Love and Let Spy (Lord and Lady Spy) (31 page)

Moneypence cleared his throat, apparently reminding her that she should not speak of
underthings
in his presence. Jane suppressed a sigh.
Men.

“Of course.”

“There is a large tree in the back, whose limb juts quite close to my bedroom window,” Jane said. “I have used it and your glove grips on numerous occasions.” She looked at Moneypence. “Of course, I leave it to your discretion to determine the best means of access.”

“We will not fail you.”

“Is two hours enough time?”

“I will do my best,” Q said. “Let me look through my tools and see what I should take.”

Jane backed away. “I will leave you to it.” With a smile, she strode away. Not only had she begun a lovely romance, she had given herself at least an hour’s rest. She could have gone to her town house herself, sneaked in and out without being seen. Q undoubtedly knew this, but she had been waiting for her chance with Moneypence, and sometimes, when a chance was available, one had to grasp it and hold on.

Seventeen

Dominic was relieved to see the footman at the gate of Edgeberry’s town house. He’d often thought it a bit strange that the marquess always employed additional footmen for security, but now he was glad. He didn’t immediately recognize the man, but he was allowed to enter after he explained who he was. The footman apologized profusely, explaining he had been hired recently. Dominic waved him back to his post and went inside in search of his brothers. The house was quiet, which did not surprise him. He opened several doors off the dark vestibule and noted the rooms were empty. It had been a gloomy, cold summer thus far, and the cold and gray encouraged everyone to stay in their warm, cozy beds.

“Danbury!” Dominic called when he didn’t find the man in the parlor or the dining room. Danbury stepped out from one of the servants’ doors.

“Yes, sir. Good to have you home, sir.” The servant’s eyes widened as he took in Dominic’s disheveled clothing and days’ growth of beard. “Shall I send Lord Trewe’s valet to your chambers?”

“No. I’d like to speak with Lord Edgeberry. Where is the marquess?”

“He’s gone to his club, sir. Lord Trewe accompanied him.”

Dominic had expected this, but it still frustrated him. One more step. Another hour within which his family might be in danger.

“Lord Phineas and Lord Carlisle have also gone.”

“They’re all at White’s?” He turned back toward the door, and Danbury hastened to open it for him. “I’ll go directly.”

“Yes, sir, but if I might make a suggestion?”

The cold air blew in through the open door, chilling Dominic. He felt uneasy, and it wasn’t simply the unseasonal cold. “What’s that?”

“I do believe a bath and a fresh coat might be in order if you plan to stop at White’s.”

Damn. Danbury was correct. Dominic could hardly show his face at the exclusive club looking like this.

“And your mother would undoubtedly like to speak with you.”

Dominic’s head jerked up. “My mother? She’s at Kenham Hall.”

“She returned this morning, Mr. Griffyn.”

“She has to go back,” Dominic said. And he would make his case after a quick bath and change of clothing. “Very well. Send a valet to my room. I hardly care whose, but I’m in a hurry.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dominic took the stairs two at a time, cursing propriety and the etiquette that demanded he look presentable to warn his family of danger.

***

“Are you warm enough, Miss Qwillen?” Pierce Moneypence asked as he and the weaponry designer made their way on foot to M’s town house. She had her cloak pulled tightly about her slender frame, and the chill breeze whipping it about her ankles had turned her cheeks a lovely shade of pink.

Moneypence had decided it was perfectly acceptable for him to note the pleasing color of her cheeks at the moment. Once they reached the town house, he would concentrate on the mission. This was his first mission in the field, and he was actually rather excited. That excitement likely accounted for why he did not feel the cold. He was to obtain top secret documents from M’s own residence, from Bonde’s bedchamber. The thought actually made him lightheaded. Bonde’s bedchamber! The place where she slept, breakfasted, undressed…

“I’m quite comfortable,” Q said, interrupting his thoughts. “I’m from north of York and used to the cold.”

