Once Upon a Spy: A Secrets and Seduction Book

by Sheridan Jeane

  “Castling was what was called for, not charging into danger like an angry bull.”

  The image of the Russian soldier charging toward Robert’s raised épée flashed though her mind. She shuddered at the vision and shook her head, pushing it away. “Castling?”

  His gaze slid across her without stopping. “It’s a chess move. You have your king swap places with the castle— rook— whatever you choose to call it. You can only do it if they haven’t yet been moved.”

  “Are you saying you think the book should have traded places?”

  “Exactly. At the very least, I should have created a distraction. Remember how Frederick and Daniel made the watchers follow them yesterday? I should have known they hadn’t given up.”

  “Surely you don’t see yourself and your brother as a pair of Cassandras who can foretell the future,” she chided.

  His gaze finally fixed upon her rather than sliding over her. A faint smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Perhaps that would explain it. Perhaps I was cursed by the god Apollo.” He glanced at the bust on the pedestal, and Antonia followed his gaze.

  “I thought we’d planned for every contingency.” As he passed his desk, he paused to stare down at the map of London spread on the gleaming wood surface. The map they’d used when planning the route they’d take to court this morning. Four ornate brass weights sat pressing down on the curling corners of the large sheet. Robert braced his rigid arms on the desk and glared at the crisscrossing squiggles and lines representing London. His fingers tightened until his knuckles turned white against his tanned skin. “Obviously we missed some things.”

  Antonia watched him silently as she took Apollo’s cold marble head between her hands and turned him to face the wall. She glanced at Robert, but he was unaware of what she’d done. It was obvious he was angry with himself. Angry that he had failed his brother. His queen. His country.

  Robert lashed out suddenly, ripping the map from his desk and sending the brass paperweights tumbling. The heavy bits of metal flew in arcs as he crushed the map into a ball. One piece flew in a particularly large arc and landed all the way across the room on top of the chess board. It clattered its way across the squares, knocking about the chessmen and sending them flying.

  Antonia was speechless for a moment, but then she simply began collecting the brass paperweights from the rug.

  “I’m sorry,” Robert said. “I’ll do that.”

  “We can both do it. Perhaps you can put the chessmen back on the board.”

  Robert began collecting the black and white pieces as Antonia placed the small weights in a neat row along the edge of his desk. She held the last trapezoidal bit of brass in her hand and slid her thumb back and forth over its smooth side. As she watched Robert, she realized he was putting the chessmen back exactly where they’d been positioned mid-game. At least, she thought they were on the same squares. She only remembered where the queen and the rook had been standing. She couldn’t swear to the positions of the rest of the pieces. But the rook’s position— that was something she knew with certainty.

  “We still time have time,” she blurted out. “We can get it back.”

  Robert paused as his hand moved to place a pawn on the table, and he tightened his fist around the piece. “They’ll have taken it to the embassy. Of that I have no doubt. We’ll never be able to get it. We won’t be able to get past the front door. If they’re prudent, they’ll lock every entrance to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the building.”

  He unclenched his hand and set the pawn on the table, placing it to join the neat row along the side of the board among the other captured pieces no longer in play.

  Antonia watched the chessboard as it continued to sprout pieces in its former arrangement. There was nothing like a bit of recklessness to throw things into disarray. Her eyes widened. “Perhaps we need to think about the problem from a different angle. If we can’t go through the front door, then we need to enter the embassy another way.”

  Robert turned to face her. “The servants’ entrance?”

  “No. Something even more unexpected.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  Antonia licked her lips. Her idea was a bold one. Perhaps too bold. But still, they were desperate. They’d need to be bold in order to succeed. She forged ahead. “When I made my plans to steal the book from the embassy, I examined several alternatives. It wasn’t until I learned about the winter solstice celebration that I decided to simply walk out the door with it. There is another way.”

  Robert took a step closer to her, and the tip of his shoe sent a chess piece skittering toward her feet. Antonia reached down and scooped it up, taking the brief moment to collect her thoughts. When she stood back up and met his gaze, she saw a hesitant gleam of hope in his keen blue eyes.

  “The roof,” she said, clenching the chess piece in her fist. “It’s possible to access the roof from the next building.”

  Robert’s gaze shifted slightly to her right and lost focus. After a moment he nodded. “You’re right. The buildings are close. They might even touch.”

  She rubbed her thumb across the crown of the chess piece she held. The white queen. “It would be a simple matter to enter one of the upper windows and steal the book.”

  Robert lifted his brows. “Simple? I don’t think I’d describe it that way.”

  “It would require nothing more than a sturdy rope and some nerve.”

  Robert shook his head. “It also requires two strong hands. That eliminates Frederick. Those burns are far from being healed.”

  “You don’t need Frederick,” she said, holding the queen out to him. “You have me.”

  “What?” He seemed stunned and took the piece from her hand with hardly a glance.

  “Why not?”

  “You’d climb down the side of a building with your skirts billowing in the breeze?” A quick grin flashed across his face. “You’ll have to let me climb down first.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’ll wear trousers, of course.”

