And even if Mary had sent him in her stead, he had not known Wentworth’s secret code they had agreed upon to confirm each other’s identity. It was a rather simple question about the quality of the hops in the ale, and he had looked at her as if she were daft. That had been the first clue. His appearance had unnerved her, not to mention the way he’d scrutinized her like an insect he wanted to squash under his boot. Every warning bell in her body had rung from the moment he’d sat down, but she hadn’t wanted to misjudge someone on account of their appearance.

War made strangers and monsters of everyone.

As the minutes had crawled by, however, she’d realized that somehow she’d been found out. How, she did not know. She hoped that poor Miss Richards was not in harm’s way or hadn’t been hurt and forced to give up any information that might hurt her. That man didn’t look like he had a kind bone in his body, and Bronwyn had no doubt he would have done dreadful things had he gotten his hands on either of them. Had he come to kill her? Her blood ran cold.

Clenching her teeth, she willed her legs to pump faster, the soles of her shoes snapping against the gravel of the road. She had no idea where she was going, tearing down darkened street after darkened street. Unlike London, this wasn’t familiar territory, after all, but if she could find a safe place to hide, then she could figure out her next steps. For now, she had to avoid her pursuers. If they caught her, she was dead. Or worse. She didn’t want to become a sorry casualty in a hole somewhere.

She cursed again.

Why hadn’t she left a note for Cora, letting her know where she was going?

It wasn’t that she didn’t usually do that, but tonight she had been preoccupied, her nerves nearly shot to death. Her confidence that Rawley might be present and watching her every move hadn’t helped either. It was almost as if a part of her had expected the adept islander to follow her. She had foolishly hoped he would.

A stupid, stupid assumption on her part while she was in a foreign country meeting with unfamiliar people…and now she was going to pay a horrific price for the mistake. Her lungs were going to collapse in her chest, her breath streaming white fog from the deepening chill in the crisp air. Every muscle in her body burned from exertion.

There!