That explained her seeming immunity to the elements then. Moneypence was glad. One quality that always appealed to him was hardiness. He wished he had more of it himself.

“There it is,” Q said, pointing to a white limestone town house. It was rather unremarkable in appearance, but Moneypence supposed that was the idea. The leader of the Barbican hardly wanted a sign proclaiming his residence.

“Miss Bonde mentioned a tree we might climb to access her room. In which case, we should probably approach from the rear.”

Q looked at him. “Are you skilled at tree climbing, Mr. Moneypence?”

Pierce considered. He’d climbed one or two as a boy, usually to escape larger boys intent on beating him to a bloody pulp. “I have some experience,” he admitted.

“Good.” By tacit agreement, they circled around the house, entering the garden through a gate in the alley where the mews were housed. They were both keenly aware the house was probably being watched, but the ease with which they gained entry to the premises did not surprise them. That did not mean the house itself was unguarded.

Keeping low to take advantage of the shrubbery, Moneypence and Q made their way to the tree closest to the house. They hid behind the tree trunk for a few moments, studying the house and the area. “I do not think we have been spotted,” Q said.

“No one and nothing has moved,” he agreed. His heart was beating rapidly, his blood racing through his veins. No wonder the operatives enjoyed fieldwork. It was rather exciting.

“Shall I climb up first?” she asked.

“I—” He began to protest, but she had already stood and was reaching for the lowest branch, which hung just out of her reach.

“Would you give me a boost, Mr. Moneypence?”

“Of course.” He bent and made a cup of his hands. She placed her boot in it and stepped up. Her thigh pressed against his shoulder, sending warmth and the scent of gunpowder and smoke into his nostrils. It was a surprisingly pleasant scent, rather comforting. She reached for the branch, wrapped her legs about the trunk of the tree, and began to pull herself up. Without meaning to, Pierce caught a glimpse of the white of her calf. He felt his breath catch slightly. Despite Q’s slight stature, her leg had appeared rather shapely to his eye.

He forced his gaze down. He was a man of principle and strong moral fiber. He did not look up ladies’ skirts. That vow made, he began to climb, keeping his gaze on his hands or the tree until he was beside Q on the limb across from one of the house’s windows.

“This is Bonde’s room,” Q whispered. “I’ve been inside before and remember the location within the building.”

“Perhaps I should go in first. She might have laid booby traps.”

“She didn’t use any I didn’t teach her to lay,” Q said with something that sounded like pride in her voice. Logically, she should be the one to go first, then, but he was feeling a bit dizzy from the height of the tree limb on which they balanced. Certainly, it was strong enough for both of them, but did the breeze have to blow so bloody often? He felt as though he were swaying as much as a sailor on a ship.

“What should I watch for?” he asked, scooting forward.

“Anything that would set off an alarm.”

“Right.” An alarm did not worry him. An alarm would not kill or maim. He reached for the window and shoved the pane up. It was locked. Keeping one hand on the tree trunk for balance, he wrapped the other in a handkerchief and used it to break the thick glass. He didn’t cut his hand, but it rather ached by the time he’d smashed through. He reached inside, turned the latch, and pushed the window up. Quickly, he climbed inside, turning to give Q a cheeky smile. With a scream, she jumped on top of him, smashing to the floor just as the whoosh of a blade cut the air where he had been a moment before.

***

Dominic knocked on his mother’s door and waited for her to admit him entrance. At the sound of her voice, he strolled inside and found her seated in front of her hearth in an antique chair upholstered in yellow-and-blue chintz. She held out her hand. “You are safe. Oh, Dominic.” With a sob, she pulled him into an embrace. Dominic was used to her theatrics, but these were more dramatic than usual.

“Mother.” He gently extricated himself and sat across from her, glad for the warmth of the fire. “I told you I was coming to London. I wrote to Edgeberry, told him to leave for Kenham Hall. London is dangerous at the moment. You are much safer in the country.”

