Page 15

Pip climbed the trees in a less-frequented corner of the Park and searched for anything he could feasibly eat while Sebastian looked on thoughtfully.

Pip’s return complicated his planned journey to his siblings, and yet, he could imagine nothing that would delight Felix or Hugo—or Margaret, for that matter—more than meeting Pip.

He stared at the place where the monkey had disappeared through some dense branches, watching for the familiar rustling that would notify him of his progress. There was no movement, however.

“Pip?” he called.

He waited patiently, for though Pip sometimes ventured off, he always returned within a few minutes. The memory of bonbons was sufficient, no doubt. Perhaps Tolliver had managed to train him, and Pip had gone off in search of the infamous glove to return it to Tolliver’s care.

“Mr. Drake?”

Sebastian spun around.

Mrs. Lawrence and Miss Grant approached on the nearest path, walking arm in arm.

Sebastian’s mouth broke into a genuine smile, and he strode over to them. “Well, this is a welcome surprise.”

He had been wishing he could see Mrs. Lawrence before leaving Town and had been trying to hit upon a way to do so.

“We walk this path every day,” Mrs. Lawrence replied with a quizzical glint in her eye.

Did she think he had come for the express purpose of seeing her? He had not, though if he had known she made a habit of walking just here each afternoon, he would have done his best to happen upon her. Perhaps this would become Pip’s and his regular daily outing.

“How are you faring?” Mrs. Lawrence asked. “Missing your four-legged companion?”

Sebastian glanced toward the trees, but still there was no sign of Pip.

Better to wait to tell her Tolliver had returned the monkey to him until he was certain Pip had not abandoned him.

“I have it on good authority that he has two arms and two legs rather than four legs. But no, I am not missing him.”

“I wonder what tricks Mr. Tolliver has managed to teach him by now.”

“Do you think he will manage to teach him any ?” asked Phoebe doubtfully.

“Forsooth, Miss Grant,” Sebastian said teasingly. “Before you know it, Pip shall be twirling atop Mr. Tolliver’s left pinkie at the snap of a finger.”

At that precise moment, Pip came sailing through the branches.

His sudden appearance took all of them off guard, but none more so than Mrs. Lawrence, who faltered toward Sebastian as Pip landed in front of them on the soft grass.

Her hands grasped Sebastian’s arm, and he put a reassuring one atop them. There was something about having her hold onto him in such a way that sent a flood of warmth through him.

Her head whipped up to regard him, a questioning look in her eyes. She seemed to realize she was holding onto him, for she released him and took a step back.

Pip came to Sebastian’s feet, then hopped up onto his arm.

“Mr. Tolliver did the honor of paying me a visit yesterday,” Sebastian explained as Pip offered him the shell of an acorn.

“He had…erm…urgent business that suddenly called him out of Town. He expressed the deepest regret that he would not be able to help Pip reach the dizzying heights he had in mind for him.”

Mrs. Lawrence’s mouth quivered at the edge before she managed to control it. “Indeed. So, he left him with you?”

Sebastian gave a little bow of the head.

Pip took this as an invitation to ascend to higher heights and scrambled atop it, then began picking through his hair.

Phoebe covered her laugh with a hand, and Mrs. Lawrence’s eyes sparkled with unvoiced laughter.

“I bring Pip to the Park each day for a bit of unrestrained exercise time,” Sebastian explained, trying to ignore the oddity he must present, “but normally I do so at an hour where I am less likely to be made a fool of in public.” Pip reached lower and began grooming his right eyebrow.

“That is a shame,” Mrs. Lawrence said. “Phoebe and I would happily make this spectacle part of our daily walk.”

“Perhaps I could charge a fee,” Sebastian said .

“We will be certain to bring our coins tomorrow,” Phoebe said.

“Guineas, I trust. Bonbons for Pip.” Sebastian patted his shoulder, and Pip returned to his place. “But I am afraid I will not be here tomorrow. Like Mr. Tolliver, I have been unexpectedly called out of Town.”

Mrs. Lawrence’s brows shot up. “You have? Does this mean you are leaving Pip with me?”

“I had rather hoped to take him with me, if you do not mind.”

She blinked. “I…that is, of course you may take him. You are doing me a great service by caring for him. It has been much easier to sort through George’s belongings without Pip trying to steal them.”

