A Heartless Design (36 page)

Her aunt smiled like a schoolgirl. “Your jests will never cease, will they?”

“I see that he has been a true companion to you,” Cordelia said, a wry edge to her voice.

Leona moved to stand quite close to Lord Dunham. “Well, we have reached an understanding.”

“Lord Dunham has finally proposed to you,” Cordelia guessed.

“A second marriage may not have the thrill of the first, but I managed to convince this charming lady that it might be better than she expects.” The stately Dunham looked very pleased with himself. And Leona also had a glow about her that made her look many years younger.

“Congratulations,” Sebastien said, moving so that Cordelia could feel the heat of him next to her.

Then Ivy knocked on the drawing room door. “Mr Jay,” she announced. As Ivy moved aside, Sebastien learned down. In a low voice, he said, “You should prepare yourself, Cor. Mr Jay may not look his best.”

“What do you mean?” She looked at him, puzzled.

He didn’t have the chance to explain before footsteps sounded in the hall, accompanied by an odd clicking. Mr Jay appeared in the doorway.

Cordelia gasped. “William!” She was so shocked that she let his Christian name slip out. Her own tiredness forgotten, she rushed over to her friend. “Oh, my heavens! What happened to you?” She surveyed his injuries.

He was walking with the aid of a cane. One foot was bandaged. Worse than that, his face bore the marks of slowly healing bruises, and gloves couldn’t conceal the damage to his hands. Aunt Leona cried out in dismay. Cordelia helped Jay to a seat before returning to Sebastien’s side.

Mr Jay looked at the floor. “I hesitate to relate the details to a lady, Miss Bering.”

Sebastien interjected quietly, “He had an encounter with some of Hayden’s gang. From what he told me earlier, I’d expect Hayden himself was responsible for much of the damage.”

Jay looked devastated. “It’s true. It happened the night of…the night you were taken, Miss Bering. I was at my club. Someone found me and told me you had sent an urgent message for me. Of course, like a fool, I followed him out into the street. There I was manhandled and taken to an alley where four other men were hiding. They set on me. They made me tell them about the
Andraste
plans. About Lear. About you, Miss Bering. I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, Mr Jay. They could have killed you!”

“They might have if I’d kept silent,” he agreed. “But still, it was unconscionable that I told them anything. I betrayed you and it nearly resulted in your death.”

“You didn’t betray me,” she assured him.

“I did,” he insisted. “Tell her, Thorne. I can’t say it.”

“They forced Mr Jay to reveal what he knew of your plans,” Sebastien explained. “That is how they knew you were at the ball that evening. They had already decided to kidnap you as soon as they could, so they were ready to act when Jay admitted you would be there.”

Cordelia stared at Sebastien. “You knew all this?”

“I called at your house the following morning and found out that you weren’t here. I started by looking for anyone who might know your whereabouts, and called on Mr Jay. I found him at home abed, recovering from the injuries Hayden’s men gave him.”

“I feel dreadfully responsible,” Jay said. “Miss Bering, I beg your forgiveness.”

“I refuse to forgive you when you did nothing wrong.”

“Miss Bering…”

“Fine then! I forgive you! I forgive you for telling men who were beating you to death what they wanted to know, and for being human and for loving life. But now you must forgive me for making you a party to my ill-advised Lear persona. I forced you to lie and I put you in danger.”

“I didn’t mind in the least.” He winced as he moved. “Well, not till this week.”

“In any case, Lear is retiring,” she informed him. “I’ve learned my folly regarding living a lie such as that. Henceforth, there will be no more secrets.”

Beside her, Sebastien smiled. “Well, there will still be a few secrets.”

Across the room, Cordelia caught the eye of Stiles, standing unobtrusively in one corner. He didn’t smile, but she knew he was laughing inside.

Then the butler announced that dinner was served.

* * * *

Late that same night, after he bid goodnight to Cordelia, Thorne once again headed to the discreet offices of the Zodiac. He knocked on the outer door, and it was instantly opened by the woman named Chattan.

