Jenna Petersen - [Lady Spies] (24 page)

Emily felt fresh tears falling. Grant smiled as he brushed them aside, but he didn’t stop his relentless drive to convince her of his sincerity, his faithfulness. And she found herself believing him with every new word.

“When I told you I would never allow a child of mine to be a bastard, it wasn’t a judgment of illegitimacy. I only meant that I would never allow my child to go through the kind of pain my mother endured, that you endured. I was careful when we made love because we had both vowed, quite strenuously, that we had no intentions of involving our hearts in this affair. But it happened. And not because of any child we created by accident.”

“But—” she began, her last doubts still lingering.

He laughed. “Emily, my stubborn beauty, no! No more buts. You know now that my ‘perfect’ line is only an illusion. The only thing perfect about my family is our love and loyalty. Those things are all that matter to me.”

He dropped his mouth to hers and she melted against his chest. The kiss was achingly gentle, just the whisper of skin against skin, and did not last nearly long enough. He pulled back.

“When you said you loved me, did you mean it?”

She smiled at him. There was no denying him. Not in this. Not in anything.

“I do love you,” she admitted.

“Then marry me. I don’t want a mistress or an affair or a perfect Society wife. I want a woman who will understand my work, and stand beside me through danger and loss and triumph. I want a sparring partner who can put me on my back and challenge me. I want a woman to go to bed with every night and wake up with in the morning. The only woman who can do all that is you. No one else will do. Now stop all this foolishness, turn off your fears as you did when you hit Leary with your parasol. Be brave enough to say you’ll marry me.”

Tears welled in Emily’s eyes and she didn’t care. She let them fall as a joy more powerful than any she’d ever thought she’d feel rushed up inside her. It overflowed, along with the tears that streamed down her face and the laugher that escaped her lips.

“Yes,” she whispered. Then she said it louder. “Yes!”

And she repeated it again and again.

One Year Later

C
harles Isley moved to the door and his hand hovered above the handle. “Are you ready, Lady Westfield?”

Lady M smiled as she smoothed her skirt. “Let them come, Charlie.”

The door opened and three women entered the room. Meredith Archer came first. Her stomach was only just beginning to show the babe that grew inside, but the glow of pure joy that lit her cheeks would have given away her secret even if her belly hadn’t.

Anastasia Tyler followed. Lady M marveled at how far Ana had come. From a bespectacled girl who was afraid of everything and everyone, to an accomplished woman who had just closed a very difficult and dangerous case with the help of her beloved husband a few weeks before.

And finally Emily. She was still glowing from her honeymoon with Grant…. the one that had started six months before and whose end did not seem in sight.

Lady M’s heart swelled. These were her girls. As much her family as her own children.

Kisses and greetings were exchanged before the ladies took their places in Lady M’s parlor. She exchanged a look with Charlie before she began.

“I’m sure you are all wondering why you were asked here today.”

Ana nodded. “Do you have a case for us all?”

Lady M laughed. “I wish I did, but you ladies all deserted me to work beside your husbands. I fear our Society of lady spies is no longer truly in existence. Though I am exceedingly happy at all of your joy and so proud of the work you continue to do outside of the Society’s confines.”

“Then why did you ask us here, Mama?” Emily asked with a smile that warmed Lady M’s heart. She was so fully the daughter of her heart now.

“A very good question, my dear. Your marriages have left me in a bit of a situation. I think my idea of widows who are spies is still a very good one. And I wish to choose a new group of them to follow in your footsteps.”

Meredith caught her breath. “New Society members? I think it’s a wonderful idea!”

Ana nodded. “But where do we come in?”

Charlie cleared his throat. “I am not as spry as I was all those years ago when I first approached you ladies and brought you into Lady Westfield’s circle. Her ladyship and I agree that the new spies will need to be trained by those who have more experience.”

“By you, if you would agree,” Lady M supplied with a wide grin. “Ana, you shall train them in the art of languages, of codes, of all the intricate things a woman must know if she is to be a good spy.”

Ana’s smile broadened.

“Meredith, I will leave their physical training to you, after the babe is born, of course. Attack and defense, as well as the subtle art of turning Society in whatever direction best suits their needs.”

As Meredith nodded, she turned to Emily. “And Emily…?”

“The art of disguise?” Emily supplied with a laugh that spread to the other girls.

Lady M smiled. “Yes. That will be part of what you do, certainly. But there is more. Charlie will no longer be the conduit between me and the new young women who will begin as spies. I want a new day-to-day leader who they can turn to. I want
you
.”

Emily’s eyes went wide and her face paled. “Me?”

Lady Westfield nodded. “Yes, my dearest. If you accept my offer, you will work with me to choose the cases our new spies are assigned and stand beside them as they make their way through the field.”

“Oh, Emily,” Meredith breathed, clutching Ana’s hand as their friend wiped a tear from her eye silently.

Emily stared at her mother-in-law, her mouth slightly open. Then she got to her feet and hurried to her. They embraced. “Thank you. It would be an honor to work beside you.”

Lady M swallowed her own tears. “Of course, you will all continue your work with your husbands. I would never ask the Crown to give up its three best agents. But I do hope you will take my offer.”

Emily wrapped an arm around her waist and they looked at Meredith and Ana. “Of course we accept,” Emily said with a smile. “We are your spies, Lady M. And we always will be.”

I
write a story, but there are so many people who help make it into a book, and my heart-felt thanks go to them all. From the Avon art department to the marketing and publicity teams, from the sales force to everyone in the editorial department, thanks for all you do. Without your support, I’m just a chick with a dream and a computer.

But most especially my thanks go to May Chen. Your insightful comments, supportive words, and every day kindnesses help me in more ways than you could ever imagine. Thank you for continuing to believe in me.

And, of course, no acknowledgment would be complete without thanking my tireless literary agent, Miriam Kriss. The fact that you continue to push, carry, and drag me toward my goals (depending on the day of the week and my chocolate intake) is much appreciated.