The Berkeley Square Affair (Malcolm & Suzanne Rannoch)

by Grant, Teresa

  The smile he flashed her was filled with understanding. “It will get easier. Living here in London. Finding a scope for your talents.”

  She nodded. Malcolm understood so much and could read her so well. But there were things he couldn’t understand. Such as just how much she was missing from her old life or the reasons that even in the heart of Mayfair she would never truly feel safe. For her husband, the man she had married out of necessity and come to love so much it frightened her, didn’t know she had been a Bonapartist agent when they met. That she had married him to spy for the French. That she had gone on doing so for the first three years of their marriage. That even now, more than two years after she had made the choice to leave off spying, she felt the tug of divided loyalties. That she lived with the constant fear of discovery, like the nagging pain of a headache that never went away or the gnawing ache of a half-healed wound.

  For every day of their marriage she lied to her husband. And the best she could hope for was that she could preserve the lie for the rest of their lives.

  “I don’t have any regrets,” she said. Like so much of what she said to her husband, it was a half-truth. She didn’t regret for a moment her marriage, her children, the life they were building here in Britain. But when she thought back over the past five years, regrets clustered thick and fast.

  Berowne rolled onto his back on Malcolm’s lap. Malcolm rubbed the cat’s stomach. “I’d say we were tempting fate, save that I don’t believe in fate. But our life has a way of not staying settled for long.”

  “It’s different now.”

  “To a degree. Much as I like to claim I’m my own master, once an agent always an agent.”

  That ought to have been funny. Save that it tore at her throat. She stroked Jessica’s tiny hand. Jessica’s fingers curled round her own, the way they had when she was a squirming newborn. Suzanne tried to savor moments such as this. To commit to memory the boneless weight of the child in her arms, the tug of the small mouth at her breast, the soft translucence of Jessica’s skin, and the web of veins showing at the temple. The glint in Malcolm’s eyes, the angle of his head, the way his long fingers moved over the cat’s fur. The rumble of Berowne’s purr and the sight of his head lolling off Malcolm’s knee. To store the memories up against whatever the future might hold. No matter what Suzanne missed from her old life, no matter the fears she lived with, five years ago she could never have thought she’d find such contentment simply sitting in lamplit quiet, with the patter of the rain on the windows, her baby at her breast, and the steady warmth of her husband’s smile. That counted for a lot. Perhaps she should—

  A thud on the window glass cut through the candle-warmed air. Malcolm dropped his book. Suzanne nearly dropped Jessica. Malcolm sprang to his feet, disrupting Berowne, and put himself between Suzanne and Jessica and the window. Suzanne tightened her arms round Jessica. Old defensive instincts sprang to life, like hairs responding to a shock of electricity. The Berkeley Square house, still so new, had perhaps never felt so much like home than now, when it was threatened.

  Berowne hissed and arched his back. The window scraped against the sash. Malcolm snatched up a silver candlestick. Jessica released Suzanne’s breast and let out a squawk.

  “It’s all right.” A slurred, strained voice came from the window. “It’s me.”

  Malcolm exchanged a look with Suzanne. “Simon?”

  They both ran to the window. Malcolm pushed the sash up the rest of the way and extended a hand to haul Simon Tanner, muddy and dripping rainwater, over the sill.

  Simon had lost his hat and his greatcoat was soaked and caked with mud. His straight dark hair was plastered to his forehead. And—

  “You’re bleeding,” Suzanne said.

  “Scratches.” Simon pushed his wet hair out of his eyes and grinned at her with his habitual nonchalance. “Sorry for the dramatic entrance. I may not have your skills at espionage, but it seemed safer not to use the front door. Not that I think they were actually trying to kill me, but they didn’t seem too concerned about collateral damage.”

  Malcolm crossed to the drinks trolley, splashed whisky into a glass, and put it in Simon’s hand. Suzanne kissed Jessica and put her in her bassinet, then pressed Simon into one of the Queen Anne chairs. He protested, spluttering whisky. “I’ll ruin the upholstery.”

  “The upholstery’s more easily repaired than you. Darling, can you get my medical supply box?”

