“So soon? But this is early! I wonder what happened. I shall have to ask Father later. Now, run along back to the ball. I don’t want to keep you. Promise me that you’ll dance at least once. Make Henry waltz with you. You wouldn’t think it from the way he bumps into walls, but he’s rather good if he keeps his mind on it.”

“I will try,” I said, not meaning it. My awareness of Henry was unsettling enough without knowing the feeling of dancing with him.

“Do you think you can find your own way back, or should I ring for my maid?”

“I’m sure I can find my own way.”

When I passed the governor’s study, I paused. There was no one in the hallway to see me, and I thought I had a few minutes before my absence would be noticed in the ballroom. I sidled closer to the door and pressed my ear against it. There was no sound from inside. If someone was in the study, he was being very quiet.

I put a cautious hand on the doorknob and found that the door was locked. I could probably have unlocked it magically, but with so many magisters about, I was afraid to risk them noticing the magic. With another glance up and down the hallway, I pulled a pin from my hair and inserted it in the lock. I’d become an expert on unlocking doors that way when I had a young pupil who had a habit of locking himself in his room to avoid lessons. With a satisfying click, the door opened for me, and I returned the pin to my hair, hoping I hadn’t ruined the elaborate arrangement of curls.

The room was dark, but moonlight and lanterns in the garden shone through the window, casting a silvery glow that enabled me to find my way. This study was far neater than Henry’s. The giant mahogany desk was clear, except for a large blotter pad. A single sheet of paper, creased as though it had been folded, lay on top of the blotter. I moved over to the desk and bent to read the message on the page, but then a noise from behind startled me. I whirled to see a masked man climbing through the window—the masked bandit I’d encountered on the train.

He froze when he saw me and blurted, “Verity? What on earth are you doing in here?”

In Which We Enter the Lions’ Den

IN WHICH WE ENTER THE LIONS’ DEN

It was Henry’s voice, but that only confirmed what I’d suspected from the start and had known for a while. “I’m doing the same thing you are, helping the rebels,” I snapped. “Now, Henry, get in here before someone sees you.”

He climbed the rest of the way through the window and pulled the mask off, revealing a sheepish expression. “You knew?”