He doffed his hat, revealing neatly trimmed fair hair, and gave me a slight bow. “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Newton. I’m glad I came along at the right time.” He looked like he was about nineteen, and he reminded me of the university students I’d known in New Haven. He certainly didn’t look like the radicals pictured in newspaper cartoons. None of them looked at all heroic or noble the way he did.

“Verity, you must tell me, did you get the position?” Lizzie asked, placing her hand lightly on my arm.

I dragged my gaze away from Alec to answer her. “Yes, I did. And I must thank you both for the ride. I might not have been on time for the interview otherwise.”

“Which household employed you?”

I tensed, unsure I should tell the rebels where I worked, but not answering would be rude. “I’m working for the Lyndon family,” I said.

“The marquis?” Alec asked.

“No, the marquis died in an airship accident a little more than a year ago,” Lizzie said. “Don’t you remember? You said that ship had a design flaw, something about the balloon material, and you expected a disaster. You gloated for days after it happened.”

“The current marquis is one of my charges,” I said. “My employer is the children’s uncle. He’s their guardian.”

Alec sat on my other side, and his proximity sent a warm flush through my body. “You landed well, then,” he said. “That’s one of the highest families in the colonies.”

“And not just because of the title,” Lizzie added. “Do you know who the children’s grandfather is?”

“It hasn’t been mentioned,” I said.

“Their mother was the daughter of Samuel DeLancey, the royal governor.”

“Really? I had no idea.”

“You didn’t know this before you applied for the position?”

“No. I only wanted to find a position in a good home.”

Lizzie nodded. “I understand. Women like us can’t afford to be choosy when we must make our own way in the world. You’re fortunate to have found such an excellent position. I may even be a little envious.”

“But you’re a newspaper reporter!”

“You’re a governess for one of the highest families in the American colonies. I suppose they also want you to act as chaperone?”

“Yes.”

“So you’ll be going to balls and parties and meeting the most important people in the colonies, maybe even people visiting from England.”

My job suddenly seemed a lot more interesting. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”