“Good evening, sir,” she said, stepping aside to allow him in. This time she was less covered in ink, though her hair was messily bound and she still exhibited no regard for the niceties of ladies’ fashion. She opened Neville’s door without knocking and announced, “Sagittarius is here.”

At Neville’s invitation, Thorne came inside. Chattan closed the door behind him.

Neville looked Thorne over once when he entered the office. “Allow me to congratulate you on your coming nuptials.”

“Is there anything you don’t know?”

Neville paused. “No. At least not that I know of.” That rare flash of humor let Thorne know that Neville was in a good mood.

Thorne said, “Speaking of weddings, I have something of a gift to give.”

“How so?”

“My frighteningly clever fiancée has a gift for His Majesty’s government.” He placed a roll of papers on Neville’s desk. They were the final and correct plans for the
Andraste
. “I think you’ll find these interesting.”

Neville picked up the papers, unrolled them, and began to look them over. His eyes widened. “Is this feasible?”

“In theory, yes. Cordelia incorporated several very new ideas into this design. She thinks it can be built, though only as a prototype. The cost will be significant, and some of the processes need refinement. Still, if a ship like the
Andraste
can be made, it will change the face of battle.”

“Indeed.”

“If the Astronomer agrees, perhaps these can be sent to the right department in the navy…through the proper channels, of course.”

Neville said, “You managed to find quite an asset, didn’t you?”

“Don’t think you can count her as an agent, Neville. My soon-to-be wife is quite done with such matters.”

“Let’s hope so.” Neville smiled, but his air was a bit distant.

Thorne frowned. “Something on your mind about the mission?”

“No. This one has concluded brilliantly.”

Something in Neville’s choice of words disturbed him. “There have been others that haven’t ended as well?”

“Too many. Good agents have been lost. Information has been wrong. We like to think we’re smarter than the other side, but that’s an efficient way to die. Napoleon has someone like me working for him, and he’s doing an excellent job. This conflict won’t end soon. It will get worse.”

“It is a war. We will have losses.”

“Losses like these are unacceptable. Suspicious.”

“Someone sold us out?”

Neville looked up. “If someone has, I will bloody well find him and kill him with my bare hands.”

Thorne didn’t doubt that for a moment. Neville only looked harmless.

The other man shook his head once. “Speaking of that, I want to talk to you, Thorne.”

“I was going to give you a full report.”

“That’s fine. This is about something else.”

“What now?” Sebastien wasn’t sure he could handle another crisis.

“I’m taking you out of the field.”

“What?” Sebastien sat up in his chair, the outrage clear in his tone. “After what you just told me?”

“Never think that I haven’t been proud of what you’ve accomplished. But the time has come for a change, and I’m sure you’ll agree with me after you’ve had a chance to think it over.” Neville held up one hand to prevent Sebastien from interrupting. “This is my proposal. I want you to take over the recruitment and training of the Zodiac’s agents.”

“But I don’t have any experience doing that.”

“You didn’t have experience being a spy when I met you, either. But you learned.”

“You think I can do this?”

“I can’t think of anyone better. And you’ll be able to stay here in England with your new wife, and better act the part of the earl, which I know has been a difficulty so far. What do you say?”

“I’d be honored.” 

“Good,” Neville smiled. “I knew it. Your first student has already been chosen, and I expect he’ll leap at the chance to join us.”

“Who?” asked Thorne.

“Young Ensign Hartley.”

Thorne smiled. “He does seem to have the personality for it.”

“Brash, daring, stupid, and smart,” Neville said. “And a smuggler to boot. He has potential.” 

Thorne returned to main issue. “The most important thing to realize is that Hayden and his employer Arceneau weren’t working for Bonaparte. Arceneau told Cordelia he worked for himself. I made the mistake of thinking the emperor was aware of the
Andraste
. It seems he doesn’t know about it. Arceneau is a rogue. We must devote more attention to finding out about the man.”

Neville nodded. “Absolutely. You’ll submit your report on what happened tomorrow, of course.”  

“Of course.”

“When you retrieved Miss Bering, did you find anyone in the house besides Arceneau?”

Thorne shook his head. “In fact, we missed Arceneau—he was on to us. We just found Hayden and two guards. Is it important?”