She sighed as though she had had this argument many times before. “Yes, I mentioned all of this, and the dead man at Kenham Hall to the marquess, but he says he has an important vote in Parliament tonight and will not quit Town until it is over.”

“So you came home?”

She gave him a sheepish look. “I was lonely. Lady Melbourne is pleasant enough, but I missed my husband. Besides”—she pointed an accusatory finger at him—“how was I supposed to sleep easy knowing a man had been killed just yards from my bed?”

“How will you sleep easy knowing the man who sent him is here in London and may do you more harm?”

She shook her head and leaned forward. In the light from the hearth, he could see her face looked older than usual. There were more lines than he remembered, and she had a bit of gray in her hair at the roots. “Why would anyone want to harm me? I’ve done nothing. Edgeberry has done nothing.”

“It’s not you they are after. It’s Melbourne and Miss Bonde.”

“Miss Bonde?” Lady Edgeberry sat back with surprise. “Why would anyone want to harm that sweet girl?”

“Because she followed in her uncle’s footsteps.”

He had to give his mother credit. She did not even blink. “What footsteps?”

“Mother, please. Do not pretend you have no idea what Melbourne does.”

“Something for the Foreign Office. I assumed he was some sort of clerk. Have they taken to employing women now?”

She was an amazing actress, but he knew her too well. Her gestures were a bit too heavy-handed. “She’s a spy, Mother. Just like her uncle. And right now…well, the less you know, the better. But I am ordering Danbury to put more men around the house. And I’ll find Edgeberry at his club and make him leave the city until this is over.”

“And will you be coming with us?” she asked.

“No.” He stood and raked a hand through hair, still damp from the bath. Dominic had never even considered leaving. “I can’t.”

“You love her,” his mother said.

Dominic didn’t answer. Did he love her? Was he even capable of love? “I don’t know. I do not need to love her to marry her. That’s what you wanted, is it not?”

“I wanted you to fall in love,” she said. “But I will take marriage as a beginning.”

“You did not give either of us much choice.”

She studied her nails intently. “Oh?”

“Jane says you threatened to reveal your affair with Melbourne if she did not agree to marry me.”

“Affair with Melbourne? I have no idea what you are talking about!”

“And that is the first truth you’ve told me all night. Tell me, Mother, why would Melbourne lie to his niece? Why would he want her to believe you were blackmailing him with a secret relationship, when you and I know the truth?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Do we?”

“Melbourne and you did not have an affair, but you do have a secret together. You killed a man, and he hid the evidence.”

She stood. “I do not know what you are talking about.” She whirled so her back was to him. “That girl has filled your head with foolish ideas. You had better go now if you hope to catch Edgeberry before he starts for Westminster.”

“There are still hours before the session begins. What are you afraid to talk about, Mother?” He turned her around. “Did you think I didn’t remember?”

There were tears glimmering in her eyes, unshed tears, and for that he was thankful. “I hoped…” She swallowed. “I hoped you had forgotten some of it. All of it.”

“I haven’t forgotten. I never will.”

“Oh, Dominic.” She threw herself into his arms, and he allowed her to weep for a moment before gently setting her aside. “I’m so sorry, my darling boy. So sorry. It’s all my fault. You must believe me when I say I didn’t know what…that man was doing to you. He threatened to come back, to keep hurting you. I did not mean to kill him. I was so angry.”

“You were drunk,” he said, and saw her flinch.

“I was. I was a horrible mother. I would have gone to prison if the truth had been known. Melbourne saved me. He saved us.”

“And you repay him by blackmailing him?”

She waved a hand dismissively. “He needed to marry off the girl anyway. I was merely helping him. I do not know why he lied to Miss Bonde. He must have had his reasons. I wanted only the best for you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. That’s why I married Edgeberry, why I want you to marry Jane Bonde. I want you to have what I could not give you all those years before.”

“Mother.” Dominic moved close to her. “All I ever wanted was you.”