He paused.
Jaxsen halted her steps and spun, facing him. She lifted her lips into a charming smile. “I do believe I’m the quicker wit of the two of us. This will never do.” She clicked her tongue.
“Who are you?” he asked, his tone flat, his expression unamused.
“And here I was told you were quite brilliant. I must say I’m a little disappointed.”
His browed furrowed, and then astonishment spread across his features, followed by disbelief. “You… you can’t be…”
“Jaxsen?” she asked sweetly.
He tipped his chin, studying her. “Bloody hell.”
“Such language in front of a lady?’ She placed a gloved hand to her chest and feigned shock.
“If you’re who I think you are, a lady is the last thing I would call you.”
“I feel like that was an intended insult, but I’ll forgive it.”
“You’re Jaxsen.” He shook his head and rubbed his chin with his hand. “Damn it all, this is not what I was expecting.”
“Most don’t, which I will admit has made my job much easier,” she answered. “Why else do you think I took my mother’s surname as my own? It’s easy to find truth when you’re a woman and people are expecting a man.”
“Apparently.” He sighed. “So, you saw that happened earlier?”
“Indeed.”
“And you’ve been briefed on what’s happening tonight?”
Jaxsen sighed. “Of the two of us, I’m the one who is to be briefing you, Burberry. You’re to learn from me, not the other way around. As long as you understand the chain of command, we’re going to get along well. Do we have an understanding?”
Jaxsen kept her shoulders and posture relaxed. It was constantly like this; every man she trained always struggled to allow her to lead. But the War Office had assigned her to prepare because she was the best, and as much as that went against the grain for the norms of Society, it was far more important to have well-trained spies than to care which gender of person prepared them.
War tended to blur those lines beautifully.
“I understand,” Burberry replied. “I meant no disrespect, simply that we need to be on the same page. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Indeed. Follow me, and we can talk the details.” Jaxsen held out her hand to her new partner, watching as the typical indecision crossed his face.
Men. They never knew whether to kiss her hand or shake it. Honestly, she didn’t care which, but it was always entertaining to watch their hesitation. She took pity on him and said, “Either is fine, but it will be faster if you just shake my hand.”
Burberry nodded, chuckled slightly, and gave her hand a firm shake. “Nice to meet you, Jaxsen. I have a feeling I’m in for quite the experience.”
Jaxsen smirked. “You have no idea.”
Chapter Two
Emerson had never been one to wear his emotions openly, but he had the distinct impression that any twitch in his facial expression would be a clue to the woman walking beside him. To say he was shocked was the understatement of the decade. It wasn’t something he was accustomed to, being taken by surprise. He had always been an observant fellow, finding details in situations that others missed. So, working with the War Office had simply made sense after the war with Napoleon ended.
Memories flickered like flames through his mind; his body tensed in remembrance, and he forced his mind to accept the truth— It was over.
“I was told you have intimate knowledge of our target’s residence,” Jaxsen murmured, but it wasn’t like the whisper of a lady. When she spoke, her inflection and dictation were unmistakably clear, but muted somehow. A person passing by them wouldn’t have heard a word, yet he walking beside heard every word as long as he was paying attention.
She cocked a brow as if his answer had been long awaited.
Apparently, the great Jaxsen had some of her own vices. “Yes. That is correct.”
“How?” she asked, her gaze darting to his then back to the path under their feet.
