The Darcy Code (6 page)

He walked slowly along the bookshelves, and removed a volume. "Here is a history of
France
, a history of the revolution, you have heard about the French Revolution?"

"Oh, Papa, of course I have. When they cut everybody's heads off, it was quite dreadful. Miss Pinkerton told me about it, but not really much more than how shocking it was to cut off the head of the King and the Queen. Although I don't know that we can count ourselves so righteous on that front, because after all we cut off the head of King Charles."

"And thereby maybe saved ourselves from the kind of revolution the French had," her father observed.

Anna couldn't quite see the logic of this, but she reached out her hand for the volume that her father had taken down from the shelf.

"This will tell you something about the French Revolution, and then I can explain to you how Napoleon came to power. And what his wicked ambitions are. You will find it interesting."

Everything was flat after the excitement of Sarah's wedding. Anna dutifully accompanied her mother to make morning calls, she spent an afternoon and evening with Henrietta, she attended a private dance. She saw nothing of Mr. Standish; well, she didn't care in the least, she didn't want to see him – so why did her heart leap every time the doorbell sounded? Callers came and went, posies and notes were handed in, but not a word from Mr. Standish.

"You are very stupid," Mama complained, "I think you are fagged, to sit around moping. I trust you are not pining for that Mr. Standish, I hope you have better things on your mind. I have been too free with you, absorbed as I have been with your sister's affairs, but I mean to take more care of you, I do not wish you to become the subject of gossip, for that, dearest Anna, is what can all too easily happen when a girl in her first season is too lively and too inclined to flirt."

That might have dampened Anna's spirits still more, only she found she didn't take any pleasure in company, had no inclination to flirt and felt no more lively than her mother's elderly pug dog.

Henrietta coaxed her out for a ride in the park, and Anna, although disinclined to ride out, agreed, mindful of the fact that Henrietta did not care for riding and had offered this distraction out of kindness and friendship. "It will do you good, Anna, to take some exercise, there is your mare eating her head off, she will be too fresh for you to ride if you do not take her out soon."

And she was glad she had made the effort. Her mare was indeed fresh, snatching at the bit and dancing on her hooves. Henrietta regarded the animal with some nervousness. "Have a care, she will have you off."

"Not she, it is mostly playfulness, exercise will rid her of the fidgets. What she needs is a good gallop."

"Not in the Park, no one gallops in the Park, you cannot do such a thing, how people would stare."

"I know, we shall have to restrain ourselves to a polite canter, but even that will calm her down."

Mr. Vere saw Anna without at once recognizing her, she was quite a distance away, but he admired a rider with such a good seat and light hands, handling her high-spirited horse without difficulty. Then, as he came closer, he realized it was Miss Gosforth, riding with that friend of hers, what was her name? Ah, Henrietta Portway. Who was quite another kind of rider; even though mounted on a placid chestnut hack, she didn't look at ease in the saddle.

A gentleman came up to the two young ladies, reining in his horse to walk alongside them. Who was it, should he know him? Ah, Mr. Hooper. He had eyes only for Miss Portway, which didn't give Mr. Vere a good opinion of him. Miss Portway was pretty enough, but couldn't hold a candle to the livelier and more taking Miss Gosforth.

Her upright figure had become rigid, now why? Then he saw the two riders who were coming the other way and just drawing level with the trio.

It was Lady Flavia, side by side with Mr. Standish.

People were saying they would make a match of it. She would be a good catch for him in many ways, but he would stray, he would make her abominable husband. Still, a good wife for a man with political ambitions, and a good escape for Miss Gosforth. Not that Mr. Standish had ever had any serious intentions in that direction.

He saw the look in Miss Gosforth's eyes as she turned her head slightly to watch the other two riders go past, having received nothing more than a cool look from Lady Flavia and a slight bow from Standish. On an impulse, he urged his horse into a trot, and drew up beside Miss Gosforth. She looked surprised, but greeted him in a pleasant and civil way. He wondered, had that been a look of desperation or of anger? Before he could wonder any further, she said something which surprised him so much that he hardly knew how to answer.

"My father says you know all about politics, and are well informed about the present situation with regard to
France
. I have been reading Edmund Burke's history of the French Revolution, and–"

He was so startled that her next words were lost to him, and he came back to earth to hear her saying, "But of course that was all in the past, and although it may give some basis for comprehending why Napoleon is the man he is and the power he has obtained in France and Europe, it doesn't really help me to understand the present situation."

Vere collected his scattered wits, was she teasing him? Was she serious? In which case, she was not quite the frivolous creature she'd seemed to be.

"I'm sure your father is well able to explain to the situation in
France
."

"I dare say he might, and he has, a little, but he has better things to do with his time than talk to me about it. I appreciate that he is very busy, all you politicos are very busy at the moment, but he fobbed me off, you know, by giving me the Edmund Burke to read. I am sure he did not believe I would get through more than a page of it, but I found it quite absorbing."

She was serious, damn it. "He has told you about the Peace of Amiens?"

"Yes, and I know there are those who think that it was a bad move, and merely gives the French time to re-arm and build many more ships, which I gather they have done. And others say that we should come to terms with Napoleon."

He hesitated, glanced at Henrietta, who was wholly taken up with her beau, and decided to take Miss Gosforth at her word. There was an air of resolution about her, and she appeared to be in earnest. Quite a character, Miss Gosforth, possibly too much so for a young lady in her first season.

