Chapter 27

Hester cleaned her face quickly before stepping outside into the bright sunshine. She hoped the guards noticed nothing amiss. Then she climbed onto the horse cart and told the driver to go to the next orphanage.

The rest of the day passed too slowly for Hester. Her mind was on Dargo. She missed him and seeing him again had reminded her of just how much she missed him. She repeatedly felt for the parchment he had inserted in her dress sleeve. She longed for a private moment to be able to read it.

The children at the orphanages she visited had to bring her back to the present many times during the day as her thoughts wandered.

When she finally returned to the palace that evening she was exhausted. She had spent the rest of the day trying to spot the guards Dargo had told her about. She could not tell them apart though. They were clearly well trained and discreet. They obviously blended in with the people.

Hester’s thoughts detoured to Dargo as well. He was clearly a man who was connected