  Malcolm ran out of the room. She could hear his footsteps on the marble tiles of the hall and the polished wood of the stairs. She helped Simon out of the sodden greatcoat and the damp coat beneath. Above his silver brocade waistcoat, blood seeped through the linen of his shirt.

  “Scratches,” he said again.

  “Only in the sense that Berowne and a lion are both cats. Hold still. David will never forgive me if I bungle this.”

  By the time Malcolm came back with her medical supply box, she had Simon’s cravat and waistcoat off. Malcolm helped her cut away the bloodstained shirt. The main cut was long but, if not precisely a scratch, not overly deep. It wouldn’t require stitches. She cleaned and dressed it and the cut on his face while Malcolm replenished Simon’s glass of whisky. Berowne, deciding there was no imminent danger, ran over to bat at a roll of lint. Jessica sat up in her bassinet and observed with wide eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” Simon said. His hands were steadier now. “I didn’t mean to put you in the middle of this.”

  “I’m glad you came to us.” Malcolm didn’t add, What the hell are you in the midst of? though the unasked question lingered in parchment- and whisky-scented air. Simon was one of London’s foremost playwrights, but it seemed more likely his involvement in Radical politics had led to tonight’s adventure.

  “I was on my way to you before I was attacked, as it happens.” Simon winced as Suzanne secured a dressing over his chest. His gaze slid between them. “No, I’m not involved in a plot to bring down the government. I do recognize that you’re a Member of Parliament now, Malcolm. I may not be the most considerate of friends, but I wouldn’t knowingly put you in such an awkward situation.”

  Malcolm smiled, though the strain remained round his eyes. He perched on the arm of the other Queen Anne chair. “What then?”

  Simon settled back in his own chair as Suzanne drew the folds of a blanket about his shoulders. “I wanted to get your opinion on a manuscript.”

  “One of your own?” Malcolm asked. Simon frequently got into hot water with the Government Censor.

  “No, I’m not nearly so cautious. Not that I don’t value the opinions of both of you.” Simon flashed a smile between them and took a sip of whisky. His face had a bit more color, Suzanne was relieved to see. “A play I was sent. We’re planning a production at the Tavistock. Read-throughs start tomorrow. Though we know it will mean no end of controversy.”

  “Another Radical playwright?” Malcolm asked. Jessica had begun to fuss, fretful squawks that were the prelude to cries while her hands beat a tattoo on the wicker of the bassinet. He got to his feet.

  “No, the playwright’s reputation is as solid as pounds sterling.” Simon stroked Berowne, who had jumped up on the arm of the chair. “Though he dramatized his share of revolts and assassinations. You could say you and I and David and Oliver owe our friendship to him.”

  Suzanne sat back on her heels. Malcolm lifted Jessica against his shoulder and stared at Simon. David, Simon, Malcolm, and their friend Oliver Lydgate had met in an Oxford production of Henry IV, Part II. For a moment the air trembled with disbelief. “Simon, are you saying someone sent you a lost Shakespeare play?” Suzanne could hear the wonder in her own voice.

  “Not exactly. It’s a play we know well. But I’ve never seen this version before. It is—or purports to be—a different version of Hamlet.”

  A chill ran through Suzanne, touching a part of her that went back to childhood. To days when she had sprawled on her stomach watching her father stage rehearsals or dozed in a dressing
room while her actress mother swept on and off the stage. Suzanne lived and breathed politics now, but she had grown up in the theatre. A new version of Hamlet was like touching Excalibur. “How different?” she asked.

  “There are several scenes of Laertes in Paris. And a new scene of Claudius and Polonius plotting. Including a line that could imply Claudius is actually Hamlet’s father.”

  Malcolm’s fingers tightened against Jessica’s head. “Good God.”

  “Yes, it does add even more layers to Hamlet’s motivation.”

  “Could the manuscript be authentic?” Malcolm asked.

  “Difficult to tell.” Simon shifted against the chairback, then winced as he jostled his wound. “The language feels right. A bit rough round the edges, but that could be accounted for by it being an early version. Some of the familiar scenes have slightly different language as well.”