  “Of course,” Robert said, but then his grin slipped and turned into something different. “But you don’t mean— you can’t possibly— do you plan to climb down a rope? You can’t possibly have the strength…”

  “I don’t think you understand the life of an actress. I’ve acquired a number of unusual skills in the past year.” She leaned over, brushed her skirts aside, and deftly pulled her knife from the ankle of her boot. “Have you forgotten this?”

  Robert took a step back. “I had— until you used it on that man.” He scratched the back of his head as he turned to face the chessboard. “You’re an unusual woman, Antonia Winter.” He stared down at the piece in his hand and then placed it carefully in position. “Unique.”

  Antonia’s chest tightened until she couldn’t breathe. Had she revealed too much? Was she too unusual? “Is that good?”

  “It’s who you are. The toast of the London stage.”

  “That can change in an instant. Just a year ago, I was the sparkling debutante from Maidenhead. Then everything changed.” She looked at him levelly. “I changed.”

  “And within the past year you’ve learned to wield a knife and climb a rope?”

  She let out a sigh. “In my last show I played the role of a fairy. I lost count of the number of times I climbed the scaffolding behind the set so I could perch in a tree with the other fairies. They assigned me the highest spot because I was so good at scampering up the bars. The quickest way back to the floor of the stage was via the rope I placed there for just that reason. I became quite proficient.”

  He stared at her a moment, his expression deadpan. “You continue to astonish me,” he finally said. “Don’t you understand what you’re risking? Your uncle already killed Father Sergey’s wife for that book. You were nearly kidnapped. Twice. That book is dangerous. How can you blithely offer to risk your life climbing across the roof of the embassy? It’s insanity.”

  “It isn’t insanity. I’v
e already done the research and I know I’m perfectly capable of crossing that roof and climbing down to a window.” Not that she wanted to, but she would. For him.

  “This is too much. I won’t let you.”

  “Then I’ll go to Frederick. I’m sure he’ll support my plan.”

  Robert’s shoulders sagged. He turned away from her and let out a heavy sigh. “He certainly will, but then again, he’s not the one risking everything.” Robert shook his head in resignation. “Fine. Do it. You already know I’ll be there to save you. Isn’t that what I’m best at?”

  Something in his tone sent a feeling of dread through her. Some note of finality. It was as though he’d closed a door. One that left her firmly on the other side.

  Had she revealed too much? Pushed him too far outside his conventional life? But what choice did she have? How could she live with herself if she didn’t do everything in her power to help him recover the book? He’d sacrificed his honor and the trust of both his brother and his queen in order to help her. She couldn’t simply abandon him.

  Not even if it meant losing him.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  Opportunity makes a thief.

  - Francis Bacon

  As Robert stepped through the door and onto the roof, the frigid winter wind tugged at his hat. He pulled it more snugly in place and in doing so managed to dislodge the coiled length of rope looped over his shoulder. As he shrugged it back in place, a gust caught the board clamped under his arm, causing it to wobble. The wind was making everything more challenging than he’d anticipated. He adjusted the angle of the long, flat piece of lumber and glanced back at his footman standing next to the door.

  “You’re overloaded. Let me carry the rope,” Antonia said.

  Robert hesitated, but when the wind gusted again, he relented. He shrugged the coiled length from his shoulder and handed it to her.

  Antonia took it, apparently unconcerned by its hefty weight. She didn’t fumble with it at all. Instead she simply slid it up her arm and onto her shoulder with the ease of someone who’d performed the same action many times in the past. She’d managed to surprise him yet again.

  He hated that she was here. Hated that he couldn’t do this without her— without putting her in harm’s way. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Try as he might, he’d been unable to turn her from this course. It didn’t help that he hadn’t been able to come up with a better plan. She was right. There was a good chance this would work.

  Either that, or they’d end up dead— or as prisoners hidden away somewhere in Russia.

  “Give us an hour,” Robert said, peering at the footman, Turner. “If we aren’t back by then, leave your rope here and head back downstairs. Frederick will be waiting for you in the carriage.”

  “Yes, my lord.” Turner dropped the second rope he was carrying so that it settled near the edge of the rooftop.

  If they were caught and the Russians discovered they’d gained access to the embassy via the building next door, he didn’t want the owner implicated. The man had already put himself at risk by allowing Robert access to his roof. A carefully placed rope dangling to the street below would divert suspicion away from the owner. Robert only hoped no one would question the man too closely. He was a nervous one. They’d been fortunate Frederick had been able to convince him to help.

  Robert was thankful they hadn’t had to scale the side of the building. That would have been a treacherous undertaking. He had to admit, despite Antonia’s confidence in her rope-climbing abilities, he doubted she could make a three-story ascent.

  “Shall I wait here on the roof, m’lord?” the footman asked.

  “It’s too cold for that. Wait just inside the door. Start watching for us in about twenty minutes. If all goes well, we’ll be back by then.”

  Turner gave a respectful bow and then stepped back inside the doorway.

  Without a word, Antonia struck off across the roof toward the adjoining building and Robert turned to follow her, hunching his shoulders against the frigid gusts.

