Attracting the Spymaster: Sweet and Clean Regency Romance (His Majesty's Hounds Book 15)

by Arietta Richmond

  “My Lady, please accept this. It is a small collection of books for your charity project. I hope that the girls and their children enjoy them.”

  “Thank you, Lord Setford.” She blushed a little as she took the parcel, and carefully unwrapped it to examine the books. “I am quite certain that they will appreciate them.”

  “Good, good. Of necessity, I am Bigglesworth’s best customer. A side effect of that arrangement I confess I did not predict when I first gave the man the shop as a retirement gift. For me to use the rooms there as I do, I must appear to come and go for good reason. I admit to having reached the point where my home resembles a library, more than a normal house. It occurred to me that your charity girls would put all of my purchases to far better use than I will.”

  “I should, as a lady, be mortified that the gift you have given me is not only not for me, but given as a way to relieve a problem of your own. But I rarely do the sort of things society thinks I should. I am delighted that you’ve chosen to give me these.”

  “Well… I hoped that you’d see it that way. You are, to my observation, a woman of uncommon good sense.”

  He realised, as he said it, that it was not a particularly charming way to put things, yet she appeared unworried. Which, given how she managed to discompose him at times, was a very good thing.

  At that moment, the maid delivered the tray, and the scent of coffee permeated the room. Lady Farnsworth poured, and passed him a cup. He took a sip, and savoured it, assessing the quality of the brew. It would do. Not, perhaps, as good as he was used to, but adequate, quite adequate.

  “Does it pass the test?”

