She turned back, looking at Stone and Fletcher. “That was m’ plan before everything fell to bits. I’ve the document needed to have myself declared dead.”

“It’s at the house,” Barnabus confirmed.

“If they were full certain I were dead, they’d give over looking for me.”

“They’d likely still target Doc, though,” Stone said.

She turned worried eyes on Barnabus. “I couldn’t bear it if they hurt you.”

He rose and crossed to her. “If they think we’re both dead, they’ll stop looking for either one of us.” He took her hands in his. “We’ll have a new letter forged, one saying the two of us died in a carriage accident while fleeing London. The Kincaids would have every reason to believe we were running from them and that sent us in haste from Town.”

“Baz, you would lose your medical practice. You wouldn’t be in London to do your rescuing work. You’d be leaving everything behind.”

He kissed her softly. “I lost you once, Gemma, and that taught me that you are everything to me.”

“I don’t ever want you to resent me.”

“I never could.”

She didn’t appear convinced. “Marrying me weren’t your idea.”

“And yet it proved the best thing that’s ever happened to me. What a coincidence.”

The smallest of smiles tipped her lips. “You don’t believe in coincidences.”

“No, I don’t.”

She rested her head against him. He let go of her hands and put his arms around her. Marrying me weren’t your idea. She still didn’t fully trust that he wanted to be married to her, wanted to be part of her life for the rest of their lives.

“Will starting rumors of your deaths be enough, though?” Stone asked. “The Kincaids don’t seem the sort to shrug and believe whatever they’re told.”

“They ain’t,” Gemma said.

Fletcher didn’t seem thrown off by that declaration. “We need your uncles to know you’re both dead. The Mastiff has eyes and ears everywhere. He’ll hear if you’ve been seen dead.”

“If I didn’t know you better, Fletch,” Barnabus said, “I’d think you were plotting to kill us.”

“I don’t do anything halfway.” Fletcher’s trademark smirk returned.

Barnabus didn’t realize how much he’d missed seeing it, how reassuring the sight of it was, until it made a reappearance.

“What if we have a wake for the both of them at Doc’s house in Finsbury?” Stone suggested.

“They’d have to be laid out in their coffins,” Fletcher said. “Has to be right-tight or the Kincaid’s’ll see through it.”