The Hartwell house was quiet when they arrived.
Noel slipped in through the side entrance — the one the maids used, the one that didn't pass the main sitting room where his mother sometimes had tea with her friends and ladies from respective families. He moved quickly through the lower corridor and up the back staircase, Bennett waiting in the carriage at the gate.
His room was exactly as he'd left it.
He went straight to the wardrobe and pulled out a small travelling bag... a dark leather, compact, the kind that looked dull and didn't draw attention or scream... Noble!. He opened it on the bed and began moving around the room, pulling items from drawers and shelves and making decisions quickly.