  “It is, my Lady, quite acceptable. Please let your staff know that they have done well. Now, please do tell me about this information that you mentioned last night.”

  ~~~~~

  Anna had been, uncharacteristically, fussing about her appearance when she had heard the sound of the front door being opened. She wanted to look good for him. It was probably foolish to feel so, but she did. The second dress that Collette had sent yesterday was perfect for the occasion and, looking at herself in the mirror, she wondered why she had not worn that shade of blue before – it made her eyes look brighter, and suited her well.

  She pushed her fussiness aside. As she was would do. Her heart beat faster than normal, and her cheeks were flushed. For the first time in twenty years, she was excited about a man. It simply wouldn’t do! She went down to greet him, determined to be calm and approach this as any other conversation. That resolution failed as soon as she stepped through the parlour door and his piercing grey eyes met hers. As always, he was immaculately turned out, the picture of understated elegance. How most people managed not to notice him astounded her.

  Her years of practice at dealing with appearing perfectly calm, regardless, stood her in good stead, and she managed to greet him as if he had no affect on her. She concentrated on the real purpose of this visit – her need to provide him with important information. By the time that they were seated on the couch, she felt steady – until he surprised her utterly with the thoughtful gift of books for the girls.

  Once the maid had delivered the tray, and they were sipping coffee, she had composed herself again. When he asked her to elaborate on the information she had for him, she was ready.

  “I hope, Lord Setford, that this is as significant as I believe. I would not trouble you for something which I did not believe to be of great import. You are aware that the girls who come to us, looking for the assistance of our charitable endeavour, are all girls who have worked in the houses of the nobility, and been abused and used by the men of the ton whilst in their employ. It is natural that they tell us their stories. And, often, they tell us far more than the simple facts of their case. They speak of things that occurred in those noble houses, of the attitudes and actions of those men – I will not call them gentlemen – who abused them. And, because we have connections, through the girls and their families, through our own staff and their families and friends, to staff in almost every noble household in London, we hear things from them too.”

  “That is to be expected. You have built an intelligence network to be proud of. One which is, I suspect, quite as efficient as mine, in various ways.”

  “Thank you, my Lord. I will take that as a significant compliment – much though most ladies might not.”

  Anna thought that his eyes sparked with amusement, but, as usual, he gave no indication of his immediate thoughts.

  “So, Lady Farnsworth, what information has arrived through this network of yours, which worries you so?”

  “My Lord, it is not one individual thing, but more a compilation of many small things, which indicates a somewhat alarming whole. When the girls first mentioned some of the things that their previous employers, or the sons of those houses, had said when in their cups, I was inclined to disregard it. But when so many of them mentioned similar things, I became worried, and asked them to confirm what they had heard. For one or two young men saying something outrageous when in a drunken state is nothing unusual, but when that number rises to ten or more, and their words are consistent…”

  “Indeed, that is far beyond coincidence. And what disturbing things are they, that the drink has allowed to fall from the mouths of these men?”

  “I hesitate to be so blunt, to draw such a strong conclusion, but I find that I must. There seems to be a degree of disaffection with the Prince Regent so extreme that these men conspire in what I can only call an assassination plot. They resent his outrageous spending, his self-indulgence, although, from what I have seen, they all seek to emulate it as well. But someone has roused them to anger, to seeing the Prince Regent’s actions as taking away from the status of our country, as disrespectful to those who fought to protect us, for all those years of war.”

  “My dear lady, that is most alarming. You were right to bring this to me. I applaud your sense of duty.”

  “You do not think me foolish, and overstating the matter?”

  “Far from it. Disaster happens when we disregard the small things. Once they have all come together, and the enemies of the Crown take action, it is far too late. Your observation and attention to detail is to be commended – in fact, I would go so far as to say that you have done better than many of the men I have employed over the years.”

  “Thank you. I am reassured by your words – this has worried at me for some weeks now, from the moment that I realised just what all of those small comments added up to. I have taken the liberty of documenting my discoveries, in as much detail as the girls could give me.” Anna rose, went to the small escritoire which stood by the window and, lifting its lid, withdrew a small journal. She turned, to find his piercing grey eyes upon her, watching. She returned to her seat beneath that gaze, finding herself feeling somewhat heated as a result. She offered him the journal. “It is all in here, my Lord.”

  “I am sure that it is all well laid out and detailed. I have, after consideration of your words, and the work represented by this journal, a request to make of you. One you may find somewhat unusual.”

  “Oh? There is not much that I find unusual, after the last few years, my Lord. I fear that I am not, by any means, like most women of the ton.”

  He gave a little snort of laughter at her words, then nodded.

  “I doubt you were ever like most of them, my dear lady. And I am most glad of that fact. For most of them are utterly boring – which you definitely are not!”

  “Is that more flattery, my Lord? Regardless, I am pleased that you see me that way. Now, what is this request?”

  “I would like, my dear lady, to recruit you officially into the organisation that I manage, on behalf of the Crown. Skills such as yours should not go unused, and you are well placed to continue to gather this sort of information, as well as to quietly seek out more, through that excellent network of yours. May I tempt you to a career as a spy?”

  Anna let his words roll about in her mind, studying the implic
ations of such a change in her life. She wanted to do it. Wanted to say yes, even though she knew that it was a course of action that came with risk. There was little that made her afraid – this did not. If anything, it excited her.

  “Yes, my Lord, you may tempt me… I suspect that you, of all men, are best placed to do so.” The slight widening of his eyes that resulted from the potential double meaning of her words pleased her. She had surprised him. “But how shall we arrange things? How will I deliver my findings to you, in a manner which will not arouse suspicion?”

  “I believe that I have the answer to that. Whilst you developing a sudden habit of visiting Bigglesworth’s Books might seem out of place, what could be more natural than that I continue to call upon you? The ton will see a man of middle age courting a lovely widow, and think no more of it than that I am, perhaps, a fool to hope for your attention. That will provide all the cover we will need, to meet and discuss this regularly.”

  Anna’s heart did something most peculiar in her chest at his words, and she sternly told herself that this was just a ruse. But part of her wished, oh so much, that it was real.

  Chapter Four

  The following day Anna went, as was usual for her, to each of the houses on Ebury Street. She spent time with the girls and their children, both those who were new, and those who had been with them for nearly two years now. This day, however, her conversations had new purpose.

  She began at the house which had been the first, with Mary, Sally, Poppy and Rose. She had decided to reveal, at least in part, her intentions to these girls who she trusted completely. They would then be best placed to bring her information from others, and to seek out confirmation of whatever rumours came to them with each new girl who arrived.

  Once she had been shown into the parlour, settled onto the couch, and allowed the children to climb into her lap, she spoke.

  “Mary, I have something to ask of you.”

  “Of course, my Lady. You have done so much for us – I will do anything for you, anything you ask.”

  “Such open-ended promises are rash my girl!”

  Anna watched with amusement as Mary’s cheeks turned bright pink.

  “Oh! But my Lady, I know that you would never take unfair advantage of my words!”

  “Indeed. But you should always think of such things. Now, to business. You have heard, as have I, the stories of all of the girls we have given homes to, here in this street, in our ‘village in the city’. I have been thinking about those stories. Not just the parts, lamentably repetitious as they are, about how the young fools of the ton use and abuse their servants, but all of the other things the girls have told us about the households of their former employers.”

  “Yes, my Lady. Every new story reminds me how lucky I am to be here.”

  “Well, those stories are beginning to indicate a pattern. I have been hearing such similar things, from so many girls, that it can’t just be happenstance. I think that the young men of the ton are even more foolish and self-serving than we had believed. For when the girls speak of the things that those men have said, especially what is said when they are drunk and boastful, there is a frightening common thread to it. A thread that, followed to its probable end, could lead to plots and treason.”

  At the word ‘treason’, Mary’s eyes went wide, and the shadow of fear crossed her face. When Mary had first been brought to this house, as a place of safety, it had almost been the opposite, when a treasonous plot had been uncovered amongst those using the adjoining house.

  “Treason? No…”

  “Unfortunately, yes. I have already taken some steps towards having it dealt with, but the information we have is not enough. I need to ask you to gather more. Will you help me to spy upon the doings of the abusive men who made it necessary for the girls to come to us?”

  “I will – but how am I to do so?”

  “By doing more of what you do now – talking to the girls who come to us, and encouraging them to tell you their stories, to tell you everything they can remember, then passing that on to me. By talking to the friends and families of the girls, and of my staff, who work in other great houses, and encouraging them to gossip about the doings of their employers – especially the scandalously behaved younger gentlemen. I will collect everything that you can bring to me, and everything that I can discover myself, and pass it on to someone who can do something about it.

  Mary looked at her, thinking, then her eyes widened again.

  “Lord Set…”

  “Yes. No need to mention the name. He has the contacts to deal with this. All we need to do is gather the information.”

  “Yes, my Lady. I’ll start today – shall I write down what they tell me?”

  “Yes, please do.”

  Mary nodded. And they turned the conversation to other things, more pleasant things, like the new words that the children had learned, the huge box of new toys that the Duke of Windemere had sent for the children, and more. Anna relaxed, happy with the day’s progress.

