He patted me on the arm. “Easy, there, Verity. I can get you outta here. Don’t you worry about that. Come on.” He led me down a short flight of stairs to a basement door, which he opened, gesturing for me to follow him into the gloom. I felt my way through a narrow passage toward a square of light at the end, where Nat held open a door that led into a barren yard between buildings. We crossed the yard and entered another basement, then came up onto the sidewalk on a major street.

“There you are, on Fourteenth, past the roadblock,” Nat said, brushing his hands together in satisfaction. “The roadblocks only keep out people like you who follow the rules. The ones they’re guarding against know how to get past. Now, d’you need me to get you home, or can you make it from here?”

“I can make it on my own,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure. I knew the way, but my strength was failing.

He disappeared back into the basement, and I waited for a break in traffic to cross the busy street and head for the nearest bus stop. Fortunately, the bus I caught wasn’t the one I’d just left. It was practically empty, so I had a seat to myself for the long ride. I was so lost in thought that I almost missed my stop.

The sun was setting and the streets were growing dark as I walked the last few blocks toward the Lyndon home, which now seemed like some distant dream. It couldn’t really exist in the same world where the slum children lived and British troops shot at them, could it?

But it was real, and I wanted to weep for joy when I saw it. Climbing the front steps took the last remnants of my strength, and I barely managed to stumble inside when Mr. Chastain opened the door for me.

“Miss Newton!” a voice cried out in alarm. Lord Henry rushed toward me down the main staircase.

I tried to tell him that I was perfectly fine, only a bit tired, but the words disappeared into the blackness that blocked out the rest of the world.

*   *   *

I must have been unconscious only a few seconds, for I opened my eyes to find myself in the same spot in the entry hall, slumped against Lord Henry’s shoulder. “Oh dear, that was terribly silly of me,” I said, trying to push away from him.

He didn’t release me. “Whatever is the matter, Miss Newton?” he asked.

I couldn’t begin to answer that question honestly, so I settled for a half-truth. “It was a very trying day, and I’m afraid in all the to-do of serving the children lunch and making sure they didn’t steal it from each other, I completely forgot that I needed to eat, too.”