In the end, Edilean had to pay an exorbitant amount to a maid who worked two houses down for a dress that would fit. It was a plain gown with a homespun skirt and a white cotton top. The first time she tried it on she’d been alone in her room and Harriet had almost barged in with the clean linen. Edilean’d had to make up a quick lie about what she was doing behind a bolted door.

On the night when Edilean planned to go out and find Tabitha, she was tempted to put laudanum in Harriet’s tea, but she didn’t. While it was true that she planned to sneak out, she told herself that if she wanted to, she could walk out the front door and not tell Harriet where she was going or why. But Edilean knew that Harriet’s “hmph!” could be worse than being yelled at.

Instead, Edilean arranged with Cuddy to put a ladder up against the house, and she climbed down it just after midnight.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Miss?” Cuddy asked. “Those people are dangerous.”

“You have the pistol?”

“Loaded and ready,” he said, “but that don’t mean I like this. If I told the bailiffs where they were, they’d go out there and round them up.”

“And what do you think would happen to the goods they’ve stolen? Do you think that the robbers who escape would leave it there?”

Cuddy looked at her in shock. “Is that what you want? What they’ve stolen?”

“I want one item,” she said. “And it doesn’t belong to me.”

Cuddy looked at her as though he was putting two and two together, what with having found Angus Harcourt and her asking why he was working for someone else, and now talk about the bound girl who’d stolen something that belonged to someone else.

But Cuddy didn’t say anything. He just raised the lantern and led the way to the carriage house, where two saddled horses were waiting. “Are you sure you know how to ride, Miss?” he asked. “That one you’re on can be feisty. Maybe I should take him.”

“I’ll do my best to hang on,” Edilean said without a hint of humor in her voice. “Do you think you can find this place in the dark?”

“Easy,” Cuddy said as he climbed into the saddle. “You just follow me, Miss, and I’ll try to go slow so you can keep up.”

“That’s kind of you,” Edilean said as she got into the saddle.

“Now, Miss, if you’ll just move over a bit so I can turn around and head out, we’ll get goin’.”

Edilean took the reins in both hands, made a few clicking noises, and backed her horse straight out the door. But once the animal was out in the cool night air, it decided to rear up on its hind legs. “Stop that!” she said, and brought the horse back to earth. “If you keep on like that I’ll cut your oats ration.” Turning, she looked back at Cuddy, who was just coming outside.

His eyes were wide. “I ain’t never seen no girl ride like that.”

“It’s nice to know that someone somewhere thinks I can do something,” she said as she pulled to one side so he could lead the way out of the courtyard and into the road.

She’d planned the journey for a full moon so they’d be able to see the road and where the cutoff was that led to Tabitha and her gang of thieves. Maybe Cuddy had been right and she should have gone to the authorities, but Edilean felt that this was something she had to do for herself. And she knew that if she’d even hinted to Harriet what she was thinking about doing, she would have said Edilean was jealous. Harriet would have said that Edilean was angry because Angus had turned her down for some poor, downtrodden girl who would never have what Edilean did. And Edilean wouldn’t be able to defend herself because she couldn’t tell Harriet about the jewels.

As she rode behind Cuddy, her mind strayed back to her own horse, Marmy, whom she’d had to leave behind in England. She thought that maybe, when she was settled, she could somehow get her mare back.

But even her sad thoughts couldn’t keep her restless spirit still. She said she’d ride ahead and meet him. She couldn’t let the horse run flat out, as there were too many holes in the road, but she could let the animal show itself a bit, let it dance about-and let Edilean get some exercise as she used her thighs to guide the animal. The horse wasn’t as well trained as Marmy, but it wanted to run.

The night ride reminded Edilean of Scotland and her hell-bent ride back to the old keep. She’d been determined to get back before Angus did so he couldn’t tell his side of what happened before she told hers.

When she stopped, she leaned forward and patted the horse’s neck. It seemed that from the moment Angus McTern had stared at her, looking as though he’d never before seen a woman, her life had revolved around him.

When she’d gone so far that she knew Cuddy would have trouble keeping up with her, she turned and waited. She didn’t want the horse to get too sweaty on the cool night.

“Lordy, Miss,” Cuddy said when he caught up with her. “Where’d you learn to ride like that?”

“In England many women are known for their horsemanship. Do you know where we turn?”

“About half a mile from here, but we can’t take the horses. They’ll hear us.”

“I didn’t plan to,” Edilean said. “I plan to sneak in and put this to Tabitha’s throat.” She pulled a long, thin-bladed knife out of a leather holder at her waist, hidden under her jacket.

“But that isn’t the plan you told me. You can’t-” Cuddy began, but cut himself off. All he could do was look at her with wide eyes. “You’re going to get yourself killed,” he said.

“Maybe,” Edilean answered. “But I owe someone something and I’d like to pay it back.” She looked at him. “What I really plan to do is create a diversion, a loud one that will distract everyone in the camp. And while they’re looking at something other than Tabitha’s tent, I want you to go inside and get the jewels.”

“Jewels?”

“Necklace, earrings, all of it. They may be in a box, but they may be in a bag. Whatever they’re in, I want you to get them, then get out.”

“And what do you plan to do to distract them?” he asked suspiciously.

“I have some things in mind. Just follow my lead and I’ll try to keep people from seeing you. Are you clear on this? Any questions?”

“No, Miss,” he said, still wide-eyed, and thinking that maybe she’d planted a barrel of gunpowder somewhere and it would be set off. That would send everyone running.

It wasn’t long afterward that Cuddy rode beside her and whispered, “Here. This is where we go in. Miss, I was thinkin’ about it and I don’t think you oughta do this. It’s dangerous. You only know one of the women, and she’s a thief. There are men in there and there’s no tellin’ what they’ve done. I think they’d as soon slit your throat as let you take anything away from them.”

“Then I’ll have to risk it,” Edilean said. “I told you that I owe someone and I mean to repay the debt.”

“Is it worth your life?” Cuddy asked, and his tone wasn’t respectful.

“It is,” she said, looking hard at him.

“Well, then, I guess we better go.”

“No, Cuddy, you stay back. I’m going to go in there alone, and when you hear a commotion, you’re to come, and you know what you’re to do.”

“Wouldn’t be much of a man if I followed your plan exactly, now would I?”

She smiled at him. “If you see me draw my knife, get out of the way. I may do some of my own throat slitting.”

“I’ll do that,” he said as he smiled back at her.

They tied their horses firmly to trees, and began the long walk into the forest. The moonlight was bright, but the overhead branches blocked off much of the light.

Edilean, walking behind Cuddy, had difficulty keeping up with him. His stride was much longer than hers and she was trying not to trip on fallen branches and stones.

“There!” Cuddy said at last.

Through the trees she could barely see what seemed to be a fire, but it was a small one.

“It looks like they’re all asleep,” Cuddy whispered, “but they probably have a lookout posted somewhere. Miss, I really think we should go back. This isn’t for us to do.”