The Pursuit (23 page)

“That’s much better, Rich. Thank you.”

Her approval went a long way. The little boy smiled up at her in relief and even handed Christopher the rock to hold.

Edward had stood back during this exchange. He’d wandered a slight way off but returned when he found Niki’s eyes on him. The boys walked farther along the creek bed, Christopher looking for a rock of his own. Once again Edward found himself able to have private conversation with Niki.

“Did Richard surprise you with his observation?”

“Completely. I assumed they didn’t know a thing.”

“Are you bothered that they know?”

“I’m not certain. I rather wish Gar or Juliana had warned me. I’ll have to find a way to ask the boys about it.”

For a moment they walked in silence, but Edward still had too many questions to remain mute.

“Why all the moving around, Niki?” Edward asked. “How does that keep Mrs Bettencourt from finding the boys?”

“She tries to track them through Osborne,” Niki began, and then realized it was much larger than this. Before she could go on, Edward had another question.

“What of these friends, Gar and Juliana? Doesn’t Mrs Bettencourt go after them?”

“No. She doesn’t know they exist. You see, I never mentioned having a friend named Juliana Wood, since I hadn’t thought about her in years. We hadn’t seen each other since we were in school. After Mrs Bettencourt had taken the boys, I chanced to run into Juliana. She had married Edgar Lawton by then, and I met him as well.” Niki paused and tried to gather her thoughts, suspicious that she sounded as disjointed as she felt. “When I told Gar and Juliana what I was going through, they offered to help. Well,” Niki continued, choosing her words, “‘help’ doesn’t actually describe how involved they have become. And you can only understand that if you realize that Gar Lawton is unlike any other man I’ve ever met. He’s a complete eccentric. He thinks moving about and keeping the boys safe is a great adventure. They’ve moved six times in the last three years, both in France and England, just to accommodate the boys and me. Pomeroy’s men have never found the Lawtons. They follow Osborne, but he always loses them before he gets back.

“And added to all of that, the Lawtons, Denley, and I all have other friends involved. These friends get mail to a central place so we can retrieve it, and that also helps me keep the boys safe.”

“Why do you not just confront your mother-in-law?”

“I tried that, but it did no good. My search took me back to the estate outside of Paris, and Mrs Bettencourt was actually there. To my chagrin, the boys were not. She had lost all charm at that point and told me with complete confidence that I would never see my sons again, and she would raise them as her own.

“The authorities did next to nothing, telling me it was my word against hers. From that point, I began to follow her. When I discovered where the boys were, months had passed. Gar, Juliana, and I sneaked in and took them away in the night. It was horrible. I don’t know how my mother-in-law had managed it, but they were terrified of me. They cried for their grandmother for nearly a week before they began to settle. It was some time before we became a family again. They were so little and frightened all the time. They’ll never be able to tell me what they went through, and short of my death, I’ll never allow her near them again.”

Edward thought it the most astounding story he’d ever heard. It was nothing short of beastly to take a woman’s children from her. Edward had seen Niki with her sons, albeit briefly, but enough to recognize that she was a kind and loving mother. The elder Mrs Bettencourt could not have been thinking with anyone but herself in mind.

“So you go about disguised as a man,” Edward said thoughtfully.

“Denley and I came up with that, since it seemed to throw my trackers off the path.”

“Why not just stay tucked away with the Lawtons?”

“Because no one is safe forever. People talk. Servants and delivery folk share inconsequential details that seem harmless at the time, but they all lead to clues when you’re tracking someone. Mrs Bettencourt has the resources to keep looking forever, which means I have to be very careful.”

“How long will you stay here?”

“For as long as I can.”

“Do the Walkers know the details of your plight?”

“Yes. Aunt Mary hasn’t even written her children to tell of my visit. The smallest thing can lead to discovery.”

“And if you have to leave here?”

“We’ll go back to the Lawtons.”

“What if they’re found out?”

“They’ll move.”

“Then where will you go?”

“Wherever they are.”

Edward looked at her.

“You have every detail in place.”

“I have no choice.”

“But what of a normal life, Niki?” Edward couldn’t help but ask. “What of school for the boys? When will they know a real home?”

Niki’s smile was a bit sad.

“No home is worth our separation. When the boys are a little older and not so vulnerable to abduction, I’m sure I’ll be able to do things differently, but not now. Not yet.”

The boys were coming back to join them. Christopher’s feet were wet, and he was cold. Niki had a few words with him about stepping into the water, but even at that it was time to return to the house.

Again Niki listened as her sons chatted away to Edward, seeming never to run out of words. They talked to him all the way back to Blackburn Manor, until Denley appeared and ushered the boys away to wash and change.

“They’re so talkative,” Edward commented, his eyes twinkling. “And I know they don’t get it from you.”

