She used a defensive attack that she’d been taught during her tenure in India where she had learned the combat art ofKalaripayattu,She didn’t have a weapon at hand, but she had learned the discipline of mental stability and how to move to throw an attacker off guard. Shoving back her elbow, it caught the maid in the stomach and the woman bent over, temporarily robbed of breath. The knife was still in her grasp, but not after Leah flung her arm around and shoved her knee in the maid’s back. Keeping her pinned against the wall, Leah took the knife and kept it secured in her other hand.
It took a moment for the servant to respond to the exchange in power. “What—?”
“You didn’t know I was actuallyusefulhere, did you?” Leah said evenly.
An annoyed grunt was her only response.
“Who are you working for?” she demanded. “Bernard?”
The maid tossed her dark head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Is that so?” Giving her knee a bit of pressure, as well as a twist of her arm against the woman’s back, the maid cried out an obscenity that would have probably made Hugh proud. “Then how about you tell me what you were doing here instead? And don’t claim it was nothing, because you wouldn’t have attacked me.”
The maid seemed to realize that the odds weren’t currently in her favor. “I had no choice,” she whined.
Leah laughed. “You really expect me to believe that? I think that you would have killed me where I stood had I not gained the upper hand. I want answers.Now.”
With a huff, the maid hissed, “The footman is who you want. He is the one who convinced me to lead you away. He said he would pay me enough so that I wouldn’t have to work for a child on the throne any longer, that I could live in Paris and want for nothing.”
Leah had stopped listening after she learned she had been lured away—on purpose. Uttering her own curse, she dragged the woman over to the butler’s pantry and shoved her inside once she had ensured that there were no windows in which she could escape. Holding up the knife, she warned, “Make one misstep and I will use this.”
She slammed the door in the maid’s face and quickly snatched one of the servant’s dining chairs and wedged it underneath the doorknob. After making sure that it was secure, she ran to get help.Blast it all.How had they managed to ignore an attack like this? Were there no warning signs until now? Or had they just missed them all?
Harlan had claimed that Mr. Bernard was a criminal like no other he’d witnessed before, so it made sense that he would be capable of doing something this daring. But if the servant was to be believed, she didn’t know Bernard. Could it be they had been chasing the wrong criminal all this time?
On the way to the queen’s chamber, Leah pulled every bellpull that she came across in her mad dash through the hallways.
Thankfully, fortune was on her side when she encountered one of the queen’s personal guards coming toward her at a clipped pace. “Help! The queen is in danger!”
The man reached out and grabbed her around the throat. Shock kept her immobile and when she glanced into the familiar face, the blood promptly receded from her face. “We meet again, Miss Lindquist.”
She clawed at the hand squeezing about her windpipe, but that was all she remembered before her lungs collapsed and her world went dark.
Chapter 22
Harlan paced Wellington’s parlor that evening. He was restless, but he wasn’t quite sure why. Perhaps it was the fact that they were going to be embarking on a dangerous gamble with Leah’s life in a few days, or perhaps it was because an inner sense was warning him that something was wrong. He generally never got this apprehensive unless there was a reason. Abadreason.
He was waiting for Hugh to arrive. He had written earlier that day with an urgent appeal to meet at the duke’s house as soon as possible. Lucas had joined them within the hour after Harlan had notified him. Benjamin had taken a bit longer, but when it came to sending messages through the underground of London, it was a bit more complicated and coded missives were involved. It wouldn’t do for notifications of a sensitive nature to end up in the wrong hands. With sympathizers to the revolution all around them, it would be detrimental to both the Crown and the Home Office if their secrets were intercepted. All of the work they had done to secure the queen’s reign thus far would start to unravel around them.
“What the hell is taking so long?” Harlan gritted through his teeth. He stood by the window and looked out at the street with a dark frown that was reflected in the pane.
“Perhaps it is because you keep glancing at the clock every five minutes,” Lucas drawled, his mocking tone doing nothing to ease Harlan’s mind.
When Harlan sent him a glare, Lucas held up his hands in surrender. Benjamin dared to make the next attempt to speak. “If you’re worried something might have happened to him, we both know Hugh is cunning when the situation warrants it. It was because of his skills and strategy that he was able to secure his lovely wife’s hand when there were many men in the village who thought it impossible.”
“I’m well aware of Hugh’s talents. It is one of the reasons that I requested his services for this particular mission.” Harlan turned back to the street. “It’s not his welfare that concerns me. It’s what news he finds so imperative to share.”
There was a pause and then he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He glanced over to see Wellington with an empathic gaze. “Love often makes us nervous, or reckless. Be sure that you keep a clear head with whatever information he might provide us.”
Harlan was grateful for the duke’s calm assurance. In the midst of a turbulent mindset, it was the anchor that he needed. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
Arthur removed his hand, but he remained at the window with Harlan. “There were many times in battle when I was just as eager for action as you are now. Men valiantly fought at my side and died for their efforts. I wanted to make sure their sacrifices weren’t in vain.” He lifted a brow. “I shouldn’t worry about Miss Lindquist. She is a woman dedicated to her task. She won’t let us down, and neither will she allow the enemy to intrude. She is resourceful and intelligent.”
More of Harlan’s apprehension started to wane. He thought about the fire in her eyes when she’d tried to escape at the cottage, and the way she’d set down her foot to him at the windmill. “It’s true. She is quite remarkable. A force of nature.”
Their attention was quickly diverted by the arrival of a man on horseback, who turned out to be a familiar figure. By the time he’d dismounted and entered the parlor, Harlan was the first person that Hugh saw. “What’s happened?” he demanded.
Hugh didn’t waste time, a fact for which he was grateful. “It seems you were right about the vicar. He isn’t as impeccable as he would like his congregation to believe.” Harlan uttered a curse under his breath, but he said nothing as Hugh continued. “He has been stealing funds meant for the church and passing them on to the rebellion. It seems that he was promised a seat at the high council if he helped to secure the English throne for Ernest Augustus.”