He explained, she listened, and was frank in asking questions with an apology for her ignorance. "You see, I have never taken any account of our navy, and how many ships we have or indeed exactly what a man o" war is. I have a cousin who is a naval officer, and I'm sure he would answer all my questions, but he is away on the
West Indies
station."

Anna was surprised to find that she could talk so easily to Mr. Vere, and she applauded him for being so civil as to answer her questions. Her head was in a whirl, there were so many things to grasp and understand, and she was having glimmerings of how different the life of a Lady Flavia would have been from her own restricted and enclosed upbringing. She ceased her questions, falling silent for a while and then said abruptly, "I envy a young woman like Lady Flavia who has had the chance to travel and see how people go on in other countries. All I know so far about
France
is fashion."

"Fashion is not unimportant, particularly to a young lady making her come-out." Mr. Vere said.

"Please do not patronize me, Mr. Vere."

She wondered if she'd offended him, been ruder than she'd intended, as he withdrew his attention from her. No, it was nothing she had said; he was looking at a man some yards away, who was leaning against a tree, his eyes fixed on Mr. Vere.

"Pray excuse me, Miss Gosforth," he said, with a slight bow. "I hope we may continue our conversation at another time."

She watched him as he rode off and saw him come up to the man and sit for a few minutes talking to him. He leaned down from the saddle and handed the man something, a paper of some kind? And then, touching his horse's side with his heels, he cantered on.

Anna was intrigued, but she thought no more of it until later that day, back in her house, she chanced to be in the library. It wasn't a large room, but there was a part of it where a deep shelf was set at an angle. She had just settled herself in a chair on the other side of it, when she heard the door open and the sound of Papa's voice. Who was he talking to? Ah, she recognized that other voice: it was Mr. Vere.

Her first instinct was to get up, to make her presence known and to remove herself. It was clear the men had no idea she was there, and, situated as she was, she couldn't help overhearing their conversation. It would be uncomfortable to leave now, and therefore better to sit tight and wait for them to leave the library again. Papa would be going upstairs to dress for dinner shortly, it was indeed a strange hour for Mr. Vere to call on him.

She didn't intend to listen to them, but in spite of herself, she became interested in what they were saying. They were talking about a paper, a memorandum that was missing, some important document. What was it that Mr. Standish had said, that Mr. Vere worked in some government department? Her father, of course, sat in the Lords, and he also held some office, although she wasn't sure what he did.

"A very serious matter should it fall into the wrong hands," Mr. Vere was saying.

"It will unquestionably fall into the wrong hands, unless we can trace it and retrieve it so swiftly that no information has been passed on. What would be the extent of the damage should it reach French hands?"

"Incalculable." Mr. Vere's voice was sombre. "The names of half our agents working for us in
Paris
? Malbos would give his right hand to have that information."

"We will have to put a watch on all ports, all travellers must be searched."

"That is already arranged, messengers have been sent off. The officials at the ports keep a close eye on travellers as it is, but of course there is always the possibility, indeed, the likelihood, of smugglers taking an agent across, or a fishing boat taking an illicit passenger in return for money. At present, when we are not at war with
France
, they see no harm in it. No, we need to find how it was taken in
England
and by whom, so that we can try to prevent whoever has it leaving the capital."

"They will most likely already have done so." Papa's voice sounded as grim as Anna had ever heard it.

A week ago none of this would have meant anything to her, but now she quickly comprehended the seriousness of what was being said. Obviously if there were any danger of war, the government would have people in place, not Englishmen, but Frenchmen who opposed Bonaparte. They would supply the information which would be so necessary to the English should the peace not last.

Mr. Vere was telling Papa who might have had access to the paper, and one name caught Anna's attention. Mr. Standish? Of course, he said that he worked with Mr. Vere. Well, they could cross his name off, he was a man of honour who would never betray his country.

Mr. Vere took his leave, and Papa followed him out of the library. Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she had not been discovered, for she knew she would have been in trouble had they been aware of her presence. She also felt a moment of guilt, for she knew it was wrong to eavesdrop. But she could be as discreet as the next person, she was hardly going to go around telling people that an important state paper had been mislaid. Mislaid? Mislaid nothing, it was clear that they thought it had been stolen.

That evening, Papa dined at home, and Anna could see how preoccupied he was. He was short-tempered, and paid little attention as Mama chatted inconsequentially about the activities of her day. However, mellowed by a good claret, he rallied towards the end of the meal, and asked Anna how she had spent her day.

In the time between leaving the library and coming down to dinner, Anna had been thinking hard. Mr. Vere had reported the paper missing to Papa and had given him those names, but just what had he himself handed over to that person in the Park? Was it possible that his concern was all a blind, and that he was responsible for the disappearance of the paper?

What did she know of him, other than he had at first appeared to be a disagreeable kind of man? Yet he was a friend of Papa's, which must mean he was trustworthy, and as she saw more of him she had grown to dislike him less. In fact, at their recent encounters, she had found him to be perfectly amiable.

She said, in answer to Papa's question, "I rode a little way with Mr. Vere in the park this afternoon."

His eyebrows went up. "Mr. Vere, riding in the park? I would not have had thought he had time for such idle pursuits during the day."

"He holds a position in some government department, does he not? I did not think that such duties were onerous."

"He is a key official, a man with a great deal of responsibility, and these days most people who work for the Department that he does find they do not have enough hours in the day to attend to their duties."

"He only spent a little time with me, and then–"