in exchange for that access, Miss Spranklin now has more free time to spend in her office—which is where we want to be.”
“How will you get her out of there?” Elizabeth asked.
“We can’t,” Tommy said simply. “We’ve tried everything. She’s either breathing down our necks or locking herself inside the room we need to break into.”
“Which gives us no choice,” Chloe finished, “but to switch plans to our contingency.”
Marjorie made a face. “Musicale?”
Chloe nodded grimly. “Musicale.”
“It adds a lot of risk factors,” Elizabeth said slowly. “More witnesses—”
“Adult witnesses,” Jacob added.
“—a tight timeline—”
“One and a half hours exactly,” Tommy confirmed. “Not all of the girls have a song they can play at the pianoforte.”
“—a chaotic environment...” Elizabeth continued.
“Precisely what we’re counting on,” Chloe said. “Miss Spranklin will be holding court in the main salon at the front of the building. She is the face of the school. She must be there to reassure parents and coax money out of prospective clients.”
“This is our one chance,” Tommy said. “We will have ninety minutes. We have to make each moment count. And we need to cover Chloe so she can sneak out of the salon.”
Her siblings nodded. “Just tell us what to do.”
Chloe’s chest filled with pride. A Wynchester never gave up just because the odds were impossible. A Wynchester did the impossible anyway.
“We have two days to prepare,” Chloe began. “Tommy will be on the dais with Miss Spranklin. The headmistress wishes to show off and will dance a short reel with Tommy and the elder children whilst the most competent musician plays her piece at the pianoforte.”
“I’m the first line of defense,” Tommy explained. “I’ll be physically closest to Miss Spranklin, therefore best able to distract her from noticing Chloe’s absence.”
“But she’s tricky,” Chloe continued. “Which is why we need Elizabeth to—”
Graham burst through the door with his cravat askew and his black curls in disarray, likely from being smushed beneath a top hat for unknown hours.
“Where were you?” Marjorie asked.
“In Benson.” He flopped into his armchair. “I tracked down—”
“You went to Benson and back?” Jacob repeated. “In one day?”
Elizabeth arched a brow. “I thought you said Faircliffe was a horrid human for becoming more efficient after his father’s death.”
“Faircliffe is a horrid human,” Graham muttered. “But maybe not for that.”
“I understand,” Chloe said softly. Not everyone responded to grief in the same way. “What took you to Benson?”
Her brother’s brown eyes were grateful. “No plan without a contingency. Mrs. Pine cannot travel far from the orphanage, so I wanted to approach Dot’s new ‘family.’ If they genuinely were good people, they’d want to pay the penalty to dissolve Dot’s contract, and possibly even bring legal proceedings against Miss Spranklin.”
“I’m sensing a ‘but,’” Elizabeth murmured.
Graham made a face. “I had to present myself in my guise as a parent of one of the children, so I couldn’t tell them Dot was a fugitive and I knew where she was being harbored. In fact, I couldn’t even say her name. Any mention of ‘that orphan’ upsets their ‘real’ daughter. They sent her away for a reason.”
“Poor Dot,” Chloe whispered.
Mrs. Pine had believed she was giving the girl the chance of a lifetime, just like Chloe and Tommy. Instead, Dot had been submerged into one untenable situation after another.
“Dot’s ‘family’ is satisfied with their choices,” Graham said tightly. “Miss Spranklin’s school has a reputation for providing structure and discipline, which is what they feel Dot is missing in her life. They think she should be grateful for this generous opportunity.”
“The only thing Dot is missing,” Elizabeth ground out, “is someone who loves her.”
“No,” Chloe said softly. “She has that, no thanks to them.”
“I spent the week interviewing parents and guardians,” Graham continued. “It’s more of the same. Miss Spranklin targets those who care more about status and discipline than their children’s happiness.”
“That explains why she doesn’t allow visitors,” Jacob said. “And why the Christmas and summer holidays are so short. It eliminates families who want to see their children. Didn’t Dot say most of the girls are left there year-round?”
“It also explains why the musicale is so important,” Chloe added. “It gives the parents and guardians a chance to assure themselves they’ve done the right thing, and that their charges are just fine in Miss Spranklin’s care.”
Tommy nodded. “It lets them look like they care, without actually requiring them to take an active interest in their wards’ lives. Especially the girls who were orphaned and fell upon the benevolence of a parish or