  He wasn’t sure which would be worse, having her trailing along behind him and out of sight, or in front of him so she’d be the first to face any perils. Since they were unlikely to encounter anyone on the roof, having her in the lead seemed the lesser of two evils. At least this way he could observe her in men’s garb.

  Robert was struck once again at how remarkably unremarkable Antonia appeared when dressed as a man. It was unsettling. It was unlikely he would have given her a second glance if he’d passed her on the street. Considering the relaxed and unselfconscious way she moved, she must be comfortable and at ease. The clothes provided her a level of invisibility that she could never have when dressed as a woman, one she clearly appreciated. He’d already noticed that when she went about in her normal attire, people tended to watch her every movement.

  Antonia paused at the edge of the building and glanced down. The gap between this building and the embassy was about three feet wide. If the weather had been good he might have simply jumped across, but the icy surfaces and the wind made that option too dangerous.

  He slid the plank out from under his arm as he made ready to set it down, but the wind teased at it, trying to pluck it from his grasp. This was a devilishly cold night.

  Robert wrestled the plank under control and laid the front edge of it on the decorative stone balustrade that edged the roof. He balanced it there as he pushed it forward until the other end was braced on the balustrade of the next building. The ornamental parapet was smooth and level, and the two buildings were almost exactly the same height.

  He glanced at Antonia, taking in her excitement and her tension. Was this how she appeared just before she walked on stage? He could almost believe that if he reached out and touched her, he’d feel a jolt of electricity as sparks of her excitement shot into the cold winter sky like bolts of lightning.

  “I’ll hold the plank in place while you cross,” he said. “Then you’ll need to do the same for me. I don’t trust the wind. Hand me the rope.”

  She nodded and passed the coiled length to him. He tossed it across the gap to the adjoining roof.

  He nodded at Antonia, and she gave him a broad grin. The unexpectedness of that smile swept through him, banishing his unease. He’d hated the tension that had grown between them all afternoon. This was the way he wanted to be with her. Relaxed.

  She placed her hand on his shoulder for balance as she stepped up onto the stone railing, and he did, indeed, feel that jolt he’d anticipated at her touch. Pleasure struck him to his bones.

  He gazed up at her, perched before him on the plank with her arms slightly extended, like a figurehead mounted on the prow on a ship. She radiated excitement as she took a deep breath and then quickly darted across the gap.

  As she landed on the roof, she must have hit a patch of ice because her foot slid to one side. Her legs spread wide, but then her foot bumped against the coiled rope and stopped. She quickly righted herself.

  She turned back to face him and grabbed hold of the plank, her grin still plastered on her face. “The wind is stronger between the buildings,” she called. “Be careful.”

  Robert’s heart pounded in his throat at her near fall, and he had to force himself to relax. She wasn’t injured. She hadn’t plummeted between the buildings. She was safe.

  He stepped up onto the balustrade. As he inched his foot onto the plank, it felt solid. He inhaled. The wisest course would be to follow Antonia’s example and do this quickly. He hunkered down slightly and put his hands out for balance. Halfway across the gap, the breeze from below caught his overcoat and caused it to billow up. The frigid cold swept up to his chest. As soon as he reached the far side of the plank, the wind could no longer tease at him, and his coat drifted back in place.

  He was careful not to repeat Antonia’s misstep as he dropped to the roof. He paused and surveyed the flat rooftop. “I see patches of ice everywhere. It’s no wonder you slipped.” He moved closer to Antonia, bloc
king her from the wind. The tip of her nose was pink, and he couldn’t resist planting a quick kiss on it.

  She widened her eyes in surprise.

  “I’ve never kissed a man before,” he said, lifting up the collar of her coat so that it blocked the wind. He tugged slightly at the points of the collar so they met just under her chin.

  “You still haven’t.”

  “True. But I have to admit, I like seeing you in men’s clothing.” He kissed her nose again before forcing himself to turn away. He reached down and pulled the plank toward them. He didn’t want to risk having it fall between the buildings. It was an essential part of their escape route. He carefully stowed the length of wood along the balustrade where the wind couldn’t catch it.

  “I’ll take the lead,” he said as he picked up the coiled rope and slid it onto his shoulder. “Watch your step.”

  Robert headed directly for the second chimney. He and Antonia had pored over the drawings of the embassy with Frederick, and they had decided that anchoring the rope to it would be their best plan.

  He stopped next to the brick chimney and could feel the heat radiating from it. He undid the coil and held one end as he circled the chimney. The rough brick caught at the rope’s fibers. That was good. The additional bit of friction would help prevent the rope from slipping.

  There was a heavy metal hook at the end of the rope, and after he looped the length around the chimney, he slid the hook around the rope, securing it in place. If they managed to escape with the book, he planned to retrieve the rope so that no one would guess how they’d managed to enter the building.

  He glanced at Antonia. “Once I have the window open, I’ll give the rope a shake so you’ll know it’s safe to follow me.”

  She gave a quick, decisive nod. As he moved closer to the edge, Antonia pulled him short by grabbing his hand. He turned to face her.