Page 87 of Betrayal from Beyond
“There was something about the way Preston spoke about Petra Scot. Something in his voice. He sounded…upset. Tom heard it, too. He asked about it, more than once, but Preston put him off. I needed to make sure Preston wasn’t going to turn Tom over.”
“He didn’t, did he?” Niall asked, alarmed.
“No. They took the train back to London. I followed. Preston took him all the way to Greenwich, to a little house there. Tom must have kept on at him, asking about Petra, ’cause they werehaving a row over it when they left their hack to go in.” Harold shrugged. “At least it made it easy to jump off the back and hide.”
“A row?” Niall asked, thinking.
“A big one. Preston was that worked up about it.I have no choice,he was shouting.If I fail, you die. Do you understand?”
Niall sighed. “I was afraid it would be something like that.”
“They were still arguing when they went in the house, but Preston must have convinced Tom, ’cause only he came out later.”
“You followed him again?”
“Yes, but he only came back here. I knew Slanted Nick had a spot pretty close, so I went and traded him for his night rig and came back to watch.”
Niall cringed at the thought of Slanted Nick being eager to seize the opportunity for a couple of nights at a dosshouse—usually a run-down place where men, women, and children paid for the cost of sleeping packed in together, out of the weather but most often on wafer-thin mats, or the floor. “We’ll see what we can do for Nick once we’ve dealt with Petra, but did Preston leave home again?”
“Not until this morning, when he went to Westminster. He didn’t stay long, though. He took a mount from the stables there and rode out.” Harold’s shoulders drooped. “There was no way for me to keep up with him then, so I came back here to wait.”
“You did a fine—” Niall stopped and gestured across the street. “Look there.”
Kara was striding down the pavement. Beside her, Dalton looked like he was struggling to keep up.
“Go and meet her, lad. She’s been worried about you.”
With a grin, Harold ran across to intercept her.
Kara gave a cry of joy at the sight of him and snatched him up for a long hug—and, by the sounds of it, a bit of a scolding.
“But I am fine,” Harold protested.
Chuckling, Niall went to rescue the lad and greet his wife. They all spent a moment exchanging news, and they introduced Dalton to Harold.
“I’ve been a bundle of nerves,” Kara told Harold afterward, squeezing his shoulders. “But you did well. Now listen, we need to send word of all of this back to Turner, Stayme, and Gyda. You have had a night out in the cold, so you will take the report back. Tell them everything. Get warm for a bit. Get fed. Get rested.”
Before he could protest, she took both of his hands. “We will watch for Preston’s return, but be sure to replenish yourself. Things are going to come to a head, and we will need all hands on deck.”
Harold straightened. “I’ll be ready.”
“I know you will. Now, hurry back to Berkeley Square.”
Kara leaned into Niall as they watched him go. She glanced up, looking both sad and proud. “He’s scarcely a boy anymore,” she said.
“No. We need to adjust. We cannot stifle him, but for today, Stayme will find a way to occupy him.”
“As he did for you?”
“Hopefully, he’ll have better luck with Harold. But in the meantime”—he gestured toward the lodging house—“we wait.”
“Yes, but not in the cold. I have my tools. I’m sure I can get us into Preston’s rooms.”
Dalton rubbed his hands together. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
Niall was just reaching for the small gate when Kara spoke. “Niall, look.”
It was Preston, walking toward them. His attention appeared to be focused on the tall box he carried. He didn’t seem to notice them until he had grown quite close, but when he looked up and spotted them, he gave a moan.
