It was dark as Roswell walked the short distance to his townhouse. Typically, Mayfair was a safe part of Town so he wasn’t hesitant about walking along the pavement at night. But tonight was different. He had the distinct impression that someone was following him.
He glanced over his shoulder and he saw no one. Just as he had multiple times since he left Lord Oxley’s townhouse. He heard no unusual sounds, saw no shadows, nothing that would normally indicate that he was being followed. Yet he knew he wasn’t alone.
His townhouse loomed up ahead and he knew he was moments away from being safe. Is that what he wanted, he wondered. Did he want to hurry inside, hiding himself away? Or did he want to confront the person that was following him?
Coming to a decision, he ducked into an alleyway and waited for someone to pass by. He retrieved his pistol and held it at his side.
He waited.
And waited.
No one was coming. Perhaps he had just imagined that he was being followed.
A clearing of a throat came from behind him. “What are we waiting for?” a familiar voice asked.
Roswell turned to face the spymaster. “How did you get behind me?”
“I was here first,” Kendrick replied. “I just didn’t want to give away my position until I was sure that we weren’t being followed.”
“Weren’t you following me?”
Kendrick nodded. “I was, but that was entirely different. I had to follow you. It wasn’t as if I could knock on your door and be invited in,” he said. “We need to keep our association secret, for your sake.”
“I am glad that you contacted me. I have been worried about you since you sent word that headquarters had been compromised.”
Kendrick grew solemn. “We have a traitor working amongst us. That is the only explanation.”
“Who do you suspect?”
“If I knew, he would already be in Newgate,” Kendrick said. “I don’t know who would betray us all and that is why I must stay hidden.”
Roswell attempted to ignore the pungent odor that was emanating in the alleyway. It was not the ideal place to have a meeting but at least it was private. No one would be bothering them here. “What would you have me do?”
“I need you and Bolingbroke to track down the traitor and end this threat,” Kendrick ordered. “I will be in touch.”
As Kendrick went to walk out of the alleyway, Roswell asked, “Before you go, did Mr. Barnard come to visit you at headquarters?”
“He did, and it did not escape my notice that headquarters was compromised shortly thereafter.”
“Do you think he had something to do with that?”
Kendrick shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t rightly know. He knew all the codes and said all the right things. He could very well be one of Wellington’s spies.”
“But you aren’t sure?”
“Right now, I am not sure about anything,” Kendrick replied. “I sent off a correspondence to Wellington but it will take weeks before we hear back. Until then, be wary of Mr. Barnard.”
Roswell removed the book from his jacket pocket. “Do you want the book that holds the coordinates to Wellington’s camps?”
Kendrick accepted the book. “I will see that this book is destroyed after we analyze it. We wouldn’t want this to get into the wrong hands.”
“No, we wouldn’t,” Roswell agreed. “We were able to convince Lord Oxley to work with us and we are setting a trap for his contact.”
“Good, good,” Kendrick muttered. “Be careful. No one is safe until we apprehend the traitor and bring him to justice.”
Roswell watched as Kendrick walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the night. The spymaster was a man of few words, but he knew what he needed to do to get the job done.
In a few purposeful strides, Roswell approached his townhouse and stepped inside. He had just removed his top hat when the sound of his sister’s laughter could be heard coming from the drawing room.
