“We will continue to monitor things on the streets, but I will ensure that I come to the palace each evening to see if there is anything for you to report.” He lifted a challenging brow. “Do you agree to these terms?”
He could see the wheels turning in her mind. “It would be intriguing to play a spy in the royal household. And I should like to see a palace from the inside.”
“Then you will be in luck,” Harlan murmured. “I’ve heard that the queen will be moving her things to Buckingham Palace within the week. It should give us plenty of time to get you established into your new role on behalf of the Home Office.”
She preened at that. “I quite like the sound of that.” She rubbed her hands together. “Let’s get started.”
Chapter 18
The moment Leah walked in the door of Harlan’s Pall Mall residence, Hugh rose to his feet and walked over to put his hands on her shoulders. “You are a sight for sore eyes!” he proclaimed, but as his focus took in her gentleman’s clothing, he lifted his brows. “I can sense a story here. I am intrigued.”
Harlan snorted, but he didn’t remark further on the quip. Instead, he said, “I need to pay a call on Wellington. I trust I can leave Leah in your capable hands.”
Hugh offered a mock salute. “You can count on me,mon capitaine.”
With a snort, Harlan turned to leave. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he murmured.
Once he was gone, Hugh demanded to know everything that had happened while she had been away as they enjoyed some coffee. She was weary from travel, but she was also too restless to sleep. Instead, she talked about her brother and his wife, and of course, Mr. Bernard. But it wasn’t until she told him about Benjamin’s accident and her decision to follow Harlan in disguise, that his mouth went slack.
“I knew you were courageous, but I never imagined you could bedevil Harlan so perfectly!” He laughed. “I daresay you are destined for one another.”
Leah winced slightly. “I’m not so sure about that.” She immediately regretted her choice of words, because he looked at her curiously. Clearing her throat, she decided to turn the topic to something a bit more comfortable for her peace of mind and spoke about how well Benjamin seemed to be recovering.
“If you ever decide to give up conspiracy, I’m sure you could find work as a physician somewhere.”
She laughed. “I shouldn’t like that much responsibility. A few stitches here and there are not difficult, considering my father ensured I was adept with a sewing needle. As much as I learned about the world, I still had to know what was expected of young ladies my age, including needlepoint and watercolors.”
“You don’t say?” Hugh rubbed the side of his jaw. “I don’t suppose your father taught you anything about cards, did he?”
She crossed her arms. “Scopa, Birkie, or Piquet? Or perhaps something from Germany—”
He held up a hand. “You made your point, so you get to shuffle and deal.” He withdrew a deck of cards from his inner pocket and handed them to her.
“You keep a full suit on you all the time?”
He shrugged. “Naturally. You never know when you might have to defeat your best friend’s sweetheart.”
“You can certainly try.” She shuffled with expert precision, to the point she could tell he was starting to wonder if he’d made the right choice by challenging her.
It took three games before Hugh threw down his cards in disgust, although there was a glimmer of admiration on his face. “I shall have to persuade Harlan to let you loose in the gaming hells.”
She shook her head. “I can’t do that. I made a promise to my father that I would only play as he intended for me to do so, for the enjoyment of it.”
“Such a shame,” Hugh sighed. “I could have made a fortune.”
She chuckled, and the door opened to admit Harlan. He glanced at the two of them. “You seem to be getting on well,” he noted.
“Except for the fact that if we were playing cards for money, I would have been thoroughly fleeced,” Hugh remarked with a false annoyance.
“It’s not my fault that you aren’t as good as you imagine yourself to be,” she chimed in primly.
“Ouch,” Hugh said with a mock wince as he rose to his feet. “On that note, I think it’s time for me to retreat for the evening.”
Leah noticed Harlan looked hard at his cohort. “But you are staying here.”
“I was, yes,” he returned evenly. “But I sent a message to Lucas asking to spare me some room at Mivart’s. I had my things sent over this morning, knowing that you would be returning soon.” He glanced at Leah. “I thought the two of you would need some time alone together to… chat.” With a brief clearing of his throat, he headed out the door.
The moment the door shut; Leah could instantly feel her skin becoming warm. She couldn’t believe that Hugh could desert her like this. She knew that he thought this was what they wanted, but considering the look of uncertainty on Harlan’s face, she had the feeling he was just as uncertain as she was.
