too old for anything besides a handshake, Henry gave his friend a hug good-bye.

“Aren’t you going to be late for ethics?” Rohan asked.

Henry shrugged, and then pulled the watch out of his trouser pocket and checked.

“Maybe a bit,” he admitted.

“Go,” Rohan said.

Henry bit his lip.

Adam scuffed the toe of his boot at the floor.

“’Bye,” Henry said.

“Good-bye,” Rohan said, smiling bravely.

Reluctantly, Henry and Adam headed to their next lesson, just the two of them.

“Pssst! Grim!” Theobold said after the lesson. “Where’s your friend?”

“Shove off, Archer,” Henry said miserably. He didn’t want to talk about it.

“Did he get expelled?” Theobold pressed. “Is your friend a nasty little thief ?”

Henry started forward, but Adam grabbed his arm and held him back.

“Really?” Theobold said, delighted. “You’re going to fight me for that? Well, have at it, Grim. I’ve not got all day.”

And as much as Henry wanted to, as dearly as he wanted to punch that smirk right off Theobold’s face, he didn’t quite dare. Because if he got expelled too …

“I’m waiting, Grim,” Theobold said, stifling a fake yawn.

“You’re not worth it,” Henry told him, wishing he could think of something better to say. His blood was boiling with hatred toward Theobold, who knew perfectly well that Rohan had been expelled, and probably knew just as well that Rohan was innocent of his accused offense.

Henry hated to walk away, but he needed to talk to Professor Stratford during their hour free, and he didn’t want to waste his time with Theobold.

“Come on, let’s go,” he told Adam.

Ellen glared when they showed up at the door of the headmaster’s house, but Henry was getting used to it.

“Miss Winter is having her piano lesson,” the maid said severely.

“We’re here to see Professor Stratford, actually,” said Henry with his most winning smile.

The door slammed shut in his face.

“Frankie’s rather horrible on the piano, isn’t she?” Adam commented while they waited. Through the front door, Henry could hear the faint tinkle of terrible piano music. He had to agree.

The door opened.

“Professor Stratford will see you in his study,” Ellen sniffed, and Henry and Adam followed her—up the main staircase this time—to the professor’s study.

“Henry!” Professor Stratford cried, delighted to see his former pupil. “And Adam! Come in, come in! But where’s Rohan?”

“He’s been expelled,” Henry said darkly, slumping into a chair.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Afraid so,” Henry said. “Someone made it look as though he’d stolen … well, I’m not sure what it was exactly. Some sort of good luck talisman from Lord Havelock’s archaeology lesson.”

Professor Stratford shook his head. “This is terrible,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, well, so are we.” Adam pouted.

“No, I mean, this is really terrible,” Professor Stratford said. “It’s precisely what I warned you about; Head- master Winter’s competency could very well be questioned for letting common students into the school.”

Henry exchanged a look with Adam.

Professor Stratford groaned. “Already?” he asked. “Someone has said something already?”

“Lord Havelock,” Adam said, pulling a face.

“But that isn’t even the half of what’s happening,” Henry said miserably.

“There’s more?” Professor Stratford asked with a grimace.

Henry told the professor what he’d seen in the Nordlands—the battle training room, the weapons and lists—and how he’d nearly been caught and hadn’t managed to take away any evidence.

“I told Sir Frederick,” Henry said, “but he didn’t believe me. He said that it was a prank, or that I was mistaken, but I know what I saw.”

Professor Stratford was quiet for a long time. He chewed the corner of his mustache and drummed his fingers on the table and had a faraway look in his eyes.

“I believe you, Henry,” the professor finally said. “I don’t know what good it does, but I do.”

“I knew you were always reading those inane gossip magazines for a reason,” Henry said.

“There’s truth to every rumor,” Professor Stratford said, in the old way of almost quoting that made Henry nostalgic for a time in his life he thought he’d never miss.

“What should we do?” Henry asked.

“The best thing that you can do right now would be to stay out of trouble,” Professor Stratford said. “And I mean it. Clearly, Rohan was set up, and whoever wanted him gone will be looking to get rid of the two of you next. Stay out of trouble, and I’ll see what I can do.”

It wasn’t what Henry wanted to hear, but he had to admit that Professor Stratford had a point—and that, thankfully, the professor had believed him. But then, Professor Stratford didn’t teach at Knightley. He was just a tutor,