Page 95 of A Lady’s Guide to Mystery and Mischief

Kalila nodded in agreement. “Do you mean to help her escape?”

“Yes,” Farah said. “But I need a plan. I went to Hawkins & Montgomery earlier to—”

“Hawkins & Montgomery?” Oliver repeated. “What for?”

Farah blinked at him. “To speak to Mr. Montgomery.”

“Surely you’ve noticed, Oliver,” Kalila said, unable to suppress her amusement.

Oliver paused, his gaze traveling between an exasperated Farah and an entertained Kalila. “How many guesses do I get?”

“Just the one,” Kalila replied.

“Oh, fine. Are you in love with Mr. Montgomery, Farah?”

Farah’s skin warmed at the question. “I am. Though I do hope you aren’t expecting a prize for guessing correctly, Oliver.”

“How did I miss this?” he exclaimed before turning to Kalila. “Did you know?”

“Of course I knew,” Kalila said, the picture of serenity. “It just wasn’t for me to tell.”

“I think I was a bit taken with the prospect of befriending Mr. Montgomery,” Oliver said, easygoing once more. “Too taken to notice, I mean. No wonder you ended your understanding with Francis.”

“I’d have done it either way,” Farah said. Straightening in her seat, she brightened. “I suppose this means I’ve done a wonderful job of hiding my feelings.”

“That, or Oliver has lost his touch,” Kalila said.

“Oh, you wound me,” was Oliver’s playful response. He paused, considering for a moment before snapping his fingers. “Aha!”

“Aha?” Farah echoed. “You’ve an idea?”

“Half an idea,” he said. “You made a mistake going to Hawkins & Montgomery first, Farah.”

“I did?”

“You did,” he insisted. “Your cousin is a master of disguise. And what better way to escape notice than a disguise?”

Kalila hummed in contemplation. “I wouldn’t refer to myself as such, but Oliver is on the right track. I may be able to dig out my old Dameer Rafiq costume. All Helena would have to do is take on the role of one of my students.”

“She mentioned France.” Farah tapped her finger against her chin. “So all we’d need to do is get her to Dover.”

“And book her passage across the Channel,” Kalila added. “Getting to the docks won’t take more than a few days.”

“It’ll be easy,” Oliver decided. “She’ll remain disguised until the ship has pushed off. Jennings can search as much as he likes, but he’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who matches his wife’s description.”

Farah nodded, grateful that neither of them had turned her away from the idea. It was the right course of action to take—it was what Helena wanted. And if she changed her mind then Farah would help her return to England in a heartbeat, no questions asked.

“We can change carriages,” Kalila said, glancing at her husband. “Farah can take her to the first stop, and you and I can take over from there, having traveled in our own vehicle. We can take different roads, too.”

“Making us that much harder to track.” Oliver grinned. “Clever as always.”

It was then that Farah was treated with a rare sight—that of Kalila’s face coloring.

Sensing it was high time for her to leave, she tugged both her cousins into a cozy hug. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Oliver said, releasing her. “You being in love with Mr. Montgomery means I’ll be able to see him more than anticipated.”

Farah left with jovial snort, taking her aunt’s carriage back to Willow House. Her insides were a touch more settled now that some semblance of a plan existed. All that was left to do was iron out the details—and bring Grey into the fold. She’d grown so used to seeing him on a daily basis that it felt almost wrong to go without for twenty-four hours.