CHAPTER36
Nick left, leaving Saffron reeling once again. She looked around her office, desperate for a comfort or distraction, but there was only a cold chair by a cold window and stacks of books that had already accumulated dust.
She closed the door gently behind her, locked it, and walked down the hall. At the door of Alexander’s office, she knocked softly and went inside at his word.
“Saffron.” He smiled at her from his desk.
“Aster called me in to ask me about the Path Lab.” She crossed the office, and without invitation, simply sat in his lap.
His chair squeaked in protest as Alexander’s arms came around her. She closed her eyes, willing the stiffness in his embrace to melt away so she could take comfort from his presence and warmth. After a moment, he loosened up, and his cheek came to rest on her collarbone.
She poured out the whole ridiculous story of the previous evening, ending with recounting the conversation that had just transpired between her and Nick. By the time she’d finished, she’d gotten to her feet and was pacing the small room. The more she explained, the deeper the depths of her own stupidity appeared.
“I cannot believe I thought I’d convinced him that I should work in the lab. It was clearly a ploy to get me to want to do it. I’ve tangled myself up with two other investigations, and he knew I’d leap at thechance to do it again.” She sank onto the chair opposite Alexander, feeling idiotic. “I’m so wretchedly transparent, aren’t I?”
He gave her a sympathetic smile. “You’d not be the first to be taken in by Nick Hale. It is his job, after all.”
Surprisingly, that made her feel better. She propped an elbow on the arm of her chair and let her chin rest in her palm. “Will you tell me what happened between the two of you in Greece? Why do you dislike him so?”
He pondered it for a moment before saying, “I will tell you part of it. The part that wouldn’t get me accused of treason.”
She waited impatiently for him to collect his thoughts, idly aware that she ought to be heading to Harpenden but unwilling to leave all the same.
“I was recruited by a friend of a friend who knew I’m fluent in Greek. I’d been home for a few weeks after my release from the convalescent hospital, and I wasn’t doing well.” He paused, shaking his head. “It was a hard time. When the opportunity came up, my father all but pushed me out the door.”
Surprised, she asked, “He was quick to send you out again after you were hurt?”
“He was eager for me to do something other than stare out of the window,” Alexander said dryly. “My mother didn’t speak to him for weeks after I left, apparently. She wanted me to stay home. She still would prefer I be at home.” He wore a fond smile, which faded as he continued. “I joined the party and went to Greece. I’d been there to visit family a few times before, but the war had changed so many things. I did what I was asked to do, and I’m afraid I can’t give you many more details than that.” He shot her a rueful but humorous look.
She stifled a groan of frustration. She wanted to know more, but she understood why he shouldn’t tell her. “And Nick?”
“He was working there too. As fellow Englishmen, we socialized. There was a hotel where many of us stayed, and I saw Nick most evenings. I didn’t know what he was doing there, but he wore a uniform and I … I was generally not sober enough to care who anyone was ortheir business.” Saffron bit her lip at the self-disgust she heard in his voice. “At that point, I’d quietly drink myself into a stupor in a corner each night, and so I saw the comings and goings of the others. I noticed Nick paid a good deal of attention to one of the English businessmen living in Salonika who hung around with the English officers.”
Alexander cleared his throat, an uneasiness coming over him. “One evening as I dragged myself up to my room, I saw Nick inviting the businessman into his room. They looked … intimate.”
Saffron blinked. Nick, intimate with a man?
Alexander pressed on. “That, alone, was not anything that surprised me. I’d seen a good many men act differently at war than they might at home, and I’ve seen enough of the natural world now to know that it isn’t the unnatural inclination most believe it to be. I hope we can agree on that.” Saffron nodded. “The businessman was found dead three days later. Not in Nick’s room,” he added hurriedly. “But in his own house. It was a gruesome sight, according to those who’d stopped by for a look. I heard it looked like an execution.” At her shocked inhalation, he shook his head. “The representatives in charge of our party made a point of involving themselves, as the fellow had been English. The investigation into his death concluded it was a business rival, but no one was ever arrested.”
“But you suspected Nick?”
“No,” Alexander said. “Not at first, anyway. I watched him work his way through a number of men and women during our stay at the hotel. Some were rumored to be involved in political dealings, others in business deals directly related to the war effort. Some were just people, from what I could tell, and no one else ended up dead. But several were arrested for crimes like treason, a few were ruined financially or socially, and at least one turned out to be a spy for Germany. I’ve no proof Nick had any part of those consequences, but I find it suspicious.”
She couldn’t help but gape at him. “And you didn’t say anything when you realized Elizabeth was his sister? How could you never even hint—”
“You made it seem like they were estranged when you showed me the photograph in your parlor. Elizabeth doesn’t speak about her family. I never thought it would come up.”
She sighed. “I suppose you’re right. I just can’t believe it. And I can’t believe I fell for it. I’m no better than all those people he seduced into revealing their secrets.”
Alexander gave her that sympathetic look again. “People in Nick’s line of work don’t look at people and see individuals with lives and families. People are either tools or obstacles. They either can be manipulated to suit their purposes, or they are removed. And you won’t know which you are until it’s too late.”
A heavy silence fell between them. She didn’t know what that meant for her. If Nick believed her to be an obstacle rather than an asset, what would he do? Would her rejecting an offer of employment impact her career in the long run? The one thing she kept coming back to was why he’d offered her a job in such a roundabout way to begin with. Why go through the trouble of enticing her with solving the mystery at the Path Lab?
The question ate at her. “I just don’t understand why Nick wanted me, specifically. He could have had his pick of botanists. He could have taken someone from a science park, or walked into any university in town, or even gone to Kew and requisitioned someone from there. Why me?”
“Why not you?” Alexander asked, his head tilted slightly to the side as if he was considering the question himself. “You’re trained by a university known for its botany program. You’ve worked in greenhouses and labs. You’re intelligent and tenacious, and willing to do things differently. And, as you mentioned, you’ve caught murderers before.” His eyes warmed, and his lips formed a little smile. “You’d be at the top of my list. Youwereat the top of my list.”
And with that, Saffron felt something had changed between them, something more than the shift from uneasy friendship to rekindled romance. Though she wouldn’t have thought it possible even minutes before, she found herself feeling grateful to Nick.
