“Of course, it involves her,” Galloway said. Hew looked at Belle.
She shrugged and smiled. “Mr. Galloway, didn’t I hear you say earlier that simpler was better?”
“Perhaps,” he said carefully.
“And yet, you have this complicated plan”—she gestured to the stack of balled-up paper where they’d tried to map out the strategy—“that requires precise timing and ambushing the ambushers and the moon behind a cloud—”
“I said it would be helpful if the moon went behind a cloud,” Galloway argued. “It’s not a prerequisite.”
“The abductors have agreed to exchange my father for Hew,” she said. “So why not just give them Hew? Force an exchange. My father starts on one side of the bridge and Hew is on the other. They meet in the middle and my father crosses to safety.”
“And as soon as they have Hew, they’ll kill him,” Galloway said.
“Maybe they’ll only think they have him.”
“We thought about having Will act in my place, but there are two problems. First of all, there’s nothing to stop them from killing Will.”
“So don’t give them Will.” She unclasped the cape and let it fall away, revealing the men’s clothing she wore beneath it.
“Bloody hell,” Galloway said. “No, just no.”
Hew’s reaction took a bit longer. His gaze traveled over her body, clad in the coat and trousers she’d pinned to make them fit. “No,” he said, slowly, shaking his head. “I won’t have you put in danger either.”
“They won’t kill me,” she said. “They’ll know they’ve been duped, and they’ll be so surprised that they have a woman, not the man they’d been after, they’ll hesitate.”
“They’ll be angry and do away with you,” Galloway said.
“Not if you jump out and overpower them first. Don’t you see? If I’m on one side of the bridge, pretending to be Hew, then you two can hide on the other side. Once my father is out of their hands, you ambush them.”
“She has a point,” Hew said. “Our main problem with the plan was that we couldn’t find a way to work together. This way, we can.”
“I cannot believe you are considering this. What about the other problem?”
“What other problem?” Belle demanded.
“What if they don’t bring your father?”
“They will,” she said. “If they’d killed him, they have no leverage. I have no doubt they intend to kill my father and Hew, but they’ll wait until after they have Hew to do it.” She smiled. “That’s when I yell surprise and distract them so you can step in.”
Hew looked at Galloway, and Galloway swore. “I have to admit, it’s not a bad plan.”
“Not bad? It’s perfect,” she argued.
“It’s not perfect,” Hew argued back. “I don’t want you in danger.”
“And I don’t want you in danger,” she said. “So we’re even. It’s almost eleven o’clock. We’d better go.”
HEW WOULD HAVE LIKED to argue further. The pit of dread in his belly felt heavier as soon as Belle explained her plan—mainly because it was a good plan. He and Will did need to work together, and a distraction would give them the perfect opening to attack. He just didn’t want Belle to be the distraction. Galloway didn’t think it would work because he believed Mr. Howard already dead but Hew agreed with Belle. The abductors had failed Pennywhistle several times now, and they couldn’t afford to fail again. They had to get rid of Hew. His death would derail the entire investigation and give Pennywhistle the time he needed to either bribe the railway officials or excavate the minerals.
Hew hadn’t argued further. There wasn’t time, even if he had been able to think of reasons why Belle should stay behind. Instead, they stuffed the shoulders of the coat with extra fabric to make her look a bit larger and put her in boots and a taller hat. He still didn’t think anyone would mistake the two of them, but if they were lucky, the darkness and the distance between one side of the bridge and the other would be enough to fool the abductors temporarily.
Now they walked through the dark park, taking a circuitous route to avoid being seen. Will walked in front, holding a lamp, but he had it shuttered for the most part. Hew walked behind, holding Belle’s hand. Her hand was small in his but steady and cool. By contrast, his own felt warm and shaky. “You’re not nervous at all, are you?” he whispered.
“I’m only worried for my father,” she said. Then she surprised him by looking at him. “And you. Try not to get stabbed again.”
He almost laughed. “You’re the one in danger this time.”
She waved a hand. “You won’t let anything happen to me.”
“You’re right.” Hew grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”
She smiled at him. “I do love you,” she said and bent forward to kiss him. She wasn’t used to wearing a man’s hat, and it got in the way. He smiled, tipped it up, and kissed her back. The kiss was brief but there was meaning in it. They both knew the danger that lay ahead, and Belle couldn’t be any less aware that this might be the last moments they had together.
“I need to tell you something,” he said, resting his forehead on hers.
“This isn’t the time for a marriage proposal,” she said. “You’ll want at least a quarter hour in which to grovel.”
“Little minx. That wasn’t what I wanted to tell you.” Though he was increasingly beginning to believe that he would have to ask for her hand in marriage. The very idea scared the hell out of him but not as much as the idea of being without her. “Do you remember when I told you I was glad Clara died?”
She nodded.
“You argued that I wasn’t. That I was hurt because I’d still loved her.”
“And that’s why it’s taking you so long to trust me.”
He gave her the ghost of a smile. “Yes, but I realized something else. I didn’t hate Clara because she betrayed me. I hated her because she embarrassed me. I didn’t hate her at all because to hate her I would have had to love her. I never loved her. I realize that now. I love you.”
She took his face in her hands and kissed him. “Put that in your speech,” she whispered. “The one where you grovel.”
Will cut off his harsh rejoinder. “What the devil?” he hissed. “This is a mission. No kissing on missions.”
“My apologies,” Hew said, taking Belle’s hand and starting forward again.
“The bridge is just along that trail,” Will told Belle, pointing ahead. “Hew and I will cross down there at the bend. We’ll circle behind and be in place before Pennywhistle’s men arrive.” He gave Hew a look. “But we have to leave now.”
“Take the lamp,” Hew said, handing it to Belle, “but keep it down and away from your face.”
“Be careful,” she said.
“You be careful.” He wanted to kiss her again, but Will made a sound like retching and pulled him away.