The Spy’s Convenient Bride: The Macalisters, Book Five

by Taylor, Erica

  He stood before his siblings, his heart pounding painfully beneath his ribs as he realized what he was about to do. Without thought, he reached out and grasped Vivian’s hand, needing support.

  “Is this a pregnancy announcement?” Ian called out, which earned a snicker from his wife.

  “Uh, no,” Luke replied. He released Vivian’s hand and crossed his arms over his chest.

  His siblings noted the unusually serious current he radiated and they settled down quickly.

  “For the past decade I’ve been a government agent under the Foreign Office,” Luke stated. “I’ve recently become aware of an imminent threat to the royal family, the heads of state, and various others. There has been little support from the Foreign Office, as they retired me from active service upon my appointment to this new earldom. They may have given up on me, but I will not give up on them. Are there any questions?”

  Stunned faces stared back, though not all were in shock. Norah had a bright smile on her face, while the others glanced at each other uncomfortably.

  “To be clear,” Susanna began. “By government agent, you mean…”

  “I am a spy,” Luke clarified.

  Silence. No shouts of indignation or shock. Hardly any response.

  Luke narrowed his gaze. “You all heard me, correct?”

  “Yes, we did,” Sarah stated. “It’s simply…”

  “We already knew,” Susanna finished.

  “You…” Luke’s brows furrowed. “The lot of you?”

  Slowly the members of his family nodded their heads.

  “Andrew and I surmised something along those lines,” Clara stated. “After I was abducted and you were involved in my recovery.”

  “Trevor and I realized last year at Waterloo,” Norah added.

  Sarah nodded. “William and I figured it out then as well.”

  “Ian told me,” Susanna said. “Though in his defense I had to pry it out of him. He kept that secret from me for years.”

  Luke wanted to laugh. All these years he’d been terrified of informing them, and they’d known all along?

  “We didn’t know,” Nick spoke up, gesturing to himself and Charlie. “But I knew there was something you weren’t telling us about those equations.”

  “You have to know how proud we all are of you,” Clara added to more eager nods.

  “Are you all… upset with me?” he asked, hesitantly. “For not telling you?”

  “Why would we be upset over something like that?” Andrew asked.

  “It’s not as if you’re the only one to have kept secrets in this family,” Sarah stated. “It would be rude of us to judge.”

  “And it was an important secret to keep,” Susanna added.

  “We knew you would inform us in your own time, when you were ready,” Andrew said.

  “Did you lot spend your time talking about this together?”

  His siblings glanced between each other.

  “Well, not exactly,” Ian began. “It wasn’t anything as formal as that.”

  Nick turned to his twin sister. “I cannot believe you didn’t tell me!”

  Norah shrugged. “You didn’t need to know.”

  Slowly, Clara, Duchess of Bradstone, rose in her elegant gown of azure blue, a sweet smile across her face. “I take it you need some sort of assistance?”

  “Indeed,” Luke replied, still reeling from that admission.

  “Then any further queries anyone might have could surely wait till after this danger has passed. How can we help?”

  “Truly, you all would help?”

  “When have we all not rallied around each other when needed?” Sarah asked.

  “We are a dysfunctional, judgmental lot, but our love is unconditional,” Norah reminded him.

  “Whatever you need, you have our support,” Andrew added.

  “You always have,” Susanna said. “Whether you knew it or not,”

  Luke regarded his family in wonder for a moment before he continued. He would deal with the turmoil of emotions, of the outpouring of love and support he’d not expected. How could Vivian have known? How could he have ever doubted them?

  “The target is the royal wedding tomorrow between Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold,” he began, attempting to keep a clear head until all this had passed. “The Prince Regent will be in attendance, as well as many top government officials. Any one of those could be the target, but as the culprits are French, it is safe to assume they want to burn the government to the ground.”

  “The Prince Regent is the highest valued target, but Princess Charlotte is his heir. The Prime Minister will be there. The collateral damage could be catastrophic,” Vivian added.

  “You’ve spoken to someone about all of this?” Andrew asked, his brow furrowed.

  “I’ve spoken to the Foreign Minister and was told my information was not credible enough to elicit a change to the wedding arrangements,” Luke explained.

  “And it is a credible source?” Andrew asked.

  “Unequivocally. But without witnesses to corroborate it, the Foreign Office will not hear any more of it.”

  “And we don’t have time to produce said witnesses,” Vivian concluded. “The wedding is tomorrow evening at Carlton House.”

  “What we need is a way into Carlton House,” Luke explained. “And a maid’s uniform for the Royal Household.”

  “I might have someone inside Carlton House,” Ian stated. “He’s good for a bribe when needed.”

  “My lady’s maid has a sister who is employed at Carlton House,” Sarah added. “I’m sure something could be arranged.”

  “What about Prince Leopold?” Norah suggested. “Have you spoken to the man Princess Charlotte is to marry?”

  “I’ve never met him,” Luke replied. “Didn’t seem appropriate to stroll up and declare his wedding could be a catastrophe.”

  Trevor sighed. “I know him. I can get him a message.”

