If He's Daring by Hannah Howell Read Free Book Online Page A

control of all the boy holds. So, I suppose it behooves us to put a stop to this thievery.”
    “Aye, since the one being stolen, and will be stolen from, is one of ours.”
    “You do seem very sure of that.”
    “I am.” Giles smiled and shrugged. “No use asking why, either.” He slapped his hand over his heart. “The knowledge rests here and that is enough for me.”
    “Enough for me as well. Let us go and tell her of her great good fortune in gaining us as allies.” He smiled when Giles laughed and they both walked over to Lady Catryn.
     
     
    Catryn watched the man and boy approach. They shared a look. No one who gazed upon the pair together for long could ever mistake just whose son Giles was. Although she found just a bit unsettling the way Giles too often seemed more adult than child, she had to admire the way Sir Orion treated the boy with respect, not like some errant child or one who had not yet faced all the hardships life had to offer. There was a sharp mind in that child’s head and it was good to see that his father respected that.
    “I need to tend to my horse, have a little of that food you and Giles were enjoying, and then we shall be on our way,” Sir Orion said.
    “I cannot return to London,” Catryn said, trying desperately to keep the panic out of her voice. “That would allow Morris to succeed in getting away with Alwyn. I need to stay close on his trail or I may never find him.”
    “You will not be returning to London. Giles and I have decided that we shall lend you our assistance in retrieving your child.”
    Catryn opened her mouth to thank the man kindly but refuse the offered help and found herself staring at his back as he walked away to tend to his horse. She was not sure what to say anyway. The offer of help was extremely tempting. Caught up in chasing Morris, she had given little thought to the fact that she was a woman alone on the road. Any woman traveling alone faced a great many dangers. It was not a lack of ability to handle the matter of travel that had women dragging men with them everywhere they went, but a simple acknowledgement of the need for one to keep the many potential dangers at bay. Yet she did not know this man, and for all she knew, he could be one of those dangers.
    She looked at Giles, who just smiled that cocky little grin he so often did. He had won her trust quickly, for there were no shadows in him. Giles did not hide behind a pretty face and practiced words; she wondered if he had the wit to know if his father did. A boy who had just found a family, been claimed by his father, might be blind to the man’s faults. Children did not wear masks but grown men did. Sir Orion had a very pretty mask, one that could easily beguile a woman, but there could be something ugly lurking behind it. Catryn wished she was better at seeing through such pretense. Her choice of husband had definitely revealed a weakness in that area.
    “I am not certain it is wise for you and your father to assist me,” she said.
    “You cannot be traveling alone,” Giles said in a tone that would have done a dictatorial father proud. “Women should never do that. I am no true protection, although I am very good at slipping away and hiding. My father can protect you as we look for your boy.”
    “He must have other business to attend to.”
    “I do,” said Orion as he walked past her and Giles and sat down to help himself to some of the food. “It is nothing that cannot wait, however.”
    Catryn moved to sit facing him. “This is my battle. You do not even know who I am or if my story is true.”
    “As it happens, I do know that the story you told me is true. I met a colleague on my way here and his brother is a solicitor in the firm that your brother-in-law has hired. Seems your brother-in-law is considered a very troublesome client.”
    “Society is an annoyingly small word full of gossip,” she grumbled, hating the idea that everyone knew of her fight with Morris, even if