  “There are two different versions of Hamlet that we know of,” Malcolm said. “And there are mentions of an earlier play that was a source for Hamlet, by Kyd, perhaps even by Shakespeare himself. A lot of Shakespeare scholars, including my grandfather, think Shakespeare was working on Hamlet for years. So theoretically one can imagine an earlier draft existing.” He drew a breath. Suzanne could hear the shock and wonder that underlay his words. “Does it look authentic?”

  “It certainly looks old.” Simon stroked Berowne, who had jumped into his lap and was kneading his knees. “It’s handwritten, and at least one other person has made notes and corrections on the manuscript. But I couldn’t tell if either is Shakespeare’s hand.”

  “I don’t think anyone could. The only examples of his handwriting we have are a few signatures.” Malcolm moved across the room, shifting Jessica against his shoulder. His voice was temperate, but Suzanne could read the excitement in the taut lines of his body.

  “You know Shakespeare. Both of you.” Simon’s gaze flickered to Suzanne. “And you know forgeries.”

  “We should get my grandfather’s opinion. Fortunately he’s staying with my aunt Marjorie in Surrey, so I can reach him more quickly than if he were in Scotland.” Malcolm rubbed his hand against Jessica’s back. His grandfather, the Duke of Strathdon, was a noted Shakespearean scholar.

  “Yes, I was thinking of that. Obviously it’s a ticklish situation. It could be the making of the Tavistock if it’s authentic. We could make fools of ourselves if it turns out to be a forgery. But it never occurred to me it was dangerous.”

  “Simon?” Suzanne said, watching his face. “What happened on your way here?”

  “Three men jumped me. I fought back—I don’t take kindly to having my possessions appropriated. But when I took the knife to the chest even I was willing to concede it was prudent to let them have what they were after.”

  “Do you have any idea who they were?” Malcolm asked, jiggling Jessica in his arms.

  Simon shook his head. “There were three of them. English, I think, but we didn’t stop to exchange pleasantries.”

  Suzanne closed her medical supply box. “Where did you get the manuscript?”

  “From Manon.”

  Suzanne’s fingers froze on the bronze latch. She forced them to unclench. Manon Caret had been the leading actress at the Comédie-Française. She had escaped Paris two years ago just ahead of agents of Fouché, the minister of police. For in addition to being a brilliant actress, she was a Bonapartist agent. And Suzanne had helped her escape. Which of course Suzanne couldn’t say to anyone. Even her husband. Especially her husband. “How on earth did Manon—”

  “Harleton gave it to her. Apparently he found it tucked away among his father’s things after Lord Harleton’s death.”

  Suzanne set the medical supply box on the sofa table, controlling the trembling of her fingers. Crispin, Lord Harleton, was a cheerful young man, a couple of years ahead of Malcolm at Oxford. He had been Manon’s lover for the past year or so. His father had been one of the sporting set. Suzanne had met him once or twice before his death six months ago, a bluff man with a hearty laugh, an appreciative eye for a low-cut bodice, and hands that were inclined to wander.

  Malcolm dropped down on a footstool, propping Jessica in his lap. “I’m surprised old Lord Harleton had a manuscript of such value. Though not surprised he left it tucked away.”

  “Crispin said ten to one his father didn’t realize what he had,” Simon said. “I must say Crispin quite impressed me. I always used to wonder what Manon saw in him.”

  Jessica wriggled in Malcolm’s lap and arched her back. Malcolm set her on the carpet, and she began to scoot across the floor, heedless of the undercurrents. “Did Crispin and Manon give you any indication that anyone might be after the manuscript?” Malcolm asked.

  Simon shook his head. “No. They were merely curious if it could be genuine.”

  “Simon.” Malcolm reached down to steady Jessica as she pulled herself up on the edge of an ormolu table. “Tell me that you didn’t give up the only copy of the manuscript?”

  A slow smile spread across Simon’s face. “I copied the whole script out the night Manon and Crispin gave it me. I was thinking of fire or damage more than theft. And then I had copies printed up for the actors.” He stroked Berowne under the chin. “I’m not sure why I brought the first copy I made with me tonight. I had some vague thought that we might want to read from it to spare the original. But I’m very glad I did. Because the thieves couldn’t tell my copy from the original manuscript.”

