“Not at all, my lord,” Charlie said. “The question was more for Fiona’s benefit.”
“I can be discreet,” Fi protested. “I’m an investigator, too.”
“And an excellent one at that.” Charlie gave her protegee a pointed look. “But I am asking you not to divulge what I am about to share with the other Angels.”
While Charlie would trust Fi with her life, the dear did love to gossip with her bosom friends.
Fi’s forehead pleated. “You wish me to keep a secret from Livy, Glory, and Pippa?”
“For the time being. I am sorry to ask that of you, but the fewer who know, the better.”
Fi nodded slowly.
“Then I will get to the point.” Charlie aimed her gaze at Hawksmoor. “What do you know about the foreign specialty in your line of work?”
Hawksmoor’s grey gaze revealed nothing, which likely accounted for his success as an agent of the Crown.
“Could you be more specific, my lady?” he said in neutral tones. “If I am at liberty to provide an answer, I will. I am certain you understand that I am bound by rules similar to those that govern your own society.”
“If I said a name, could you tell me if he was engaged in your sort of work abroad?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any colleagues, ma’am. To do so would compromise their safety.”
She’d had a feeling that the earl would respond in this way. Which left her no option.
“Even if the man I am interested in is my own husband?” she inquired.
The earl frowned. “Lord Fayne passed away some time ago. I don’t understand why?—”
“I have recently gained some information which suggests that all was not as it seemed where my husband was concerned. As a result, I am looking for answers.”
She skimmed over the fact that Sebastian was still alive, cursing her instinct to keep him that way. If he was a spy, she did not want to compromise whatever mission he was working on. Or, more importantly, his safety.
“Specifically, I would like to know if he might have been working for the foreign specialty twelve years ago when we first met in Marseille. And later in Rhodes?—”
“Greece, you say?” Hawksmoor sat up, his visage sharpening. “And before that France?”
“Yes.” Her pulse accelerated. “What do you know?”
His brows knitted, Hawksmoor was obviously sifting through what he could and could not reveal.
Charlie clasped her hands in her lap and tried to calm her nerves.
“Darling.” Fi leaned forward, touching her husband’s sleeve. “You can trust Charlie. She will keep whatever you say in confidence. Given the circumstances under which we met, our respective organizations have working knowledge of one another anyway. Why, one could say we are nearly collegial.”
Despite her tension, Charlie had to hide a smile. Amongst Fi’s many talents was her ability to charm her way through any situation.
Hawksmoor gave his lady a sardonic look. “We’re colleagues now, are we?”
“More than that, I should say.” Fi’s demure smile was decidedly flirtatious.
His mouth twitching, the earl said, “Minx. I was going to tell Lady Fayne what I know…which, candidly, isn’t much. My focus has been domestic, not foreign. I do know that those involved in foreign espionage must practice extra discretion: if they are captured, they will not be protected or, indeed, claimed by the institution that sent them.”
“That sounds rather heartless,” Fi said, wrinkling her nose.
“It is how the game of politics is played. Everyone spies, and everyone knows it. But no one acknowledges anything, and if you’re caught…” Hawksmoor shrugged.
With a shiver, Charlie contemplated why Sebastian would sign up for such a perilous and, frankly, thankless job. She couldn’t deny that he had all the makings of an excellent spy: from his physical prowess to his daring nature, he was a man who didn’t balk at breaking the rules. She’d always sensed he had his own moral compass, guided by secrets she’d never managed to unearth whilst they were together.
