She didn’t realize that she was standing until she heard her teacup shatter upon the ground. “Oh, no! I can’t. I really can’t. I’m sorry, I do love England, milord, and I will be loyal to the death if need be, but I cannot—”
“He spends his time at a tavern with a number of hotheads. Men who might be arrested soon enough for their politics. I want to know if he is still loyal to the Crown. And I want to know what plans are being made by these so-called patriots.”
“But milord! Men speak openly of their opinions. I believe Lord Cameron is a traitor, but then, by the law, so are hundreds of men. Lord Dunmore—”
“Please. Other men may have opinions. Not Lord Cameron. Too many men will follow him blindly, and, my dear, if he is guilty of stockpiling arms against the king, then he is a traitor in black and white, and must be stopped.”
“But…I—I can’t stop him!”
Dunmore leaned back. It was her father’s turn to speak at last. He stood up, facing her coldly. “You can, Amanda. And you will.”
“Father—”
“You see, Lord Dunmore has on his person an arrest warrant for your cousin Damien.”
“What?” She gasped. He stared at her, smiling. He was enjoying himself, she realized. He really enjoyed seeing her hurt and shocked, and he enjoyed using her. Her ears seemed to roar. She could smell the flowers, and she could hear the chatter of birds on the air. The day was so very beautiful.
And so awful.
She looked at the governor, and she knew that it was true. “What crime has Damien committed?” she asked hollowly. She tried very hard not to scream in panic, for they didn’t need to tell her much. She had suspected him of foolish deeds for a long, long time. She had followed him in Boston because she had been so afraid of his activities. She didn’t think that he had dumped tea into the harbor, but he had left the party so determinedly.…
“Damien Roswell is guilty of a number of crimes, dear. We know that he has smuggled arms and armaments and that he has possessed and propagated numerous pieces of seditious literature.”
“Seditious literature! Why, Lord Dunmore. You would have to hang half of the colony—”
“I can prove that he has been smuggling arms, Amanda,” Dunmore said softly. His tone was truly unhappy. Then he fell silent, and in those seconds Amanda felt her blood run cold. She could not bear it if harm were to come to her cousin, no matter how foolish his behavior. “His crime,” Dunmore continued softly, “is treason, we have him dead to rights. But Damien is a small fish, and knowing how dear he is to you, we are loath to make him a scapegoat for the sharks.”
She sank back to her seat again. They couldn’t be serious, but they were. She lifted her chin, determined that she could be as cold as her father. She would never forgive him now. She hated him with all her heart.
“What do you want?”
“The truth about Cameron. What he intends to do, what he has done. I have to know if he will turn his back on me if the trouble with the radicals becomes too serious.”
“If I get you the information you want—”
“Then I destroy the warrant for your cousin.”
“I don’t mind—I don’t mind being a spy, milord. I don’t mind serving England, and I am a loyal Tory. But milord, if you’ll just ask something else of me—”
“I need you, Lady Amanda.”
“But Lord Cameron is no fool!” she said uneasily.
“Yes, I realize that. The man is my friend, even if we are destined to be enemies. You’ll have to be convincing. Tarnation, girl! I must know if he is loyal to me or not!”
“You—you are both blackmailing me!” she cried.
Lord Dunmore rose. He was not happy with the situation, she knew. He didn’t like what he was asking her to do.
But her father was delighted with it. She knew then that it had all been her father’s doing.
“Think about it. Your service would be greatly appreciated,” Dunmore said. He rested his hand upon her shoulder. “The decision is still yours, my dear. I’ll leave you to think.” He walked away, and she was alone with her father. She stared at him for several long moments, listening to the chirp of the birds, feeling the sun and the breeze against her cheeks. Then she spoke with softly yet with venom.
“I hate you. I will never forgive you for this,” she told him.
He rose, coming so close to her that she nearly leapt to her feet to run. He caught her chin and held it in a painful grip. “You’ll do as you’re told. I have waited all these years for you to be of some use, I have let you live the life of a lady, and now you will obey me. You will give me a place of prominence with the king. And if you do not, Damien will hang. Do you understand?”
She jerked free of his touch, trying to hide the tears that burned behind her eyes. “As I told Lord Dunmore, Eric Cameron is no fool! He knows that I despise him!”
