They waited for evening to fall before sneaking out to the Ashworth's estate. Aurelia had managed to steal her brother's riding clothes again, in case the daring feat involved climbing through windows and making a quick escape. Anthony shared the same idea, yet - with his all-black attire - he managed to blend into the shadows with such ease. Aurelia was very conscious of how bright her brother's clothes were.

Whilst she had visited the Ashworth's house many times during her childhood, it had been years since she'd actually stepped foot in it. The structure would not have changed, but offices might have changed into bedrooms, sofas could be in different positions, and her memory of the place might not be as crystal clear as she remembered. Not to mention she had no idea where in the house Athos was. The idea of breaking in and rescuing him was pretty simple, but executing it was far from it. Nerves had started to settle in.

"Are you ready for this?" Anthony asked her, searching for the best entrance point.

"Yes," She nodded. Whether she sounded convincing to him or not, Anthony didn't let it show on his face. It was too late to turn back now, they couldn't let Athos suffer any longer.

After a few trials and errors, Anthony found an unlocked window that was easy to shimmy open. Together, they pushed it up, wide enough for them both to wiggle through, but leaving it unnoticeable to any passers-by. Anthony boosted Aurelia through first, cupping her foot with his hands, before she turned around and pulled him through.

He was a lot heavier than she had anticipated, no doubt he would claim it was pure muscle if she'd been cruel enough to bring it up. Staining to pull him in, she used her might to squeeze him through the window without making a sound. He landed behind a sofa, the carpet muting out the thud, and pulled Aurelia down on top of him.

A snide remark was ready to spring from his lips, but she quickly clamped her hand over his mouth. Not even a second later, a servant walked into with a lantern and returned a book to its shelf. Neither of them dared breathe whilst she was in the room, the lingering silence of the house would have given their presence away. Even after the servant left, they waited to be certain the coast was clear.

Aurelia slowly moved her hand off Anthony's mouth. "Is she gone?"

"It's a bit hard to tell with you on top of me?" He replied, not attempting to hide the smug tone in his voice.

Aurelia frowned, confused by his meaning, before registering the compromising position they were in. She scoffed, clambering to her feet, "You're disgusting."

"You're not the first woman to throw themselves at me," He smirked, pushing himself off the floor, "and you won't be the last."

She ignored his childish taunt and focused her mind back on the task at hand. Tip-toeing to the doorway, she peered out into the corridor checking for any signs of movement. They were empty. She waved Anthony over, silently instructing him to follow her down the hall, both of them keeping their bodies pressed up against the wall and hidden in the shadows.

They had no idea which room Athos could be in, but Aurelia was determined to search every one until she found him. She was not leaving the house until he was safely back in her arms.

Together, they searched the house from top to bottom, dodging servants and staying far away from the light. The bedrooms were the last place they wanted to look, but the only options left. If Roman was right, if the Ashworths did have Athos, he had to be inside one of them.

"Do you know which room is Lord and Lady Ashworths'?" Anthony whispered.

"No," She replied, "Believe it or not, I'm not a frequent visitor to their bed chambers."

If anyone were to know, it was more likely Anthony. It wouldn't surprise Aurelia if he'd bedded half of the ton.

"I guess we are going off sheer luck, then," He stated.

They had five doors to choose from. There was a one in five chance that they'd stumble into the right room and save Athos, however, they were equally as likely to find themselves barging in on the sleeping Ashworths. They were playing a dangerous game.

Anthony chose the first door, which led to an empty room full of paintings and old decor. Aurelia picked the second; an unused bed and dusting furnishings met her in return. She dared to pick the third, but found a similar attire to the second.

They had two left to choose from.

"Which do you think?" She asked Anthony, hoping he would be more confident in his decision.

"I have no idea," He answered, his eyes darting between the doors.

Aurelia took a deep breath, weighing out her options. The Ashworth estate was similar to her own, the layout was reminiscent of the second floor and the doors and windows were in a similar position. If she were in her own house, her parents' room was at the end of the corridor, leaving the nursery at its side.

Athos had to be in there.

Walking to the door nearest to them, she wrapped her fingers around the handle and prayed that she'd made the right choice. After counting down from three, she twisted the handle and pushed, swinging the door open.

Light from a small candle flooded out into the corridor, illuminating its surrounding. Toys were scattered on the floor, books piled on top of a small desk, and a little bed pressed against the wall. Aurelia couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a sleeping Athos tucked into the covers.

Without hesitation, she flocked to the child's side and gently began to shake him awake. "Athos."

His eyes began to flicker open, but grew wide with surprise when he realised who she was. "Aurelia!" He wrapped his small arms around her neck and squeezed her so tightly she couldn't breathe.

"Shh," She hushed him, pulling away, conscious of the possible sleeping Ashworths next-door. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No," He quickly shook his head.

"Good," She smiled, happy to hear it. "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

He nodded his head and swung his legs out of the bed, eager to get back home.

All three of them reentered the corridor, retracing their steps and heading back towards the library window. They came across one servant, who stopped to investigate the corridor as they hid behind a grandfather clock, but he quickly moved on, giving them a clear path to the library.

"Okay," Aurelia crouched down, once they reached the window, to explain the plan to Athos, "I'm going to climb out first, and then you are going to jump and I'll catch you."

He peered over the ledge. "It's very high."

"I will catch you, I promise," She reassured him. "Do you trust me?"

He hesitantly nodded his head, but they didn't have time to convince him further.

Aurelia sat on the window ledge and swung her legs outside, jumping down to the grass-covered ground. Turning around, she held her arms out to him. "Your turn."

With help from Anthony, he took a deep breath and jumped, landing straight into her arms, another inch closer to safety.

Just as Anthony was about to join them, a voice echoed down the corridor, heading straight for the library. "I heard voices down here, in the library."

"Go!" Anthony ordered, shooing them away with his hand, "I'll distract them."

"Not without you," Aurelia protested. How would he explain his presence in a house that wasn't his in the middle of the night?

"Don't be stupid, Aurelia," He snapped.

Begrudgingly, Aurelia picked up Athos and ran as fast as her legs to carry them. The horses were on the outskirts of the Ashworth estate, not too far from where they were, and with Anthony's distraction, they'd make it across without being spotted.

The journey back home was long, but they returned just before dawn, and Athos was finally back where he belonged.