“Right,” Miss Harper said, getting to her feet. “I’ll say no more.”
“No, sit down,” he said. “I haven’t decided yet, I’m just trying to think this through. You want me to spy on your key supporters?”
He expected she would object to having it so baldly stated. But she took a deep breath and said, “Yes.”
“You doubt you can trust these women?”
“After what happened with our treasurer, it seems the height of foolishness to assume no one else has taken that kind of deal.”
He nodded, seeing her logic. It was only thanks to the Vow the treasurer belatedly took that they found out what she’d done. Beatrix, Miss Dane and Miss Knight were similarly under Vows to protect Lydia, but none of the other League leaders were. Any one of them would be perfectly able to turn informant if they chose.
“And, I suppose, it’s possible that some of them may have been bugged,” she said.
“So you want me to see if there are any troubling signs. The remains of spells in their homes, for instance?”
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
He pictured himself breaking and entering, creeping invisibly around strange houses—putting himself at risk, again, for the Harpers. Then he imagined the harm the magiocracy could inflict with just one well-placed turncoat.
He’d promised Beatrix to do what he could to keep her sister safe.
“All right,” he said.
“You’ll—you’ll do it?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” Miss Harper clasped her hands together, and it was odd to see such a grateful expression on a face so much like her mother’s. “Thank you a hundred times over. I do understand what an uncomfortable task I’m asking you to take on.”
A terrible thought occurred to him. “Please tell me no one from your house is on your list. You don’t expect me to tail Miss Knight or Miss Dane around?”
Or Beatrix, dear God.
“No, no, I trust them completely,” she said.
He nodded, relieved.
“They couldn’t inform on me if they wanted to, after all.” Her lips quirked. A joke. A joke from serious Lydia Harper. Perhaps she was more like her sister than he’d given her credit for. He grinned back at her.
“Here’s the list,” she said, handing over a piece of paper with ten names and addresses.
“Does the order matter?”
She shook her head. “Whatever you prefer. The times of day I listed with each one refer to when they’re likely to be out.”
Helpful. Also suggested a certain ruthless efficiency.
“I can only go during the evening or on weekends,” he said. “I don’t like to leave your sister alone in this house.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that.” Miss Harper took back the list, produced a pencil from her handbag and added additional times beside the several names that only had work hours attached. “Joan Hamilton will be a challenge because I don’t know her schedule outside work. I think you’re best to go when we have a League meeting on the twenty-fourth.”
He nodded.
“One more thing.” She hesitated. “Please don’t tell anyone you’re doing this. No one.”
“Not even?—”
“No,” she said.
