Free Clockwork Blue by Gloria Harchar Page B

to clean them for long, " she declared, thinking she would send word to Mr. Hamilton, Ramsey ' s former teacher, to get Ramsey out of the country.
     
    " That ' s for certain. I plan to escape. " He moved to the whitewashed table and began collecting his shaving equipment.
     
    Alarm bells rang. " How? And to do what? You can ' t come back here. It will be the first place he ' ll look for you. And you certainly cannot just hide in the woods. Where would you sleep? What would you eat? How would you live? "
     
    Staring with yearning at his bed, he lifted his chin. " The forest leaves will be my mattress and my hunting skills are nothing to laugh at. It would be a grand adventure. "
     
    She gave an undignified snort. " It would be folly. "
     
    " Why do you say that? " He threw her a surly look.
     
    " Because Falcon won ' t relent in his search for you. I ' m sending you far away. "
     
    " Ah. You do sense danger in him. Admit it. "
     
    " He ' s merely strict. "
     
    Ramsey ' s eyes gleamed. " Malice and revenge suit him better. " With force, he snapped shut his satchel and walked out of his chambers. " Where would you send me then, hmm? To get me out of the Earl's reach? " He continued down the hallway with the peach-and-blue-striped papered walls, and the octagon- designed carpet that had been woven on looms.
     
    Close to his heels, Nicola descended the stairs with him . " I ' ll post a missive to Mr. Hamilton. He always goes abroad with his students. You could go with him. " Although the thought of not seeing Ramsey for a ye ar caused her throat to thicken, she knew she had to convince him to go.
     
    He stopped on the bottom step, causing Nicola to bump into him. The collision didn't faze him; he took the last step down and turned. " Why, that would take me away from Nottingham for a ye ar. I can ' t leave the Luddites for that long. They need me. I ' ll hide in one of the neighboring villages, but I ' m not leaving England. "
     
    " Be sensible, Ramsey. You must go , or risk deportation. Or worse ... a hanging. "
     
    " My death would be for a good cause. "
     
    A shiver of fear tickled the backs of her arms. " Cease this ridiculous talk. I ' m sending a missive to Mr. Hamilton, so just be patient and do what you ' re told. I will get you out from Falcon ' s imprisonment and hide you for a while in London with your former tutor, and then we ' ll decide what to do next. "
     
    Although, no matter how much she loved him and was willing to sacrifice for his sake, she also realized she wasn ' t doing him any favors. For him to accept responsibility for his actions would be a good thing—but she couldn ' t allow the repercussions to be too harsh. Perhaps forcing him to leave England would be punishment enough. But for now she would compromise, then devise a plan to send him to Europe, even if she had to knock him silly to do so.
     
    He switched his satchel to his other hand. " All right, London it is. H urry, then. The Falcon already wants to lengthen my stay. "
     
    " Truly? Why? "
     
    " I told him what I thought of his reform plan. "
     
    " Reform plan? "
     
    " He thinks mucking the stables will reform me. "
     
    " What exactly did you say? "
     
    " He didn ' t like me calling him a baboon. "
     
    " Cogs . " She cringed at Ramsey ' s reckless words. " What did he say in return? "
     
    Hand on the doorknob leading to the treacherous outdoors that contained Falcon, Ramsey gave a dignified grunt. " Can ' t repeat it in front of a lady. "
     
    Suddenly, the urge to keep her cousin from danger was almost overwhelming. " This whole nasty business will be over before you realize it, so don ' t be rash. " Then, a bark of laughter over her admonishment almost escaped her. Imploring Ramsey to think before he acted was akin to asking a fish not to swim.
     
    He slipped out the doorway. As he walked the cobbled path, Nicola saw a giant with dark skin follow. Gaspar. The man who ' d captured him the previous night; the Falcon ' s