Page 78 of In Honor’s Defense

She stood in the aisle, took down their two small bags from the overhead luggage rack, and handed them to Nathaniel.

“Stack them on top of each other by the window,” she whispered, careful not to wake the passengers in the seat behind them, “and put your hat on top to make it look like you’re sleeping.”

It wouldn’t fool anyone up close, but from a distance it might appear that Nathaniel was slumped in the seat and buy them a few precious seconds.

“Go to the lavatory at the front of the car, close yourself inside, and wait for me.” She glanced down the aisle to where the conductor was moving through the car, checking tickets. “As soon as the conductor passes through to the next car, I’ll come join you. I’ll tap three times on the door so you’ll know it’s me. When the train starts moving, we’ll sneak outside to the platform where the cars couple and hop off on the side away from the depot. The darkness should provide cover until we can find a tree or bush to hide behind. Once the train disappears, we can seek refuge in town.”

“But what if they see us?”

“We’ll have to pray they don’t.” Damaris glanced back at the conductor, now only half a car away. “If something goes wrong, buy passage to San Antonio and get to the Hangers. They’ll know what to do.”

Her brave, defiant boy looked more like a lost puppy as he hesitated in the aisle.

“Last call!” The shout came from the porter outside on the platform.

Damaris took Nathaniel by the shoulders and turned him to face the front of the car. “I’ll be right behind you,” she whispered in his ear. “Go!”

He stumbled forward. Her heart squeezed, but she pivoted away from him and sauntered down the aisle in the opposite direction, determined to hide her nephew’s retreat. A few passengers looked at her strangely, but most were too concerned with their own business to pay her much mind.

Meeting the conductor in the middle of the aisle, she pasted on a bright smile and extended her tickets. “Here’s ours.”

He gave her a quizzical look as he handed tickets back to the man seated to his right. “I’ll check yours when I get to you, ma’am. You need to take your seat.”

“I’m afraid I need to run to the lavatory. I was hoping you could check my tickets now to allow me an extra minute to tend to a personal matter.”

The conductor scowled. “The train’s about to depart. Your personal matter will have to wait until we are under way. Please take your seat.”

“I’ll just be a trice, I promise.”

Unfortunately, the conductor took his job too seriously to be swayed by a breezy reply. His mulish expression only tightened. “I must insist, ma’am. Whatever it is will have to wait.”

“You don’t understand.” She leaned close. “It’s a matter of a . . . delicate nature. And terribly urgent.”

His face reddened, and he dropped his gaze, but he still made no move to take her tickets.

“Please, sir,” she begged. “I’ll take every precaution.”

He straightened his shoulders. “It’s for your own protection, ma’am. I’m sorry.”

His protection was going to get her killed.

“Miss Baxter? May I be of assistance?”

No, no, no.

Damaris leaned to the side to see around the overzealous conductor and confirmed the dreadful truth. Ronald Mullins stood two steps from her.

Instinct insisted she turn and flee, and her pulse prepared accordingly, but her head demanded a wiser course. She would not endanger Nathaniel’s escape. Even if it meant surrendering her own.

“Mr. Mullins! Good heavens. I didn’t expect to see you on this train.”

The conductor turned. “You know this lady, sir?”

“I do.” The lawyer’s gaze flicked past the trainman to the seat at the front of the car. “I’ll see to her safety.”

The conductor nodded, then finally accepted her tickets and punched them, apparently glad to relinquish his responsibility for her well-being into the hands of another man. Why he couldn’t simply let her be responsible for herself was an annoyance of the highest order, but not her top concern at the moment. Protecting Nathaniel took precedence. Which meant she had to get Mr. Mullins and his prying gaze as far away from the front of the car as possible.

When the conductor shifted sideways in the aisle to squeeze past Damaris, she did the same to slip past Mr. Mullins, heading to the rear.