A Spy at Pemberley (15 page)

'Hand it over first, you'll not see the little bastard otherwise.'

Darcy's mouth was dry but he managed to reply. 'I told you my terms. Mr Hall out here in exchange for the package I have in my coat. If he is not forthcoming by the time I count to ten the deal is off – we will keep the item which presumably is of considerable value and you can do what the hell you like with Hall. I've never met him and I'm just doing a favour for a friend of my wife's.'

He began to count loudly, glad his voice sounded firm and confident. He had reached seven and nothing had happened. His heart was thudding painfully. Had he made a disastrous error and signed the death warrant of the poor boy?

Then there was a scuffling and the door half-opened and a dishevelled young man was ejected. Immediately he tossed the parcel through the door, grabbed Hall's arm and hurtled back down the steps. 'We have seconds to get away. No time to talk.'

He vaulted into the saddle almost going over the horse's ears but somehow he kept his balance. He kicked the beast into a flat gallop whilst his feet still dangled and the reins were barely in his hands. They thundered down the street and at any moment he expected a hue and cry to start – for the watchers to block their path.

Instead they reached a more salubrious area without pursuit and he was able to ram his boots into his stirrups and check that the other two were beside him.

'I say, sir, that was capital fun. Thank you for coming to my rescue.'

'I'm glad to be of service, Hall. I think we can reduce our pace now. Colonel, I suggest we go to Grosvenor Square.' It would be better to question the young man away from the vigilance of his sister. It was still possible he was involved in his father's activities.

'Excellent idea, Darcy. Your staff will be up and can supply us with a much-needed breakfast.'

The return journey took longer as they were travelling at a more decorous pace. An adjacent church clock struck seven as he led the way through the arch into his stable yard.

He was met by his butler. 'Have breakfast served immediately, Gregson. Is Mrs Darcy downstairs?'

'Madam is in the yellow drawing room, sir. A letter arrived by express some time ago and madam asked for your trunks to be packed.'

'Thank you, that will be all.' He waited until the butler had gone about his business before turning to the two gentlemen beside him. 'Hugo, take Hall to my study. I expect there are things you need to ask him and you don't require my assistance to do so. Join us in the breakfast room when you are done.'

Chapter Fifteen

Lizzy ignored the expectant face of the butler who was obviously desperate to know the contents of the letter that he believed had arrived so unexpectedly. As she was about to toss it aside she realised she must open it and pretend to be concerned.

In fact the paper was empty – Hugo had not even bothered to write a message purporting to be from someone at Pemberley. She slid the missive into her sleeve as it would not do to leave it lying around in case one of the staff picked it up.

The door had been left ajar and she heard the rattle of crockery approaching. Gregson brought in her tray and placed it on a convenient side table by the fire.

'Mr Darcy and I have to return to Derbyshire as soon as possible. Would you inform the stables that we shall require the carriage at dawn tomorrow? Also, have word sent to my maid and Mr Darcy's valet to have our trunks packed. They will need to leave later today.'

He bowed. 'I shall do so at once, madam. We shall be sorry to see you depart so soon. Might we have the pleasure of your company later on in the Season?'

'I fear not, but I believe friends of Mr Darcy are to bring their family here later in the Season. Therefore, do not dismiss the temporary staff; have them employed in refurbishing and cleaning.' This was pure fabrication on her part, but those servants had been taken on for a month and it would be unfair to dismiss them after little more than a week.

Despite the earliness of the hour she was surprisingly hungry and demolished everything that had been sent to her. Her appetite hadn't been diminished by the worry of having her husband and his cousin gallivanting about the place in an effort to rescue young Mr Hall.

She stretched out her legs on the sofa and covered them with a rug. She would sleep for a while in the hope that when she awoke Fitzwilliam would have returned safely.

She was roused from her slumber when he pressed his cold lips against hers. Instinctively she reached out and encircled his neck, pulling him closer. His kiss deepened and she responded eagerly. It was him who broke the embrace.

'My darling, much as I would like to make love to you here, we must not as we could be interrupted at any moment.'

'You are back safely, I'm so glad to see you.'

He chuckled and moved her legs so he could sit down with her. 'That is self-evident. The young man is safe and my cousin is interrogating him.' He pointed to the empty tray. 'I take it you will not be requiring breakfast.'

'I ate a prodigious amount, but I believe I still have a small corner to fill. No doubt Gregson told you the letter arrived.'

