Page 60 of Persuasions of an Earl's Daughter

“Simple.” Brown thrust a thumb toward the horse. “Let me go with this beast and I won’t ever say a word.”

He couldn’t let Icarus remain in the hands of this bastard. “I have one better. I’ll pay you for Icarus. You don’t even have to worry about finding a buyer.”

Brown chuckled. “You’d pay me for the horse I stole from your cousin?”

If it meant Lilly could have her horse, he’d pay anything. At least if she had Icarus, she wouldn’t care so much about the promises August had made.

And how he was going to break them.

He’d been foolish to think things could be different. That he could give up on running from anything other than a life of rumors and scandal. Because with Brown knowing the truth, there would always be the risk of a death sentence hanging over his head.

And he could never put Lilly through being married to a fraud.

Chapter Twenty-Two

After working her way through a cloying combination of stale sweat and ale-tinged breath that even the lavender fragrance of the ladies of the night could not combat, Lilly emerged into the courtyard. She tried not to let her heart skip to a hopeful beat.

If August wasn’t in the taproom, he had to be in the stables, and hunting down someone willing to send her letter had taken long enough for her to imagine he might well have found something in the stables.

God, she hoped it was Icarus. The poor boy had been alone and scared for too long.

Skirts in hand, she hastened across the courtyard, determined that for once in her life she wouldn’t end up with muddy hems. A single light shone from a tiny square window in a brick stable that looked as though it would collapse at any moment, sitting at a strange angle on the tired timbers threaded through it. No stablehands scurried back and forth though she imagined few of the guests at this inn owned horses.

Her heart gave another little jolt. It could be a good place to hide Icarus. If there were no hired hands to spread word of a fine horse, it would explain why they had found no sign of him.

She ducked into the doorway, turned toward the light, and spied the outline of two figures. She didn’t need to see his face to recognize August. His solid build guided her to him like a lantern in a fog-filled street. He didn’t notice her as she headed toward him and whoever he conversed with. She froze when she spotted the horse tucked into the dank corner of the stables.

“Icarus!”

August’s head swung sharply around, and she grinned. “August, you found him!”

The momentum in her body failed the moment she spied what was in his hand.

Bank notes.

Several of them. She looked at the notes in his hand then glanced at the man to which he was handing them. She gasped. She’d spent enough time with Icarus to recognize the stablemaster.Hemust have been behind the theft of Icarus.

Along with August.

She met August’s gaze and found herself barely able to take a breath.

“Lil—”

“You were behind it all along?”

“Lil, I—” He looked to the stablemaster.

Mr. Brown shrugged. “You can tell her the truth.” A smile that made Lilly’s skin crawl worked across his face. “Or you can.”

August cursed gruffly, stuffed the bank notes into the man’s outstretched hand then stalked over to her. She blinked at the harsh expression on his face, the way his mouth formed a hard line and his usually bright eyes remained dull and dark. Her mouth dried and time slowed. She almost didn’t want to hear his explanation, didn’t want to hear what a fool she had been.

It didn’t stop her from continuing to be a fool, though. “There’s an explanation for this isn’t there, August?”

She loathed the pleading tone to her voice, but surely there had to be? Surely everything they’d shared was real. How could the man willingly lay down his life for her have tricked her at the same time? It made no sense.

The light from the lantern left one side of his face shaded and she couldn’t help but think of his talk of pretense. Was that what this all was? Had he been lying about pretending to be a scoundrel and the truth of it was, he’d been playing pretend with her instead? Several moments passed and she could wait no longer.

“August,” she demanded, “what is going on?”

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