“Nothing to worry about, Thorne. When you write up your report, I’d like you to include Miss Bering’s account of her captivity. It may be instructive.”

“Yes, sir.” Thorne was puzzled at Neville’s insistence, but he would follow the man to hell if he requested it.

“You may expect a letter detailing your new duties very soon. As a wedding gift, I shall not ask you to start until after you return from your honeymoon. You
are
taking her on a honeymoon, yes?” Neville looked at Thorne inquiringly.

“I assume so. We haven’t discussed it yet. Wherever it is, it will be somewhere extremely boring and safe.” In fact, he decided that
boring
and
safe
were two words he was becoming quite enamored with.

Humid summer had taken hold
of London, the Season was over, and the city had already begun to empty out. The wedding of Lord Thorne and Miss Bering would be a small one, which suited nearly everyone involved.

Their engagement was officially announced to the polite society. The countess endured many well-meant condolences on the folly of the next Earl of Thornbury in marrying a woman with few connections and no prospects, especially considering the state of the Thorne family’s finances. To those people, she admitted only that her son was most determined on the match, and she had no power to change it. But she said it with a smile.

Cordelia herself was set upon by an unexpectedly high number of callers, most of whom simply left their cards. Cordelia was understandably busy preparing for her unexpected change in fortune. However, she received several guests in the drawing room, where she entertained them with mostly fabricated accounts of her courtship, since the truth would have been frankly unbelievable. She endured several cautionary tales about the dangers of marrying impoverished noblemen, no matter how handsome they were. Cordelia listened to all this advice graciously and did not care in the slightest.

Sebastien called on her nearly every day. Following the announcement of the engagement, his privileges in seeing her, both in public and in private, were considerably expanded. They were able to walk, dine, and drive where they liked. Cordelia reveled in the novelty of performing such non-clandestine activities. When she confessed that to Sebastien, he laughed out loud.

“I’d almost forgotten how!” he said. Then he took her hand, happy that he could do so without pretending to do something else. “Marrying you might well save my sanity, Cordelia. You’ll keep me anchored.”

“You’ll find plenty to anchor you at Thorne Hall, from what I’ve heard about the place,” she warned him. “And if you carry out your plans for a…school there, we’ll have plenty of intrigue ahead.”

“Oh, our life together will never lack interest,” he said, his tone full of promise.

Cordelia blushed, believing every word.

* * * *

Aided by his mother and the shrewd young Adele, Sebastien continued to keep news of the real state of the Thorne fortunes as quiet as he could. He had plans for the future. His solicitors drew up several legal documents before the marriage, some of them quite odd. Cordelia was permitted to keep ownership of all papers of her father and his colleagues, including those of a man known as Mr Lear. The solicitors didn’t understand that one at all, but Lord Thorne was most insistent.

For her part, Cordelia laughed at the annual amount of pin money Sebastien settled on her. “What could I possibly do with that much?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” he said smugly. “Besides, I have to compete with Lear’s old income, don’t I?”

“You have no competition, my dear.”

About one week before the wedding, Cordelia and Sebastien called all of the servants together. Though events had kept everyone busy, there was an underlying concern about what would happen after the marriage.

Cordelia looked over the faces of her household. She was profoundly grateful that she had gotten a chance to know them all.

“Good morning,” she began. “It would be an understatement to say that two months ago, I would not have expected any of this to be happening. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the steadiness of your support. I only hope that I can someday repay the trust you have shown.”

Stiles cleared his throat. “My lady, it is your trust
we
have been repaying.” A murmur from the others confirmed his words.

Cordelia smiled fondly at her butler, then went on. “As you know, I will be moving to Cheshire following the wedding. And Mrs Wharton will be marrying Lord Dunham at the end of the summer, so she will of course join his household.”

A sniff from Mrs Landry was loud enough to be heard throughout the room. “Won’t ever be the same, my lady, after we shut up this house and go our separate ways.”  

Sebastien broke in before the maids could start crying en masse. “That is the issue we wish to discuss,” he said clearly. “Miss Bering has made it quite clear to me that she regards you all as her family. And family does not get cast aside when situations change, no matter how drastic that change is.”