Page 18 of An Affair at Stonecliffe

TO NOELLE’S RELIEF, there was no sign of anyone watching their home. Hurrying inside, she lit a rushlight against the gloom and stuffed their belongings into a couple of sacks. Within minutes, they slipped out the door and back down the street, Noelle carrying the sacks and Gil toting the book Carlisle Thorne had given him. It irked her to keep anything belonging to that man, but she couldn’t deny Gil that little bit to hold on to.

Her mind had been busy as she threw their things together, and by the time they left Seven Dials, Noelle had formed the rudiments of a plan. Keeping a sharp lookout all around her as they walked, she returned to the millinery shop. It was a risk, for Madame Bissonet’s would be one of the first places they would look when they found she was not home, but she needed the help of her friend to accomplish her plans. Surely Gil’s would-be abductor would first search in Seven Dials—once he got free of the feisty dog and his owner.

Dusk was turning to darkness, and Noelle stayed in the shadows nearest the buildings. When they reached their destination, she stepped into the shelter of a recessed doorway across the street and carefully surveyed the area. There was no sign of anyone watching the shop.

She ran across the street and hammered at the door. There was a glow behind the windows on the upper floor, so Lisette was still awake. When she did not cease knocking, the window above the door was flung open and Lisette leaned out, glowering. “Who is—Noelle!”

Lisette’s expression changed from irritation to alarm, and within moments she was down the stairs and unlocking the shop’s door to let them in. Lisette’s eyes were full of questions, but she held off while Noelle fed her tired son and put him to bed on a pallet in Lisette’s bedroom. Then she pounced. “Mon Dieu, Noelle, what has happened? Are you running away again? I thought—”

“Yes, I thought differently, too.” Noelle told Lisette what had happened to them on the walk home. “Will you help me?”

“But of course,” Lisette answered instantly. “Would you like to stay here? You do not need to come into the shop, and they have no right to search my home.”

“I don’t believe they’d go so far as to invade your home,” Noelle agreed. “But I cannot remain in London.”

“You’ll need to disguise yourself,” Lisette said. “You can borrow some of my clothes. And your hair...” She tilted her head consideringly. “We could make it black. I have some black walnut powder.”

“No. I’m wearing one of my wigs.” Noelle reached up and unpinned the false hair, revealing her own golden blond curls, cut short for ease in wearing the wigs. She set aside the carefully braided arrangement of hair and combed her fingers through her tresses. “I shall stay with this for the moment. And thank you for the offer of clothes, as well, but I don’t intend to conceal my identity. My plan, you see, is to lure Thorne’s men out of London. With your help, if you will give it.”

“Oui, bien sur.” Lisette’s eyes sparkled. “What are we going to do?”

Noelle explained her plan, which met with Lisette’s enthusiastic approval. She finished prosaically, “But for now we must catch a few hours of sleep. There’s an early morning coach that leaves from the Running Hare, but it’s not until almost dawn.”

“You’ve already inquired?” Lisette asked in surprise.

“The first day I was here,” Noelle replied matter-of-factly.

“It is so sad.” Lisette frowned in sympathy. “To always think of how to escape.”

“The alternative is worse.” Noelle shrugged. “I was beginning to think I could stop, but...”

“This man, this Monsieur Thorne, is a monster,” Lisette said. “I shall like very much to fool him.”

Noelle could not sleep. She had not thought she could, but at least Lisette and Gil were able to get some rest. Rising before dawn, the three of them ate a sparse breakfast of oatcakes and tea. After Lisette had opened the front door and carefully checked the street, Noelle and Gil walked to the Running Hare and bought a ticket to Dover for the two of them.

Her bonnet covered up her blond hair, but she made no effort to hide her face. She hoped the agent would remember her and Gil. Taking a seat, she waited for the horn to sound, announcing the departure. This was the most dangerous time. At any moment, one of Thorne’s men could walk into the inn, looking for her.

As she watched, Lisette entered the room and bought a ticket. A short time later the coachman blew the horn, and the travelers crowded into the coach. She and Lisette did not speak to each other, but they managed to seat themselves beside each other in the coach, Gil in between them. They were all crushed in together, as was usual with the stagecoaches. Noelle was wedged against a large man who smelled of onions and sweat, and her knees knocked against those of the young man across from her. The young man tried several times to catch her eye, and the fellow beside her fell asleep and began to snore loudly.

Noelle ignored them both, too caught up in her own anxiety to care. The slow-moving public coach was a danger. If Thorne and his men acted quickly, it would not take them long to catch up with her. This was the likeliest vehicle for her to have taken, being the first one out at dawn and heading in the direction he would doubtless assume she would take.

She could not help but worry that her plan was a mistake. Perhaps she should have fled in the other direction, taken a coach to Liverpool or York instead of this craftier scheme. The plan would do her no good if he found her before the first stage stop. Her hands were clenched on her bag, her stomach roiling, and over the noise of the heavy vehicle, she strained her ears for the sound of rapid hoofbeats, a man’s voice calling the coachman to halt.

If she could just get to the first stop...if her scheme worked...she might be able to completely elude him. It all depended on the amount of time it took for the would-be abductor to notify his employer of her escape. He had failed at his mission, so it would not be something he rushed to tell. He would surely have run about trying to find her himself before he admitted he’d lost Gil.

When he could no longer conceal his mistake, she doubted that he would go to Thorne. A “gentleman” wouldn’t soil his hands by dealing directly with a kidnapper. No, it would be Thorne’s man Diggs who had actually hired the ruffians who pursued her, and the would-be kidnapper would go to him to confess. Diggs would be no more eager than his employee to tell Thorne of his failure. He might send out his men to scour the streets before he confessed that he had bungled the job. It could be midmorning before Thorne even knew they were missing.

She had no doubt that Mr. Thorne would send men after her. Indeed, it was possible Diggs might have ordered that himself before he told his employer of their failure. But she would have several hours’ head start, and even though a man on horseback would be faster than the heavy coach, he couldn’t race after her without exhausting his horse. And she doubted that the scum Diggs hired would be excellent horsemen.

No, it would work. It had to work.

Noelle glanced down at her son. He had begun chatting with Lisette a few minutes ago, and they continued to talk with the natural ease of longtime friendship. For her part, Noelle had carefully ignored Gil after they had settled into the coach so that it would seem he was with Lisette rather than her, and none of her fellow passengers would see anything amiss when he disembarked with Lisette.

A quick look around assured her that everyone else in the vehicle was asleep, talking to someone, or looking out the window. Noelle bent down and whispered in Gil’s ear. “Remember that you’re to leave with Lisette. I will return soon.”

He looked up at her solemnly and nodded. She could see the fear in his eyes, and it was all she could do not to hug him to her. But that might draw attention. She reached down between them and took his hand, hidden by her skirts.

When they rolled into the first stop to change horses, Lisette left the carriage, Gil’s hand in hers. The two of them would board the first coach back to London—they ran frequently along this short route to the city—and Lisette would hide Gil in her quarters above the shop while Noelle led her pursuers astray.