Niki laughed a little.

“Gar talks a great deal, and so does Juliana. They’ve been with them most of their lives.”

Several things came to mind when Niki said this, but the sad note Edward heard in her voice caused him to fall silent. When Henry arrived on the scene not a minute later to meet Niki and tell Edward he was ready to leave, the younger Steele felt as if both he and Niki had been rescued. It was a lot to take in, and suddenly Niki looked tired too.

The Steele brothers soon said their goodbyes and exited. Henry was quiet in the coach, but almost the moment they arrived home, he asked Edward for every detail.

Newcomb Park

“She must have an impressive level of unlimited resources,” Henry said over dinner that evening before they could even begin to eat, causing Edward to laugh.

“We spoke of Niki Bettencourt for an hour this afternoon. Have you been thinking about her all day?”

“Off and on, yes. I mean, to live as she does, she must have income from somewhere.”

“True, but that never came up.”

“Is this Lawton fellow a relative, did you say?”

“No, he’s married to Niki’s old school chum.”

“Have you always called Mrs Bettencourt, Niki?”

Edward smiled. “No, I first called her Mr Osborne.”

“You know what I mean, Edward. I just noticed that you call her Niki.”

“I do, don’t I?”

“When did that start?”

Edward tried to think and ended up shrugging, unable to remember.

The conversation moved on to several topics, including a letter from their sister, Charlotte Barrington of Bath. Edward attended to Henry’s comments and even had thoughts of his own to share, but the fact that he called Niki by her nickname lingered in his mind for the remainder of the evening.

Blackburn Manor

As she tucked the boys into bed that night, Niki’s movements were slow and thoughtful. She knew the boys were tired and ready for sleep, but she also knew that she would not get much rest if she didn’t question her son about his comment to Edward.

“Hey, Rich,” Niki asked, her voice calm and undemanding, masking the small flutter of emotion that moved inside of her. “Do you remember what you told Mr Steele today?”

“About what?”

“About why you stay with Gar and Juliana.”

“Oh, yeah, so we’ll be safe.”

“What has Gar told you about that?”

“I don’t know,” the little boy answered, looking uncertain.

“He said that we can’t trust everyone,” Christopher put in, his eyes on his mother. “He said that if we wandered off, someone might think we didn’t have a family who cared, so they might take us home and put us in their family.”

“And you would cry if that happened,” Richard added, now understanding what his mother wished to know.

“I would cry,” Niki said, her hand smoothing his hair. “My heart would be broken.”

“We’ll stay very close,” Christopher reassured her. “We’ll be very careful.”

“Do you have to go away now?” Richard asked.

“No, I’m going to be here,” Niki answered, realizing that she’d always done this. She’d always taken extra time with them the night before she had to leave. “I don’t want you to be afraid, but I’m glad you’re being careful.”

“Uncle Walker says that we don’t have to be afraid because God watches over us.”

“That’s very true. He does.”

“Do you believe in God, Mama?”

“Yes, I do. Do you, Chris?”

“I think so. I’ve never seen Him.”

“Well, someone once told me that God can be seen in all He created. Did you know that the Bible says He made the earth and every person and creature that lives on it?”

The boys looked fascinated by this, and Niki searched for words to explain, realizing how few she had.

“In the first book of the Bible,” she knew enough to add, “it tells all about what God created. Would you like me to read it to you sometime?”

The boys nodded in interest, but Niki saw again that they were tired. She kissed them and blew out the lantern, her face looking serene. But as she let herself from the room, her heart wondered if one night a week she should bring them to bed early and read to them from the Book of Genesis.

Chapter Thirteen

The nightmare that woke Niki a few hours after she sought her own rest left her sweating and trembling. She knew it was a dream. She knew the sounds and images were all in her mind, but that didn’t stop her next move.

Reaching for her robe, she exited her room and went to check on her sons. Not until she stood next to their bed and saw firsthand that her mother-in-law had not come and snatched them did her heart begin to calm. She stood for some minutes, her body shaking a bit.

I told the boys not to be afraid, but I don’t even know how to trust You,
Niki’s heart confessed.
I see that they’re safe—I see it with my own eyes—yet I still tremble.
Niki’s heart fell silent and she breathed deeply.
Talking to You is new for me,
she admitted.
But I thank You that my sons are still here and safe. Please don’t ask me to give them up again. Please help me to keep them safe.

Niki stood for long moments, working to pray and trust. She might have stood even longer but turned when she heard a noise and saw lantern light at the door. It was Denley. Niki bent low to tuck the covers around the boys a little tighter and joined her servant in the hall.

“Are they all right?”

“Yes.”

“Are you all right, Mrs Bettencourt?”

“I had a dream, a nightmare, but I’m all right now.”