She’d met Rawley’s gaze when he’d asked Lisbeth to dance, and made eyes at the silliest of her admirers, Lord Daley. The earnest buck was quick to take the bait and usher her onto the ballroom floor. Bronwyn had made sure to be seen, if not heard, with her habitual tinkling laughter, before she’d excused herself mid-dance to the retiring room.

From there, it’d been a matter of changing her bold, daffodil-yellow gown with the help of a quiet maid—one of Rawley’s trusted few onboard, no doubt—and donning a dark cloak over her garments before slipping outside to meet Cora. Precious, hurried minutes later, they were in a coach on the wharf and heading toward the train station in Brest where a private rail car would be waiting. They’d toyed with the idea of traveling in disguise in public, but it was too dangerous. Luckily, Rawley seemed to be quite industrious at making arrangements.

“How did he do all this so quickly?” Bronwyn asked Cora, whispering though she didn’t have to, now that they were alone in the carriage.

Cora smiled. “Noel is smart, personable, and has friends in many places, high and low. There’s a reason your brother trusts him with his life and yours. Rawley is almost synonymous with the name Ashvale in England, across the Atlantic, and even here in France.”

“Noel?”

Her cheeks flushed. “His given name.”

“So it’s that serious between you?”

“He has asked me to marry him,” she confessed softly. “And I have accepted.”

Bronwyn’s heart twanged with an odd combination of joy and envy. She’d never been envious of any of her set who announced marriages, likely because her own mother was plotting her nuptials at every turn. Though now, something squeezed in her chest. Perhaps it was because Cora and Rawley’s connection was real and the union was not arranged. “Oh, how wonderful, Cora! I am happy for you both. Only I hate to be bringing you into this mess. You should be with him.”

“Your safety is the important thing at the moment, my lady. I do not presume to know the whys of your decisions, but I do know that you don’t do anything without cause. If you are in trouble, then I suppose there’s a good reason for it.” Cora folded her hands in her lap and shrugged. “You will always have me.”

Bronwyn glanced back at the retreating docks through the carriage window, seeing the bright outline of the ship and almost expecting to see a towering form appearing on deck in the wake of her departure. Her heart was still pounding a harsh tempo against her ribs.