Beau briefly closed his eyes, not certain if he felt more unnerved by her success among the most sophisticated of men or, damn it, jealous that they had captured her smiles.
No. Definitely not that. It would be far too uncomfortable. “Excellent. So, I want a wife who would cause an international incident the minute we stepped out of the country.”
“You might want a wife who can work a room like an ambassador, speaks eight languages and counts most of her parents’ contemporaries as honorary aunts and uncles, rather as you can see with the Countess Lieven over there.”
Countess Lieven, who was even then hugging Pip like a long-lost niece. Countess Lieven, who hugged no person. The two of them were chattering in French and once again assessing Pip’s ring.
Drake grinned at Beau. Amused at his discomfort, Beau was certain. “I’m telling you, she is a natural. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed before.”
“I have spent very few diplomatic balls in the same room with Pip.”
Drake’s grin was unapologetic. “I’m just saying that you might want to make the effort to look closer. She can be a real asset.”
Suddenly Beau understood. His stomach dropped. “No.”
Drake didn’t react by a twitch.
“I said no. You are not dragging her into your plots and schemes.”
“I think she would enjoy it immensely.”
“She would get herself killed. Worse, she’d getmekilled. No.”
“And did she get herself killed recovering those plans?”
Drake was stunned into silence. He resisted the urge to look around for eavesdroppers, even knowing that Drake would never be so careless as to say anything incriminating near witnesses. But both Burke and Pamela were at far corners of the room. “Did she tell you?”
“Try not to be ridiculous. She would never do anything to endanger you.”
They both looked over to where Pip was now commiserating in German with Princess Charlotte and her lady-in-waiting, Lady Mercer Elphinstone.
“The duchess told me,” Drake said, lifting his glass of champagne for a sip.
Beau rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “How doessheknow?”
“Because the duke, until his unfortunate illness--”
“He went mad, Drake.”
Drake frowned. “Spectacularly.”
Running through the House of Lords screaming about invaders. From Shropshire. It had been a horrific end to a good man.
“We both know that he was working with the Home Office,” Beau said.
“Which is another lesson you should undoubtedly take to heart. No man keeps that kind of secret from his wife.”
Beau snorted. “Too late for that anyway.”
“From what I hear. Whatdidyou find?”
“What didshefind, you mean. You can collect it after the wedding breakfast.”
“That dangerous?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, do I? The whole thing is in code.”
Drake nodded as if Beau had just shared an anecdote from Whites. “A timely thing. I believe we might be in the process of cracking the damn thing.”