Sebastian smiled. “Well, you may be happy to know that he has taken to bringing me the items he collects.”

“Has he?” Phoebe asked with curiosity. “He must hold you in affection.”

“Or he is hoping for a bonbon.”

“I believe I have one in my reticule,” she said, removing it from her wrist and loosening the drawstring.

Pip seemed inherently to know what this meant and left his place on Sebastian’s shoulder in favor of what treats the reticule might hold in store for him.

Sebastian and Mrs. Lawrence looked on as Phoebe coaxed the monkey onto her arm. Pip’s eyes locked on the reticule, keeping him more still than usual.

Sebastian looked at Mrs. Lawrence beside him. She wore a soft smile on lips that matched the color of her bonnet ribbon.

Was it strange that he would miss her, short as his trip to Oxfordshire would be? What had begun as an attempt to acquire a fortune had transformed significantly, and now he found himself impatient to see her, eager for excuses to call upon her.

“May I see you when I return?” he asked .

Her head turned slowly, and her eyes met his for a few seconds, searching for he knew not what.

For a moment, he feared she might deny him his wish.

She nodded, and his heart fluttered with relief and anticipation. He didn’t know which he looked forward to more: seeing his siblings or returning to London with the prospect of seeing Mrs. Lawrence.

The home of Edward Hollis was located outside of the village of Bicester in Oxfordshire. Making the journey with Pip would certainly have been more convenient in a closed carriage, but Sebastian simply did not have the money to afford it.

He was obliged to take the monkey with him on horseback, setting out at an ungodly hour in order to arrive by evening with the hope that Yorke’s horse was equal to the grueling journey.

While Pip spent a good part of the day perched in his place on Sebastian’s shoulder, Sebastian had decided to wear a leather satchel where Pip could retreat—or, in an emergency, be shut inside.

But the marmoset behaved himself quite well, only leaping from the horse twice over the course of the day, both times due to the sight of something he hoped to eat.

He drew a fair bit of attention when they stopped at coaching inns for refreshment, and the satchel was soon lined with the odds and ends he had managed to acquire from fellow travelers eager to please him and observe his strange behaviors.

Sebastian suspected some of the trinkets had been snatched rather than given willingly.

Dark had fallen some time ago when Sebastian slowed his horse to approach the Hollis home warily, muscles aching with weariness.

It was unlikely Hollis would deviate from his habit of going out for a drink—or a half-dozen—each evening, but it was better to be careful.

Sebastian could manage the man’s temper well enough—indeed, he would be happy for an excuse to plant him a facer—but the last thing he wanted was to cause his siblings more trouble.

And then there was the matter of the Court of Chancery. If Hollis made a fuss about the unwelcome visit, it might prejudice them against Sebastian.

His body ached from the long journey as he looked over the small house. There was but one window with any light, and as Sebastian drew nearer, it was suddenly extinguished, causing him to pull back on the reins and wait.

“Steady, Pip,” he said quietly as the monkey threatened to jump down.

Sebastian watched for any sign of movement, but it was too dark. He coaxed Pip into the satchel near his waist with a bonbon.

“Just for a moment,” he assured the monkey as he fastened the clasp.

The door of the house opened suddenly, and Sebastian squinted.

Two small figures came running toward him, and his mouth broke into a smile. Margaret brought up the rear, closing the door behind her eager younger brothers.

Sebastian swung down from his horse just in time to receive Felix’s and Hugo’s embraces. He forced down the lump in his throat with a swallow, feeling the thin frames of both boys.

“You came!” Felix said with delight.

“Of course I did.” Sebastian squeezed them so tightly that they both groaned, then he pulled back. “And what is more, I brought a surprise.”

The spark in Felix’s eyes might have lit the house and its surroundings. “What sort of surprise?”

Sebastian quirked a teasing brow. “You will have to wait until we are inside to see.” He pulled Margaret into his arms, and she gave a little sigh of relief that spoke volumes of the weight she had been laboring under and how she viewed his arrival.

Felix took him by the hand and pulled him toward the house, impatient for his surprise. Pip too was impatient, squirming in the satchel.

Sebastian allowed Felix to guide him toward the door while Margaret took the horse to graze and drink in the nearby stream.

