Andre also stood. “I look forward to spending hours in a carriage with you where you won’t be able to avoid my questions!”
They all went upstairs to their rooms. Cade came up last and went to Tamsyn’s room as no one else was there to see. He tapped quietly, then entered.
Tam was efficiently packing her few garments into her carry bag. She looked up with a smile. “You’re ready to go?”
“Not yet. I wanted to give you a hug before we set off.”
“What a fine idea.” Tamsyn walked into his arms and they held each other. She smelled delicious. As she settled against him, she said softly, “The more I think about Portsmouth, the more I feel we’re going to find something important there.”
Cade frowned. “Dangerous?”
Tam hesitated. “Somewhat. And I think it will lead to something more dangerous. It’s good that we’re going together.”
With a sharp flash of intuition, Cade realized that this visit would, indeed, lead to something critical and dangerous. His arms tightened around Tamsyn. “We’ll all be alert,” he said out loud. And his silent message wasI’ll keep you safe, my love. I promise.
CHAPTER34
It was late afternoon when they arrived at the Portsmouth Royal Dockyard. As Bran had said, the Yard was even larger than the one in Devonport. Even the porter’s lodge that guarded the main entrance was a substantial building in its own right with several guards stationed at the gate.
Bran said, “I’m supposed to meet with Chief Howard, who is the head of security for the whole Dockyard. His office is here in the porter’s lodge.” Looking cool and confident, Bran led the way in and presented his Home Office credentials to the officer on reception duty, explaining that his companions were part of his team.
The officer studied the credentials, then gave a nod. “Chief Howard is expecting you. Smith, escort Mr. Tremayne and his colleagues to the chief’s office.”
Smith, one of the younger guards, bobbed his head and led them across the large, bustling entry hall to an office in the corner of the building. After announcing the visitors, he departed.
The office was cluttered with books and papers, and a large map of the Dockyard was pinned to the wall on the left. Chief Howard rose from his desk to greet them. He was a dark-haired man in early middle age with alert eyes. Tam suspected that he was also at least a little gifted.
Howard scanned them. “Which of you is Bran Tremayne?”
“I am,” Bran said. “When I considered the size of the Portsmouth Royal Dockyard, I thought that a larger team might be useful. This is my sister, Miss Tremayne. My brother, Cade Tremayne, and our cousin, Mr. Andre Jameson.”
Howard arched his brows when he looked at Tamsyn. “I believe your sister is more correctly styled Lady Tamsyn Tremayne?”
Tam smiled at him. “I didn’t think our reputations would have preceded us!”
Howard’s serious gaze held hers. “My brother is the sailing master of theRoyal William,which was almost blown up in Devonport.He says he and his friends would have died if not for you Tremaynes.”
Tam caught her breath when she remembered how narrowly disaster had been averted. “Did he suggest that you contact Lord Tremayne at the Home Office if you had concerns about the Portsmouth Dockyard?”
“Yes,” Howard said. “He mentioned Bran Tremayne, Cade Tremayne, and Lady Tamsyn Tremayne.” His gaze went to Andre. “I don’t know if you were present, Mr. Jameson. If you were, I didn’t hear your name.”
“I’ve just arrived in England,” Andre said. “An engineer in training. I believe there is much for an engineer to learn here in Portsmouth.”
“Indeed there is. There are almost seven hundred ships in the Royal Navy, and it’s the Navy that keeps Britain safe. Portsmouth is not only the largest Royal Dockyard, it’s also the largest industrial complex in Great Britain.” He frowned, looking tired. “There are so many important things being done here that could be vulnerable to attack by French agents.”
“If we can help, we will,” Bran said. “Have you been sensing a particular threat, or is your concern more general?”
Howard thought. “I have many general concerns, but lately I’ve been feeling as if something specific is being threatened. I have no idea what that might be. There are so many possibilities!”
“Can you use that map to give us an idea how the Yard is laid out?” Cade asked.
“Excellent idea.” The chief stepped up to the map and his visitors gathered around him. His pointing finger circled the sprawl of the Dockyard. “You can see how many basins and wet and dry docks we have. New ships are being built and older ships are being repaired. Here’s the smithery, which is huge and as noisy as the hammers of hell. That’s where the anchors are made. Next to it is a copper-smelting furnace and a refinery used for recycling the copper sheathing that’s used on ships’ hulls. The copper needs to be replaced every five years so that’s a substantial operation.”
“I’ve heard about your revolutionary block mill,” Cade said. “Where is that?”
Howard tapped an area near the middle of the Yard. “Here. We now have two steam engines that drive the block mills and the sawmill and the woodworking shops.” He glanced at Tamsyn. “Blocks are pulleys that control the rigging and lines on a ship. A ship of the line might have as many as a thousand blocks of different sizes, but in the past, procuring them has always been a problem. Our new mills make blocks much more quickly and the quality is consistent.”
“This place truly is extraordinary!” Andre breathed with engineering lust in his eyes.
