Shadows and Light

grimly. “They know full well if they did, they could never go home again, they could never go anywhere near the western part of Sylvalan and be safe.” He paused, then added, “The barons aren’t the only ones who rule in the west, Liam, and they aren’t the most powerful.”
    The words buzzed in Liam’s mind, but he couldn’t get them to make sense. The smell of sickness clung to him, making him wish he’d thought to rinse his mouth to cleanse it.
    A hackney cab stood waiting. A saddled horse waited behind it. He didn’t see the other western barons.
    Either they didn’t want to be seen helping Padrick, or they’d been told not to be seen helping for their own safety.
    He would have stopped to get a better look at Padrick’s horse, which was the finest animal he’d ever seen, but Padrick hustled him into the cab and closed the door.
    Liam heard Padrick give the driver the address of his town house. The cabby clucked to his horse, and they set off at a brisk pace.
    Liam closed his eyes, trying to gather his strength. The clip clop of the cab horse’s hooves soothed him, almost lulling him to sleep.
    He opened his eyes. Only one set of hooves. Had Padrick stopped to talk to the other barons after the cab had set off? Had he been delayed by something simple like a loose cinch? Or had he been detained by another pair of rough-looking men?
    Twisting around, Liam stuck his head out the cab window to look behind him.
    Padrick, riding a few lengths behind the cab, made a sharp movement with his hand.
    Liam drew back into the carriage, his heart pounding strangely.
    Padrick’s horse made no sound as it trotted on the city street. No sound at all.
    Not sure what to think, he tried not to think at all until he reached the town house. Trembling from the effort, he got out of the cab by himself—then realized the cabby had driven him directly to the mews behind the town house. He staggered over to the cart that already had his trunk in the back and leaned against it to take some weight off his shaking legs.
    “Baron Liam!” Kayne, the upper footman who had been acting as his valet, touched Liam’s arm briefly, his worried expression making his plain face look harsh.
    One groom ran to the kitchen door to inform the butler that the baron had arrived. Hogan, the groom he’
    d brought with him from Willowsbrook, stood nearby, looking surly.
    His father’s man, Liam thought sickly. His father’s servants. Except for Kayne, who’d been hired the day after he’d arrived in Durham to replace the upper footman who had gone out to run an errand and never came back. The rest of the servants, Kayne had told him the next evening, were speculating that the man had run off with a parlor maid that he’d been courting, a young, pretty woman who worked for a family a few doors down.
    Padrick rode up beside the hackney, handed the driver a few coins, then moved his horse to one side to allow the cabby to turn his horse and cab.
    “Is everything ready?” Padrick asked as soon as the cab was gone.
    Liam almost said yes. Then he looked at the saddled gelding and said, “Bring him over here.”
    Hogan led the gelding closer to the lanterns.

    “The saddlebags are empty,” Liam said sharply.
    Kayne stammered, “There was no need to use them, Baron Liam. Everything fit in the trunk.”
    Knowing his anger was unjust but unable to stop it from rising, Liam pushed away from the cart, stumbled over to the gelding, fumbled with unsteady fingers to untie the saddlebags, and finally pulled them off the horse. Heat crept through him, filled him.
    Not now, he thought as he walked back to the trunk. Merciful Mother, don’t let my temper give me the shakes now.
    “Not your fault, Kayne,” he said, opening the trunk. “You couldn’t know there are things I always carry with me.” Like the miniatures of his mother and sister. He rummaged through the trunk until he found the velvet pouches that protected the miniatures. He stuffed those into one saddlebag, along with a change of linen. The small case that held his toiletries went into the other saddlebag, as well as the purse that held the coins he’d brought with him.
    Hogan took the saddlebags from him. Tied them securely to the gelding’s saddle.
    By then the butler had reached the mews.
    “Baron Liam,” he said. “Did the gentleman find you at your club?”
    A chill went through Liam, smothering the heat. “What gentleman? What did he look like?”
    “He had fair hair