  Malcolm echoed Simon’s smile. “You still have the original?”

  “Wrapped in oilskin in my greatcoat pocket. They glanced at my copy enough to determine it was a script—which apparently is what they’d been told to look for—and then saw no need to search me further. Bring my coat over and we can have a look at it. I’m eager to see what you think of the authenticity. And more.”

  “More?” Suzanne scooped up Jessica, who had crawled over to grab her mother’s sarcenet-covered knees.

  Simon’s fingers went taut against Berowne’s soft gray fur. “Even when I was bleeding on the cobblestones, I felt I should put on a show of reluctance to give up the manuscript. One of the men dealt me a blow to the jaw and snatched it from my hands. Another said, ‘All this fuss just for some old paper.’ And another replied, ‘It’s not the paper. It’s the secrets hidden in it.’ ”

  CHAPTER 2

  Malcolm set Jessica in her cradle, gently settling her head on the tiny feather bed. “An adventure without international intrigue.”

  “That we know of.” Suzanne closed the door to the night nursery, where Colin was sound asleep, his arm curled round his stuffed bear. Manon’s involvement danced on the edge of her consciousness. As Crispin’s mistress, Manon shouldn’t have anything to do with a manuscript found among his late father’s things. But her involvement, combined with the talk of dangerous secrets, brought Suzanne’s defensive instincts springing to life. Or perhaps she was starting to jump at shadows, like the Tory politicians who saw Radical plots behind every tree.

  “Old Lord Harleton wasn’t particularly political,” Malcolm said, stroking his fingers against Jessica’s cheek. “Difficult to imagine international secrets being hidden in papers he possessed, whether or not the manuscript is genuine. Amorous secrets on the other hand—”

  Suzanne crossed the room and tucked a soft blanket round Jessica’s legs. English houses were drafty and the fire in the grate (why had the porcelain stoves so prevalent on the Continent never caught on here?) could not drive out the chill. “Yes, he managed to get his hand down my bodice the one time we actually spoke. At the regent’s reception at Carlton House.”

  Malcolm’s brows snapped together. “You didn’t tell me.”

  “You might have turned husbandly and felt obliged to do something. I may be new to London society, but I do realize that making a scene at a party hosted by the prince regent isn’t the way to further your political career.”

  “I’m not worried about furthering my political career.”

&n
bsp; “I know, you’re delightfully blind to it, which is wonderfully idealistic but not perhaps wise for furthering your agenda.” Suzanne adjusted the blanket as Jessica stretched in her sleep. “Which is why your wife has to do it for you.”

  He grinned and pushed a ringlet behind her ear. “It’s not as though I’d have challenged Harleton to a duel or planted him a facer—much as I’d have liked to.”

  “No, you’d have said something cutting. But it still could have caused a scene. Trust me, I dealt with it perfectly well on my own. But crude as Harleton’s approach was, I gather he had a fair amount of success in the boudoir?”

  Malcolm moved across the room and shrugged out of his coat. “So rumor has it. He moved in the same set as my parents.” His hands stilled for a moment on his waistcoat buttons.

  Suzanne watched him. She had known before they left Paris that Britain held ghosts for him. But even after almost nine months here, she was only beginning to understand the nature of those ghosts. His childhood had been lonely, his parents distant, he and his brother and sister largely packed off to the country house in Scotland. His parents’ marriage, he had warned her when he proposed, had been a disaster. His mother’s death was a wound that plainly still festered but which Suzanne couldn’t touch. His father’s death over the summer had only raised more questions about their relationship. He didn’t love me, Malcolm had told her in a stark voice. I didn’t love him. There isn’t much to mourn.

  She knew she could only watch and let the picture unfold, listen to what Malcolm was willing to reveal. She had to constantly remind herself not to push for more. And to tell herself it shouldn’t matter that when they shared so much there were still secrets he kept from her. After all, she had more than her share of secrets that she kept from him.

  Malcolm stripped off his waistcoat and tossed it over a chair. “I’d hazard a guess the secret concealed in the manuscript is the name of a lover.”