Page 81 of The Swindler’s Daughter

“That can’t be good,” I murmured. We stood and followed after him as he walked into the yard and flopped on the ground close to where Oliver was sharpening some tools, clearly exhausted.

Rowan and I caught up as Oliver sat down beside him.

“Where’s Gretchen?” I asked as I approached.

John nodded toward the stables. “She and Ansel ran off already.”

“And Tyson?”

He shook his head. “Decided to take a real break on our afternoon off.”

“So then,” Oliver began, “what are you doing here?”

John once again tilted his head in the direction of the stables. “Gretchen insisted.”

“I presume your new master and mistress are giving you plenty of work,” Rowan said.

He shook his head. “We haven’t had a chance to see what Rockwell and his bride will be like. The duke and duchess were here until this morning.”

“Ah.” That made sense.

“I’m grateful they came,” he clarified. “We all are. And I don’t mean to complain, especially when his arrival saved us all from…”

“Shackles?” I suggested.

“Death,” Oliver volunteered.

John nodded. “Knowing that Reeve and his men are imprisoned and justice will be done…it’s more than I hoped for.”

We all fell silent, taking a collective moment to be grateful for our freedom.

“Having a duke in residence isn’t easy though,” John explained. “Because they came unannounced, every moment since has been filled with frantic preparations and cleaning and extra chores. The housekeeper and butler were ready to snap by the end of it.”

“But the duke and duchess are gone now?” I asked.

“Yes. Thankfully.” He rubbed his hand over his eyes. “And Lady Rockwell was the one to give us all permission to take the afternoon off, so she has a heart at least.”

That was good. I knew that the kindness of a good mistress could go a long way.

“And what of Lord Rockwell?” Rowan asked.

John cut his tired eyes over to us and gave a limp shrug. “That remains to be seen. Maybe he’ll turn out like his father—hard but fair. Or maybe he’s just the same self-righteous, underhanded man he’s always been.”

I pulled back a little, surprised by his bitterness.

“You can’t be too angry with him,” Oliver said, seeming to know more of the situation than I did. “His machinations are the reason you started training. It’s what got us all here.”

“Falstone got us here,” John countered.

“Machinations?” I had to ask.

John sighed, whether from annoyance or fatigue I couldn’t be sure. “Lord Rockwell had me spy on Sir James.”

“What? When?” I asked.

“Years ago. I was young and excited to help, but Sir James caught me, so it didn’t last long.”

It took a moment for the pieces to fit together in my mind. “And that’s how Falstone found out you wished to be a spy?”