He yawned widely and the gesture was catching. 'We shall eat and then retire for a few hours.' The wicked glint in his eyes made it quite clear that sleep was not uppermost in his mind.

'Tell me what happened – did you have to hand over state secrets?'

By the time he had regaled her with his exploits a footman tapped politely on the door and announced that breakfast was served.

'I'm glad everything turned out well, Fitzwilliam, I was afraid that this business might delay our departure. As Miss Hall was promised that her brother would be safely back by the time she got up it's imperative he departs soon.'

'In future I intend to leave matters in the capable hands of my cousin so this must be his decision. We shall hold the house party as planned, but that will be the last of my involvements with the intelligence service.'

'I am relieved to hear you say so, my dear. Listen, I can hear voices, the others are there before us.'

Both Mr Hall and Cousin Hugo stood up as she entered but she waved them back into their chairs. The room was redolent with the smell of fried ham and her mouth watered despite the fact that she'd eaten not so long ago.

'Good morning, gentlemen. Pray continue your meal.' They resumed their seats and continued to eat with gusto. 'Just ham for me, Fitzwilliam, thank you. I shall help myself to coffee.'

She took her place at the table and poured herself a cup from the silver jug on the table. The atmosphere was relaxed; obviously the young man was not a suspect.

'Mr Hall, I hope that you, your mother and sister will come to Pemberley next month even if your father is unable to join us.'

He swallowed his mouthful before answering. 'Looking forward to it, ma'am. We seldom get the opportunity to rub shoulders with the rich and powerful of this land. I've heard much about your country estate – the finest in Derbyshire I believe.'

'We like to think so. We must return there tomorrow as our children are both unwell.'

'I sincerely hope that it's nothing serious.' He put down his cutlery with a clatter. 'If you will excuse me, Darcy, Mrs Darcy, I must return to my house and reassure my family that I'm well. We too will be leaving Town as soon as maybe and will remain on our country estate for the foreseeable future.' His expression was serious. He must have been told about his father's traitorous activities.

He was at the door before he spoke again. 'If you wish to withdraw your invitation, Mrs Darcy, we will fully understand.' He bowed and walked out looking older than his years.

There were no servants present so they could converse freely. 'I assume that he knows what was in that package. Surely this means the house party is now unnecessary? You have proved that his father is culpable and the fact that Sir Robert has left Town with him must mean he is fully implicated too.'

The colonel wiped his lips on his napkin. 'I wish it was as simple as that. The young man still believes this was to do with blackmail, not treason. I have told him I've no interest in this matter and don't intend to report the incident to the authorities. My mission is to discover the paymaster and also from whom these documents are coming.'

Fitzwilliam interrupted. 'Surely you already know that it's this Count Duvall fellow.'

'Duvall is not the paymaster. He's another go-between and merely transports what he receives to France.'

'Hall and Sir Robert are merely intermediaries as they have no connection to Horse Guards.'

Lizzy put down her cup, her interest in her second breakfast gone. This was a conversation to which she should not be privy. 'If will excuse me, I'm going to retire. No one had much sleep last night and we leave for the country at dawn tomorrow.'

*

Darcy watched her go and wished he could accompany her. 'Do you have any inkling of who else is involved?'

'Obviously someone who has access to these secrets and this person must be someone I know.' Hugo scowled. 'It will be one of the inner circle, one of the gentlemen invited to Pemberley.'

Finally the truth had been revealed. The house party had never been to entrap Hall or Sinclair, but to uncover the traitor at Horse Guards. He had been manipulated by his cousin. 'Sir Robert and Hall are merely bait, are they not? Your real quarry has always been someone from the army.' He stood up making it plain his cousin was no longer welcome at his table. 'This is the last time I'll be embroiled in your machinations. I don't appreciate being made a fool of.'

He placed his hands on the table and leaned over so his face was inches from his cousin's. 'And neither do I appreciate my family being involved. When this is over, you will not be welcome at Pemberley.'

'I understand, but for me King and Country must always take precedence over family. I will not apologise for doing my duty.' He stood, bowed as if to a stranger, and marched out.

Darcy slowly straightened wishing he could have handled it a little better, had not let his fury alienate his cousin. He and Hugo had been close friends since they had attended school together and now his intemperate words had severed the connection.

