is more family than servant.” She led the way into the drawing room. “If you’d like coffee, I can fetch some immediately.”
He glanced towards the bell rope by the fireplace but wisely refrained from comment. “No, I thank you.”
“Very well.” She unbuttoned her pelisse, letting it drop from her shoulders over the back of a chair, before unpinning her hat. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure, Sir Greville?”
She wasn’t going to make it easy for him, Grevillereflected. But then why should she? “Two things, really. First, I wanted to be absolutely certain that you understood the need for complete secrecy. You can tell no one of what you know.”
“I understand,” she said flatly. “Frederick made it very clear that your life would be in danger if your identity was discovered.”
“That is so…and not just mine. Believe me, if Frederick hadn’t believed you could be trusted with the truth, I would not have permitted him to write that letter.”
Aurelia looked at him in surprise. “You believe you could have prevented him?”
“Yes, ma’am, I could.” It was a flat declaration. “But now you know so much, I wonder if you have anything further you wish to ask me. I don’t know exactly what Frederick’s letter contained, but it seems a fair assumption that it contained matters that could benefit from further explanation.”
Aurelia sat down, gesturing that he should do the same. At some point in the last few minutes she had regained her composure. Her heart rate had slowed and her mind was once again clear. She did have questions, and maybe he could answer them. “You recruited Frederick at sea just off the coast of Gibraltar. Why ?” She clasped her hands lightly in her lap and regarded him, her head slightly to one side.
Like an inquisitive bird, he thought. She was small-boned, fine-featured, her hair the color of corn silk clustered in artfully arranged ringlets. Her dark brown eyes were warm and glowing like rich velvet.
The description surprised him. He was not accustomed to assessing the purely physical charms of society women, at least not since he’d joined the service. As a young man-about-town, he’d had his share of dalliances, including a heady liaison with the wife of a most distinguished politician.
Now why in the world had he started to remember Dorothea? She hadn’t popped into his head for close to twelve years. Was there a resemblance between the two women? Perhaps, he thought. Just a little. He gave himself a mental shake and sat down on the sofa opposite her. “It’s part of my job,” he said simply. “To look for likely recruits to my particular branch of service.”
“Why Frederick?” She leaned forward a little, intent on the answer, certain it would give her insight into the man she thought she had known and now knew that she had not.
Greville had decided earlier that the best way to win this woman’s confidence was the direct and honest route. He wasn’t sure as yet whether she was right for what he wanted, but he would proceed as if she were. “I had recently lost some men,” he stated baldly. “I boarded the ships anchored off Gibraltar looking for replacements. The men and women who do our particular brand of war work have to be of a certain caliber. They have to have particular character traits, and while they don’t need the necessary skills to be recruited, they doneed the ability and willingness to learn them. Frederick Farnham was such a man.”
“Were there others?”
He shook his head. “I spent two weeks with the fleet, a day or two on each vessel. I identified several men, officers and sailors alike, who could be used in other ways, but only Frederick was capable of partnering me.” He regarded her with a slight smile. “I only ever work with one partner anyway, so my recruiting mission was entirely successful.”
“You haven’t told me what those particular traits are,” she pressed. “I need to know what Frederick
He glanced towards the bell rope by the fireplace but wisely refrained from comment. “No, I thank you.”
“Very well.” She unbuttoned her pelisse, letting it drop from her shoulders over the back of a chair, before unpinning her hat. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure, Sir Greville?”
She wasn’t going to make it easy for him, Grevillereflected. But then why should she? “Two things, really. First, I wanted to be absolutely certain that you understood the need for complete secrecy. You can tell no one of what you know.”
“I understand,” she said flatly. “Frederick made it very clear that your life would be in danger if your identity was discovered.”
“That is so…and not just mine. Believe me, if Frederick hadn’t believed you could be trusted with the truth, I would not have permitted him to write that letter.”
Aurelia looked at him in surprise. “You believe you could have prevented him?”
“Yes, ma’am, I could.” It was a flat declaration. “But now you know so much, I wonder if you have anything further you wish to ask me. I don’t know exactly what Frederick’s letter contained, but it seems a fair assumption that it contained matters that could benefit from further explanation.”
Aurelia sat down, gesturing that he should do the same. At some point in the last few minutes she had regained her composure. Her heart rate had slowed and her mind was once again clear. She did have questions, and maybe he could answer them. “You recruited Frederick at sea just off the coast of Gibraltar. Why ?” She clasped her hands lightly in her lap and regarded him, her head slightly to one side.
Like an inquisitive bird, he thought. She was small-boned, fine-featured, her hair the color of corn silk clustered in artfully arranged ringlets. Her dark brown eyes were warm and glowing like rich velvet.
The description surprised him. He was not accustomed to assessing the purely physical charms of society women, at least not since he’d joined the service. As a young man-about-town, he’d had his share of dalliances, including a heady liaison with the wife of a most distinguished politician.
Now why in the world had he started to remember Dorothea? She hadn’t popped into his head for close to twelve years. Was there a resemblance between the two women? Perhaps, he thought. Just a little. He gave himself a mental shake and sat down on the sofa opposite her. “It’s part of my job,” he said simply. “To look for likely recruits to my particular branch of service.”
“Why Frederick?” She leaned forward a little, intent on the answer, certain it would give her insight into the man she thought she had known and now knew that she had not.
Greville had decided earlier that the best way to win this woman’s confidence was the direct and honest route. He wasn’t sure as yet whether she was right for what he wanted, but he would proceed as if she were. “I had recently lost some men,” he stated baldly. “I boarded the ships anchored off Gibraltar looking for replacements. The men and women who do our particular brand of war work have to be of a certain caliber. They have to have particular character traits, and while they don’t need the necessary skills to be recruited, they doneed the ability and willingness to learn them. Frederick Farnham was such a man.”
“Were there others?”
He shook his head. “I spent two weeks with the fleet, a day or two on each vessel. I identified several men, officers and sailors alike, who could be used in other ways, but only Frederick was capable of partnering me.” He regarded her with a slight smile. “I only ever work with one partner anyway, so my recruiting mission was entirely successful.”
“You haven’t told me what those particular traits are,” she pressed. “I need to know what Frederick
Similar Books
