“Continue.”
“Should we wait for Renforth?”
“No,” was the unanimous decision.
“She has set a plan in motion to determine whether or not Kendall will take the bait.”
A sound at the door interrupted them—a measured step, neither hurried nor hesitant.
Before any could turn fully, the door opened, and Colonel Renforth entered. He removed his gloves with unhurried precision, his gaze sweeping across them all, taking in their expressions with quiet acuity. “I see that you have begun without me.”
“Only just,” Arch replied. “We have all just returned.”
Renforth moved towards the fire and stretched out his hands to warm them. “What have you heard?”
“I was just explaining that Miss Vale has set a plan in motion to entice Kendall. She gave him permission to order ventilation systems for her factories.”
“In other words, a way to financially back a rebellion.”
“Just so,” Arch agreed. “She also believes Kendall to be suspicious. He has been following her.”
“I suspected as much,” Baines answered, as though the matter were of little consequence. “I have been following him.”
“I collect you were uncertain she was innocent?”
Baines gave a slight shrug. “It was difficult to ascertain if they had arranged meetings, such as this morning, near Edgware Road.”
Arch stilled. “Near Edgware Road?”
“Yes.”
His thoughts swiftly aligned. “That must have been near the time Miss Vale visited the iron-works.”
“Then it is no coincidence,” Fielding remarked.
“No,” Arch agreed. “Nor was she expecting him there.” He turned slightly, resting his hand upon the back of a chair, though he did not take it. “What else do you know?”
Baines’ expression, though outwardly composed, carried a weight not present before. He set aside the piece of the pistol he had been examining and leaned forward, his tone losing its usual irreverence.
“I believe,” he said slowly, “that they are planning something far beyond peaceful protests.”
The room seemed to contract about them.
“What, precisely?” Renforth asked.
Baines’ gaze held his. “A mass assassination.”
The words fell with quiet finality. Fielding straightened, the glass in his hand forgotten. Stuart’s attention sharpened.
“Are you certain of this?” Arch demanded.
“As certain as one may be without standing in the centre of their little meeting,” Baines replied. “We have an informant within the group.”
Arch slightly narrowed his eyes. “Have we, now? How long?”
“Long enough,” Baines said, not unkindly, but with the firm suggestion that certain particulars were not of particular matter. “He reports that they believe eliminating the entire Cabinet is the best course of action.”
“To overthrow the Government entirely,” Stuart said, his voice low.
