris and her son. Her arms ached to catch Alwyn up and hold him tight, to check him for any bruises. She had never been parted from him, she realized. From the day he was born, he had been with her, in London and in the country, with only a maid to assist her in the care of him. Or her father and one of the other servants. There would be someone else now, she decided. Even if she believed the threat Morris posed was ended, she would never leave her child without a proper, trained guard again.
Although she knew time passed slowly when one was eager to get something done, she found waiting for Orion to return very difficult. The fear that Morris would get whatever he was arguing for and leave grew with each passing moment. She was actually considering going to find Orion when Giles tensed at her side.
“Here comes my father,” he said and stopped leaning against her to stand straight as a guard at her side.
She watched Orion walk over to them. “Did you find what you went looking for?”
“I did.” He glanced toward the docks as half a dozen burly, somewhat rough-looking men began to wander out of the pub and congregate near where Morris continued to argue with the sailor. “Now, Giles, how do you plan to get young Alwyn to come to you?”
“Our lady already told me how to do it,” Giles replied. “The boy wants to be with other boys. So I will just catch his eye and let him see that I am a friendly sort.” He looked toward Alwyn. “It does not look as if he is being all that closely watched at the moment. The men are too busy arguing with that sailor. Best I get to it.”
“If you sense that Morris or his men guess the threat you pose, get out of there as fast as you can. Disappear and make your way around to the carriage.”
“I will, and getting away fast is something I am good at. But I will get the boy. So the plan is, get boy, run here, and then run for the carriage. That it?”
“That is it. I have also made certain that Morris will not find it easy to get his carriage on the road to come after us.”
“What did you do?”
“Broke one of his wheels. Paid the stable hand to look the other way while I did it. Morris does not endear himself to the workers and servants. He obviously does not see how valuable it can be to treat such people with respect and kindness. Or pay them decently, if at all.”
“A man like that one never will. I will get your son for you, m’lady,” Giles told Catryn before starting toward the docks.
Orion watched his son wander off and wondered if he was putting too much faith in the boy. “This is madness. Giles is only eight.”
“Easy to forget that at times,” said Catryn. “He is also, despite how his life is better now, a boy of the London streets. I do not believe he is given to empty boasting either.”
“No, true enough. Then, too, with his gift he will have ample warning if things turn dangerous for him. This will work.”
She suspected he was working to convince himself, but she prayed he was right.
Chapter Nine
Her stomach was so knotted up with fear and expectation, Catryn was amazed that she was not hunched over like some ancient crone. It was bad enough seeing her son so close yet unable to grab him, but watching Giles walk toward Morris and his men only made it worse. She had grown very fond of the boy and hated watching him put himself in danger for her sake.
“As you reminded me not a moment ago, he grew up on the streets, Cat,” Orion said quietly and kissed the top of her head before moving to stand in a spot that gave him a better line of sight. “He is skilled in the game.”
Startled by the softly spoken pet name he had just used, it took Catryn a moment to realize he not only stood between her and the docks but he had placed her completely in the shadows. Leaning to the side a little, she could see that his gaze was fixed unwaveringly on Morris, his men, and Alwyn. He held his pistol at his side. Catryn was pleased that this Sir Orion was on her side. There was a strong air of danger around him now and she knew it ought to frighten her. Instead, it made her more certain that this was the man who would help her save her son.
“I cannot see Alwyn with you standing there,” she said, although she knew her soft protest would not make him move. “Or Giles.”
“I can.”
“Were you born with this arrogance?”
He did not chance glancing her way but briefly grinned at the false sweetness of her tone. “I believe I was.”
“How lovely for you.”
With a twist of her body and a little bending, Catryn was finally able to see past him. Giles used a stick to bat pebbles around on the road while he sang a rhyme he should have scrubbed from his tongue. A couple of men unloading fish from a battered boat laughed heartily when they drew close enough to hear him, as did the men Orion had hired. Giles showed no sign of concern, no fear at all. There was a lot of his father in that boy, she decided.
Then she saw Alwyn standing next to Morris, who was still arguing fiercely with the sailor. Alwyn looked so sad, her arms ached with the need to hold him. Then he caught sight of Giles showing off his skill at dancing a jig in front of the men who had laughed at his song. Now he had Alwyn laughing. Catryn promised herself she would give Giles a big hug and kiss as soon as they were safe and riding far away from this place, simply for making her boy smile when he had to have been so scared for too long.
She tensed when she saw Alwyn begin to shuffle ever so slowly away from Morris and his men. It was as she watched her son take tiny steps toward Giles that she noticed something else. The men who were finding Giles’s antics so enjoyable were also subtly moving, cautiously making themselves a barrier between Morris, his men, and the two boys. Catryn scowled up at Orion.
“I think there was a little more to this plan than I was told,” she whispered.
Never taking his gaze from the boys, the men he had hired, and the enemy, he replied in an equally soft voice, “I could not be certain the men from the pub would do as I asked. There was the small chance that they would just pocket my coin and run. Or simply stand about and not risk putting themselves between the boys and Morris.”
“That is what Giles said you had gone to do, hire men to slow any pursuit.”
“Clever boy, my son. There. Giles has him. Be ready.”
Catryn stepped back to give Orion room, hitched her skirts up so that she could run with more ease and speed, and waited. Morris and his men remained completely involved in their argument with what she now believed was the captain of a ship that Morris clearly wished to sail away on. Giles had Alwyn’s hand in his and was inching his way backward toward them. She took a deep breath to try and remain calm, praying that Giles was as clever as she thought he was and wo
uld know just the right moment to run.
Giles knew the boy whose hand he now held trusted him completely. He could feel it. It made no sense, and that made him falter for a moment. Then he stiffened his backbone before fear could weaken him. This boy had put his faith in him and he would not fail him. It was what his mates had done for him and he would do the same for this child.
“Your mother is near,” he told the boy.
“I know. My father told me.” Alwyn smiled at Giles. “He told me you would take me to her.”
“That is the plan.”
“Good, because I do not like Morris. My father says he is a filthy bastard.”
Moving a little more quickly, Giles kept his gaze fixed on Morris and his men. “So your father is with you now?”
“My mother and Grand-da tell me I should not say so.”
“You can tell me.”
“Yes, I can, and Papa just said that we had better start running our wee legs off right now.”
Giles did not question or hesitate. He tightened his grip on the boy’s hand and started to run toward the narrow alley where his father and Alwyn’s mother waited. The speed of the smaller boy impressed him, but he was wise enough in the ways of small children to know it would not last long. Giles hoped one of the adults was ready to catch up Alwyn and run with him.
Catryn was just holding her arms out to catch her son when one of Morris’s men let out a cry of alarm. She grabbed Alwyn and started to run for the carriage even as Morris’s furious bellow rang out. A quick glance behind her revealed that the men Orion had hired were doing an admirable job of impeding Morris and his men, but she knew that tactic would only work for a little while. She doubted Orion had paid the men enough for them to be willing to die for him.
Orion loped past her as they neared the carriage, tossed several coins at the boy who had been watching it, yanked open the door for her and the boys, and then leapt up into the driver’s perch. Giles was next, passing her and hurling himself inside. She tossed Alwyn in, leapt in, and was just shutting the door when the carriage started to move. Orion was not sparing the horses, either. Catryn wrapped an arm around each boy and tried to protect them from the worst of a rough ride.
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