  Everyone turned to look at him and Trevor shrugged. “Our paths crossed during the war. And I’ve been required to attend a few royal events this past year— downside of being illegitimately related to the Prince Regent, I suppose— and we’ve spoken, at length.”

  “You think you could get me a meeting?” Luke asked hopefully.

  Trevor nodded. “I’ll make it happen.”

  “If we can convince Leopold there is a problem, perhaps he can be more effective,” Vivian noted.

  “And if you can’t?” Norah asked.

  “Then Vivian goes in undercover as a maid.”

  * * *

  With the attention of the Macalisters focused solely on her, Vivian felt less the need to dip down into a chair, and more the desire to stand straighter.

  She could do this. Luke believed in her, and she believed in herself.

  How difficult could it be? Sneak into Carlton House as a maid, locate an explosive device, disarm said device, and withdraw from Carlton House, all before she was seen, pursued by double agents or blown up herself. Easy, really.

  She didn’t want to do it. The idea terrified her, but if it was her life or that of the Prince Regent, Princess Charlotte, the Prime Minister… she would make that sacrifice.

  She understood how her father must have felt. Her brother. Luke.

  She turned her head to regard Luke, understanding him finally.

  At the hands of highwaymen, he’d lost the innocence of his childhood. He’d have readily given his life had it meant his brother or father could have lived. And he still felt that way. If there was someone he could save, even at the risk of his own life, he would do it. He would save them as he hadn’t saved his father and brother.

  Vivian felt the same determination, the same calling. She couldn’t save her own father either and had spent the past three years hiding away in shame. If saving the Prince Regent and his family meant another daughter didn’t have to cry herself to sleep over the death of a father, she would do it. This is what her father had raised her to do. Duty to coun
try came first.

  “To be clear, I can’t have any of you further involved,” Luke stated. “I cannot guarantee your safety, nor anyone conducting any activity on your part. If you are involved, you are in danger.”

  “But it’s okay for you and Vivian to be in danger?” Susanna asked.

  Luke nodded. “Her involvement would be expected, as they think I have no one else to turn to for support.”

  Vivian tore her eyes from Luke, the passion racing through her too much to sort out. Emotions had no place in espionage, that much she understood. Afterwards they could figure this all out, together. For now, she needed a clear mind to survive this.

  Sarah rose. “Well then. If it is imperative you keep up appearances, I suggest you dress for the ball at Almack’s.”

  Vivian wanted to groan. Of course it had to be a Wednesday.

  Luke gave Vivian a mischievous look. “I suppose I should find my black knee breeches and silk stockings.”

  Vivian sighed. “The things we do for King and Country.”

  They managed to not make the evening a complete waste of time. Luke took every opportunity to quiz Vivian on the skills she’d learned during her childhood, honing what they could in a few short hours. Long into the evening hours they laughed and danced, all the while surveying the occupants of the ballroom, their clothing and expressions, and how many exits there were in the ballroom.

  “How many footmen are there?” Luke asked and twirled her about in a waltz.

  “Twenty-five. Twenty are moving about with trays of weak lemonade and there is one additional footman at each of the five doors.”

  “Where do the doors lead?”

  “Two lead to the supper rooms. Two into the main hall and one on the far wall leading to a staircase to the upper balcony.”

  “We don’t need to cover firearms. Remember, a moving target is more difficult to hit.”

  “Then you’d best keep moving, my lord.”

  It was past two in the morning when they returned to their still-unnamed London residence. Sarah arrived soon after with her maid’s sister who was able to provide a maid’s uniform and a detailed description of the layout of the palace and the preparations for the wedding. They spent over an hour with the maid, making sure they had all the information they needed, down to the very last detail. Luke made sure to send the maid home with a healthy pouch of coins for her help.

  Into the early hours of the morning, Luke and Vivian re-examined the information from the notebook combined with the information from the maid.

  Luke frowned over a sketch from Redley’s journal, complaining that it just didn’t fit with the rest of the information, and the inconsistency was making him nervous. It wasn’t until Vivian rose for more tea that she saw the paper from a different angle. He’d examined it upside down.

  “Well bugger,” he muttered and studied the drawing again. “Now it matches perfectly.”

  It was the drawing of a room, and, when right side up, lined perfectly with the shapes in the floorplan the maid had given them.

  Luke tapped on the drawing. “This is where they will set the explosives.”

  The translated plans indicated there would be two explosives. It detailed their blast force with some complicated numbers, but Vivian was rubbish at numbers, so she trusted Nick’s assessment that they were correct.

  Vivian sat beside him with a fresh cup of tea. “The architecture of this building has Gothic influences, though it’s primarily classical. There will be a crawl space in the attic, and between the walls of each room.”

  “The maid said the access to the attic would be through here.” He pointed to a series of rooms off the grand staircase on the upper floor. It was the floor that housed the private bedchambers and sitting rooms of the royal household.

  Luke glanced up at her and pulled her towards him. “You can do this, Vivian.”

  His faith in her burned, but not in an unpleasant way. Her heart was a jumble of emotions, nothing making sense. Her affections had begun to take shape, but she was fearful to put a name to them. Giving it a name gave it power over her, and she could not handle that distraction. And if he didn’t feel the same way…

  Three weeks ago, she would have taken the Abbey and boarded herself up inside, secure away from the world. But now, after the time they’d spent together, after the things he’d made her feel and experience, the breath of life he’d given her—could she give it all up? For fear he would leave her again?