“How long do we have?” Sebastian asked when she joined them at the door.

“Three hours, at the least,” Margaret replied. “On some nights, he does not return until after two.”

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. This was the man charged with their care, and he abandoned them for nearly a quarter of every twenty-four hours? Not that they likely wanted him home. “I worried when I saw the light extinguished that he had seen me.”

“Oh, no,” Hugo said, speaking with all the confidence of youth as he led the way inside. “We heard the horse hooves, and I blew it out, fearing he had returned early.”

Sebastian frowned, ducking under the door. “Are you meant to be sleeping?”

“We are not to use candles when he is not at home,” Felix explained.

Sebastian glanced at Margaret, who offered something between a smile and a grimace. So, Hollis left them at night and refused them light, presumably because he did not wish to pay for the candles.

“I will fetch a candle,” Margaret said. “This is a special occasion.”

Felix turned toward Sebastian expectantly while his sister disappeared. “Well? What have you brought? Is it sweets?”

Sebastian chuckled. “Yes and no. Sweets were brought, but they are not, strictly speaking, for you. And if you take one, Pip might take violent exception to it.”

“Pip?” Hugo repeated.

Sebastian winked at him, then undid the latch on the satchel as Margaret reappeared with a small candle.

Pip climbed out of the bag and onto Sebastian’s shoulder. “This is Pip. ”

All three children stared with open mouths, Margaret stopping mid-stride.

“Would you like to hold him?” Sebastian asked Felix.

Felix’s head bobbed up and down, his jaw slack.

The children laughed and played with Pip by the light of one small—and increasingly smaller—tallow candle. Their laughter did his heart good, but the dim candle, the fear of Hollis’s footsteps, and the knowledge that he would have to leave them there were difficult to ignore.

“Take this.” He handed Margaret a fistful of banknotes while Hugo and Felix hid from Pip with bonbons to lure him to their places. “Do not, for heaven’s sake, allow Hollis to see it. You will have to be wise how you spend it so as not to raise suspicion.”

She nodded, and it pained him to realize the level of responsibility she had been forced to take up as the eldest of the children.

Sebastian had only been six months shy of his twenty-first birthday when Henry Hollis had died, which meant he had not been of an age to act as their guardian.

Six months was all that had stood between him and custody of his siblings.

“I am hopeful that the Court of Chancery will allow the transfer of guardianship,” he said in a low voice, “but it is simply too early to say anything for certain. I merely want to assure you that I am doing everything in my power.”

She smiled. “I know.”

He opened his mouth to tell her of Mrs. Lawrence, only to decide against it. He was certain Margaret would like her. The boys too. How could they not?

But it would be better to keep the details to himself. A little hope was vital, but some part of him—a superstitious part, he supposed—feared that telling them his precise plan might turn fate against him.

“You will tell me if your situation becomes more dire,” Sebastian instructed, holding Margaret’s gaze.

She nodded.

“You know my direction in London. ”

“What do you think you are doing?” The chill but slurred voice jarred them from their conversation, bringing their heads toward the door to the bedchamber the three children shared. Hollis stood in the doorway, his face ruddy from drink and anger.

Sebastian stepped toward him, putting himself between Hollis and the children. His nostrils burned at the smell of spirits. “I came to see my brothers and sister.”

“You have no right to be here,” Hollis said. “Get out.”

Sebastian stood his ground for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Just the sight of Hollis made his blood sizzle with anger.

“Get out before I call for the constable,” Hollis yelled.

“There is no need,” Sebastian said through gritted teeth. Being taken by the constable would not be looked upon kindly by the Chancery. “Come, Pip.”

The monkey scampered over to him and into his usual place, and both Hugo and Felix drooped with disappointment. Part of Sebastian wished to leave Pip and see what havoc he might wreak for Hollis. But it was the children who would suffer.

He went over to Felix and Hugo and embraced them.

“Out!” Hollis barked. “Now!”

Margaret gave Sebastian a nod and a little reassuring smile, and with his jaw set grimly, he strode toward the door.

He stopped just shy of Hollis. “If you lay as much as a finger on them,” he said through gritted teeth, “I will see to it that you are made every bit as miserable as you have made them.” He stalked past the drunkard, not bothering to keep his shoulder from jarring Hollis’s on the way.