Lizzy would think him a fool and rightly so. One did not cut off one's relations because one's pride had been hurt. There was nothing he could do to mend matters now. He must rely on the genuine affection between them to mend the rift at the house party in May.

He headed for his apartment knowing that his wife would have something pertinent to say on the subject. His lips curved and his chest tightened. Maybe he would leave this discussion until later as he had something far more interesting in mind.

His valet helped him disrobe. After his exploits this morning he was mud-spattered and sweaty, and could hardly get into bed as he was. For decency's sake he pulled on his bedrobe after his ablutions, dismissed Dawson and headed for the bedchamber.

The room was dark, both the shutters and curtains still closed. Naked, he climbed into bed expecting to find Lizzy similarly unclothed. However, his questing hands encountered the material of a voluminous nightdress. Whatever his intentions, hers had been made quite plain by donning this hideous garment.

He slid in behind her and put his arms around her waist. Once she was comfortably settled within his embrace he drifted off to sleep. Lovemaking and political discussion would have to wait until they were both fully rested.

When he opened his eyes he was alone. From the banging and raised voices coming from next door the maids were busy packing the trunks ready for their departure tomorrow. He ran his hand across his bristly chin – he would have to shave before he went down.

Once he was ready he went in search of his missing wife. The hour was now almost midday; he couldn't remember the last time he had remained in bed so late. He heard Lizzy talking to someone in the drawing room and made his way towards her.

He paused outside, not to eavesdrop, but to ascertain with whom she was speaking. Good God! He recognised that voice.

'Hugo, I didn't expect to see you here again today.'

His cousin smiled as if nothing untoward had taken place between them. 'You look better, Darcy, I hope you have recovered your temper because there's something you need to know.'

Lizzy tried to hide her smile. She obviously knew about his crass behaviour. 'Do not dawdle in the doorway, my dear, but come and join us. You will be as astounded as I was to hear Cousin Hugo's news.'

With a resigned sigh he took the seat beside her on the
chaise longue
and raised an enquiring eyebrow.

'Things have moved on apace since we spoke earlier today. Young Hall has taken his family to the country but Sir Robert and his father have returned and are behaving as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred in their absence.'

'Presumably they are aware of the abduction and the fact that their precious package was given in exchange?'

Darcy leaned back and closed his eyes. There was something he couldn't quite grasp – a vital piece of information was alluding him.

He sat up and punched his right fist into his other hand. 'I have it. Those two must have known what they were handing over wasn't valuable – that's why they didn't pass it on. This means they knew the contents.'

'You might be right. Let me think for a minute. The only explanation that makes sense is that their usual source failed to produce the required material this month. Therefore they cobbled together something and wrapped it up, but then got cold feet and left Town rather than pass it on.'

'So once the item had been handed over there was no need for them to remain absent from Town.' Darcy's heart thumped heavily behind his waistcoat. He believed his cousin could unmask the traitor without involving his family. 'The traitor must have been out of the country for the past few weeks and unable to pass on any secrets. If you check who was missing from the war cabinet you will have the man you seek.'

*

Hugo nodded. 'I'll certainly do that, but unless there was only one man missing we will still be guessing.'

Lizzy was reluctant to join in this conversation but as he had thought fit to discuss the situation with her she was emboldened to speak. 'But you will have narrowed down your search – and further investigation might reveal facts about these men that will identify the traitor.'

Both her husband and his cousin agreed there were unlikely to be more than two or three absent at the same time. His cousin left to continue his search and said he would be arriving in Derbyshire several days before most of the guests.

Fitzwilliam then sheepishly explained what he had said to his cousin last night and they laughed about it. He would always be a proud man. Why not, after all, was he not the biggest landowner in Derbyshire and one of the warmest men in the country? Since he had known Lizzy he was now prepared to admit his faults and make amends for them.

He was pleased with her small deception that would mean the temporary staff maintained their employment. 'I was thinking that I might lease this house for the remainder of the Season – possibly for every year as it's prohibitively expensive keeping it open when we so rarely use it.'

'I applaud your reasoning, my dear. Why not make a proviso in the lease that if you require to come to London on business whoever is living here must be prepared to accommodate you in a guest chamber?'

'I'll see my lawyers today, before we leave for home. It's remarkably fine today – why don't you accompany me? I know you don't like to ride, but we could take the carriage and stroll about Green Park either before or after my meeting.'