  He’d been in his element these past days, his eyes lit with a fire she couldn’t hope to inspire. He would be bored as a common earl, with no mysteries or clues or cryptic messages to decipher. No missions and no undercover work. He would resent her if she asked him to stay. If she loved him, it would be their undoing.

  The following morning, a messenger came during breakfast with instructions where to meet Prince Leopold. Luke brought Vivian to Sandton House when he went to collect Trevor for the meeting.

  With a kiss for good luck, Vivian sent Luke off and watched the carriage roll away. Grosvenor Square sat silent, as if the events of the day would have no bearing on its survival. It was she and Luke who would not survive should they fail. Sure, they might live, but if they were unable to stop the assassination of the heads of England, when they’d been given ample warning, that might truly break them.

  “Norah, you said you had a room for pugilism?” Vivian asked Norah as she fed Lady Eloise in an upstairs sitting room.

  “Yes, and you are welcome to it.” Norah motioned to the maid by the door. “Could you please show Lady Kenswick to the pugilism gym?”

  The maid nodded with a sweet smile and Vivian followed her from the room. The room set up for pugilism was mostly an empty room with wooden benches along one wall, and floor-to-ceiling mirrors on another.

  Vivian turned to the maid. “Could you ask Mr. Quan to attend me? He is my husband’s driver.”

  The maid curtsied. “Yes, my lady.”

  It was only a few minutes before Quan joined her in the room. His familiar face was comforting in the turmoil of the morning.

  “Quan, Luke told me you taught him ways to defend himself. And I saw you both move to fend off the highwaymen. Could you show me how to do that please?”

  “That sort of skill takes years of practice to master,” he told her. “But I can show you ways to defend against an attack.”

  Vivian breathed a sigh of relief. “I would be grateful. If Prince Leopold doesn’t heed Luke’s warning, I am to walk into Carlton House tonight, and I’ve no way of knowing what I might encounter.”

  His gaze was supportive and he nodded in understanding.

  He took her through a series of exercises designed to ward off an attacker. Norah joined them after the first twenty minutes, adding comments here and there. Remarkably, Vivian’s muscles remembered the things her father had taught her, even if she had no idea what she was doing. The instinctive way she moved when Quan attacked surprised them both.

  “Very good,” Quan praised with an approving nod after Vivian’s block had caught her off guard. “Use your opponent’s size and weight to their disadvantage. Don’t be afraid to fight dirty. Fight smarter, not better.”

  The lesson went on and on; Vivian bore her tired muscles, determined to absorb what she could before she was put to the test. She was not an expert, by any consideration, but she could hold her own. She didn’t have to defeat someone in a battle, just distract and survive long enough to ensure the safety of her country.

  After a couple of hours, Quan ended the lesson. “This will be enough to get you through the evening. I don’t want to over-work you and have you injured. But your reflexes and instincts are good. They will serve you well.”

  “Thank you,” Vivian said. She reached out to squeeze his arm and realized she wasn’t wearing her gloves. She’d taken them off at the beginning of the lesson and completely forgotten about them.

  Quan noticed her reaction. “Sometimes we hide behind the things that are
convenient and easy, and it takes something remarkable to show us there is a different way. You are more capable than you give yourself credit for, my lady. You will do well tonight.” He bowed his head and retreated from the room. Vivian took a deep breath and went to sit beside Norah on the wooden bench.

  Norah handed her a towel, and Vivian pressed it to the perspiration along her forehead. “Am I mad to do this?” Vivian asked her new-found friend.

  “I think you’re mad if you think you’re getting out of this without falling in love with my brother.”

  Vivian sighed. “I went into this marriage with the intent to spend six months married to a stranger, in return for which he would turn over the deed to my house. The reality has become much more complicated.”

  “Love is rarely easy until it is.”

  “Loving Luke is not the complicated part,” Vivian admitted. “It’s the fact my father trained me to be a spy, and then I married one, and now I’m the key part in stopping an assassination attempt.” Vivian laughed. “It sounds even more insane when I say it out loud.”

  A smirk spread across Nora’s face. “I know a little something about madness, and the truth of it is rarely what it seems. One person’s madness might be another’s perfect existence. You’ve been thrust into this incredible situation, expected to act beyond your experience, and yet you’ve handled it with grace and composure. If anything, I’d say it’s less madness and more likely what you’re meant to do.”

  “But I don’t want to. The excitement of it wore off after our first brush with death. And then there was another, and now I’m walking into the royal residence and expected to prevent a catastrophe. I’m willing to do my part, but I don’t want anything further.”

  “Truly?”

  “After tomorrow, I just want Luke,” Vivian stated quietly. “I don’t need the rest of it.”

  “And what if Luke needs the rest of it?”

  That was the burning question that had dug away at her soul for the past few days. After learning what they had from Ducksworth, Luke had been less insistent on his desire to return to active service. But how could she know for sure? How could she know what was in his heart?