With a knowing look, Caleb pressed, “We knew what we signed up for when we agreed to be agents of the Crown. If you want to marry, it needs to be one of convenience. That way you won’t be consumed with guilt when you undoubtedly will have to lie to your wife.”
“I don’t want to marry for convenience.”
“Well, you can’t marry for love.”
Roswell walked over to the settee and dropped down. He knew his next question might shock Caleb but it was a question that had been stewing inside of him for some time now. “What if I stopped working as an agent?”
Rearing back slightly, Caleb said, “But you love being an agent.”
“I do, but I am tired of looking over my shoulder.”
Caleb gave him a look of disbelief. “Is this sudden change of heart because of my sister?”
“No,” he lied. It had everything to do with Anette, but he didn’t dare admit that to his friend. He had no idea how Caleb would take that.
“I would be blind if I didn’t notice the attraction between you two, but she is still my sister,” Caleb stated. “There are literally hundreds of other young women you could be interested in.”
“Forget I said anything,” Roswell said.
Caleb sat down across from him. “Regardless, we have an assignment that we must see through. By all accounts, it appears that my father is a traitor.”
“Do you want to tell Kendrick?”
“I don’t think we have a choice, but I wish we had more definitive proof.”
Roswell winced, knowing his friend might not like his next words. “More so than the same code that we found in Lord Chester’s locked drawer?”
“I have been over the ledgers and I haven’t found any suspicious deposits,” Caleb said.
“What if your father isn’t being paid off?”
“Meaning?”
Rising, Roswell walked over to the desk and picked up the ledger. “What if he is being forced to pass along information to the French?”
“That is a good theory, but we have no proof of that,” Caleb said. “Kendrick tends to like proof when it comes to these types of things.”
“Perhaps we should just ask your father.”
Caleb huffed. “Pardon?” he asked. “You think we should give away our advantage by going to my father and asking him?”
“It might save us considerable time.”
“Or my father will lie to us and inform his conspirators that we are onto them.”
Roswell gave him a look knowing it was one of pity. “But he is still your father. Do you truly want to turn him over to Kendrick without giving him a chance to speak for himself?”
“What choice do we have?” Caleb asked. “We are not playing parlor games. This is real life and the outcome could be dire, for us and England.”
“If you are sure…” Roswell’s voice trailed off.
“I am,” Caleb asserted.
A knock came at the door.
“Enter,” Caleb ordered.
The door opened and Barrow stepped into the room with a silver tray in his hands. “A letter was just delivered for you, sir.”
