I knew Agnes's window from all the others at Captain Dremmer's house; I had spent a while watching the place, and I had glimpsed her in the early morning, opening the curtains. Now that it was night, the curtains were drawn, but I knew Aroc was away.

She slept on the second story, but there was a high wall running alongside the house, and with only minimal risk to my life and limb I managed to get to the roof. I crouched in the dark, waiting until I was certain that both the house and the street below were quiet, and then I knocked quietly—once, twice—on the window.

If it had been the maid, our venture would have failed. But I was blind to some of those risks; all I could think of was the necessity of our success in what we proposed to do. Luckily, Agnes was the one who opened the window.

Her fingers were shaking as she reached out to touch my cheek. I do not think either of us knew what we intended until the kiss had already begun. That kiss on the roof in the moonlight, she inside the house and I outside on the roof, was enough to make me drunk with hope and fear.

I came to myself when the kiss broke, but it was not an easy thing. "I can't stay long. Someone may see me. You left the stone—is it safe?"

"Be careful, Dannie. You could fall." Agnes looked past me, out at the street. No one was there, but there could be passersby at any moment.

"Take this." I folded a paper packet into her hands. "Put it in the maid's tea. She's the only one at home?"

"Yes. Other than me. Aroc is not coming home 'til tomorrow ..."

"Good. It will make her sleep. Drink none yourself. When you've given it to her, find me. I will be hiding there." I gestured far to the back of the house, where a little shed stood. I had investigated earlier and found that the door was unlocked; within, I could hide unnoticed.

"When?"

"As soon as you can. Tonight, if you are able."

"What will you do? I cannot leave, Dannie—not if I haven't found it."

"We'll find it. Tonight. We'll turn the house inside out if we must. And if we cannot, I'll come back. I will not give up on you, Agnes."

She looked frightened now. "What if someone should find out?"

I took both her hands in mine. "They won't. We'll take every precaution. Do not let the fear of him paralyze you, Agnes. Do this now and you'll soon be free."

She nodded, looking paralyzed nonetheless. "It won't harm her, will it?"

"No. Just make her sleep, long and deep, and when she wakes she'll be none the wiser." I released her hands. "As quick as you can, Ness. Then find me."

***

I was too nervous to even doze; I crouched in the shed behind Captain Dremmer's house and waited. It seemed like hours passed before there was a rustling outside, soft as the footsteps of a mouse. I peeked out the window and saw Agnes there, her face stricken with the same anxiety I felt.

I met her outside. She was so frightened, she could barely stand. "He will find out. He'll kill you. He'll kill us both. You do not know him, Dannie; this is a terrible mistake. You must go now and never speak to me again."

I shushed her. "Ness, I have gone these five years seeing you only in my memories. I will not go the next fifty without you by my side, unless you wish it. Tell me you will be happy here, and I'll go."

She just bowed her head.

I said, "Then let us not waste time."

We let ourselves into the kitchen, and our search began. We moved quickly together through every room, creeping past the sleeping housekeeper in the parlor. We checked every possible place a small trinket could be hid, looking again in places we had already checked, just to be sure. We spent all night searching, until the dawn began to break pink-fingered in the eastern sky, and then we both knew I must leave.

Agnes was on the verge of tears. She looked like a rabbit in a snare. Seeing her fear, I felt it too, but I tried to encourage her. "Don't despair, Ness. We'll find it. Keep searching, when you can. Keep thinking of where he might hide it, and try every place. I'll come again, next time he is away. I'll leave more of the herbs out in the shed, on the lintel of the door. Next time your husband is away, you'll find me there. I will not risk coming onto the roof again."

She nodded her understanding. Both of us knew this game could mean our lives, and we likely had only one more chance. One long, dreamless sleep after drinking tea her mistress had made and the maid would feel rested; another, and she'd certainly begin to wonder.