“Couldn’t sleep much on the coaches,” he muttered, his fingers so tired they were fumbling as he tried to undress. “Too much lurching around.”

“Then you have every right to be tired,” she said lightly as she helped him take off his outer clothes. When she tucked him into her bed, he was asleep almost before she pulled the covers over him.

She leaned over and lightly kissed his forehead. Her beautiful boy was here, her greatest wish fulfilled. Now for the complicated question of how they could remain together.

Kendra descended and entered the drawing room. Lucas stood when she entered and she walked straight into his arms, craving the warmth and safety of his embrace. In fact, she thought wryly, she was behaving like Christopher when he burrowed into her embrace. “What a day it has been,” she said with a sigh.

“Indeed.” He scooped her up in his arms, then sat on the sofa with her in his lap.

After a startled moment, she relaxed into him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Retrieving Christopher was my most important goal, and now I have him. The question is how do I keep him?”

“I’ve been thinking about that, too,” Lucas said. “Obviously it would be a disaster for Denshire to learn that Christopher has run away to you. Even though the boy doesn’t want to be separated from you again, I don’t think it’s safe for him to stay in London.”

She sighed and absently stroked Lucas’s arm. “I know you’re right. But we need to find a good place for him, and it has to be close enough for me to visit.”

“What about Camden Keep?” Lucas suggested. “I think my aunt and uncle would love to have him, and he’d have the Magdalene, who is a very soothing mule.”

She smiled. “That might work. More thought is required. There may be a better solution.”

“We might not have much time. Does Denshire know about Thorsay House? Is there a chance he might come here and accuse you again of abducting Christopher? Maybe even demand to search the house?”

She caught her breath. “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure! If he came with some men to back him up and demanded to search the house, they’d find Kit and it would cause trouble for Mr. and Mrs. Brown as well.”

“If the Browns don’t know that Christopher was ever here, it would be safer for them,” Lucas said. “Might they return soon?”

Kendra shook her head. “No, they’re visiting their older daughter today to see their new grandson. They didn’t expect to get home much before dark.”

“So we can take Christopher out before anyone notices there’s a child here.”

“That might be best, but where would we take him?”