  ~~~~~

  Whilst Anna was at Ebury Street, talking to Mary and the other girls, Cecil was staring at the papers spread out before him on the large desk in his private room above Bigglesworth’s Books. When he put together all of the pieces, all of the information that he had received from his various undercover agents, with the information that Lady Farnsworth’s journal contained, the picture was even more dire than he had thought.

  There seemed no doubt whatsoever that a collection of hot-headed young men had wound themselves into a fervour, enough to actually be hatching an assassination plot. What worried him most was the fact that he did not have, as yet, a clear picture of who the leader of the conspiracy was. He had read every word in Anna’s journal twice, he had been over all of the other reports that he had, multiple times, and the pattern still wasn’t quite clear. He felt as if he was missing something – and he hated that sensation, more than anything.

  Disgusted, he rose, and picked up his coffee cup. Cup in hand, he went to the window, and sipped the rich bitter brew as he considered the sooty rooftops spread out before him. Out there, somewhere, was the answer. Perhaps Lady Farnsworth would find it for him, where all of his men had so far failed. He would not be at all surprised. She was beyond astute, sharply witty, and completely observant. The fact that, for much of the last twenty years, she had turned that sharpness to nothing more significant than an accurate and acerbic commentary upon the fashion choices of the ton did not diminish it in any way.

  He admired her. He had come to do so, bit by bit, as the events of the last three years had made him aware of her, and brought them into contact, as a result of the Hounds. And now, he found himself very glad indeed of the opportunity to see her often. Yesterday, he had most uncharacteristically acted on impulse, when he had proposed that they allow the world to think that he was courting her, to facilitate regular meetings.

  He knew that it was a fabrication, of necessity – he was certain that she saw it as nothing more – she had given a little start, when he had made the suggestion, almost as if she would refuse it, and that hesitation had hurt. He had quickly pushed the emotion aside, and focussed on what was needed. But, if he was completely honest with himself, he had to admit that he wished the courtship were real. It was a shocking idea – that he actually wanted to court a woman, seriously - yet he had never shied away from facing his own truths. He was not quite sure how it had reached that point – yet somehow, one charming and sharp-edged conversation after another, she had wound her way into his regard.

  It did not matter. He would do his duty, as always, and, if it was only a fiction, he would still enjoy her company, and respect her even more for her willingness to act to assist the Crown. He swallowed the last of the coffee, and went back to the papers. There had to be something – some small thing that he was missing, which would provide the final clue – the clue that would allow him to act, and to defuse the plot before it went too far.

  ~~~~~

  By
the end of the day, Anna had spoken to every one of the now more than twenty girls who lived in their charity houses, and had gathered a further collection of alarming facts. Without a doubt, her first assessment was correct – she could make no other assumption – they were looking at a plot to assassinate the Prince Regent.

  She sat at her escritoire in her comfortable parlour, and wrote down everything that had been said, every new piece of gossip or overheard conversation. As she wrote, it all sorted itself in her mind. And a pattern began to emerge. There were three households, three where more than one girl had suffered, and come to them for help. Those three were home to some young men of the ton, of impeccable breeding, but disreputable behaviour, and the girls all reported very similar things – things far more extreme and unusual than had been reported from other households.

  She set herself to consider all she knew of those families, not just from the girls, but from her own socialising amongst the ton. There had to be something, some clue to what they planned, when, some clue to who coordinated their plans, and she would find it – or it would drive her quite insane, not knowing.

  Perhaps it was time to get herself invited to some events at those houses.

  Chapter Five

  “I now have invitations to at least 6 events, over the next several weeks, each to be held at the home of one of the most likely suspects. Once I saw the pattern in the girls reports, I decided that those three most deserved further investigation – and what better way to do that, than to directly observe them myself? If they are indiscreet in their cups, then if I am present when they are entertaining at home, I will most likely see them thoroughly inebriated.”

  “My dear Lady, I cannot fault your assessment, but… do not put yourself in harm’s way. Do not, in any way, allow them to think that you care one whit about their inebriated ramblings. Such men as these are dangerous.”