Simone met her lady’s maid’s gaze, and she knew that she spoke true. This was just a hiccup in her plan. She would find a way to beat Juliette. She had to.
She straightened up from the wall, and with determination in her voice, she said, “You are right. Everyone has a weakness, and I just have to find hers and exploit it.”
“That is what any good spy would do,” Felicity stated.
Simone glanced down at her clothing. “The first thing I must do is change into a gown and bring my men’s clothing down to my father. He intends to burn them.”
“All of them?”
A small smile came to her lips. “It might be best if I keep a pair of trousers for when something unexpected arises.”
“I can easily hide the trousers in a place that no one will find them,” Felicity said.
Simone removed the jacket and dropped it to the floor. “I can always ask the dressmaker to make me more clothing in the future.”
While she changed out of her clothing, Simone felt in her gut that this game with Juliette was far from over. She may have the upper hand now, but that would change. It had to.
Caleb sat at the desk in the study as he worked on the accounts. He was biding his time until he left to join Simone for dinner. He was rather anxious to see how she was handling Juliette and her brother moving into her townhouse.
A knock came at the window, drawing his attention. He turned his head and saw Kendrick on the other side of the window.
Caleb rose and went to open the window. “You do realize that we have a main door,” he joked.
Kendrick extended him a file. “The fewer people that know I am here, the better,” he said. “This is everything I could find on Lady Hungerton’s death. It isn’t much, though.”
Opening the file, he saw newssheet clippings and a report from the coroner. He perused the report and saw that the coroner determined the drowning was accidental and no foul play was suspected.
Glancing up, Caleb said, “It seems odd that Lady Hungerton’s body was never found.”
“It is, but the lake near her country estate was deep,” Kendrick remarked. “The body could have sunk to the bottom, never to return.”
“I think I need to speak to Lady Hungerton’s lady’s maid again and see if she can shed any light on this,” Caleb said.
Kendrick tipped his head. “Very good,” he said as he turned to leave.
Caleb called out to him. “Before you go, you should know that Juliette and Victor are now residing with Lord Hungerton in his townhouse.”
The spymaster’s brow shot up. “Whatever are they doing there?”
“Supposedly, Juliette is the baron’s mistress,” Caleb replied.
“You have your doubts?”
Caleb shrugged. “I am not quite sure what to believe, but I suspect Lord Hungerton knows more than he is letting on. I will investigate him on my end, but would you delve into his finances?”
“I will, but what do you think we might find?”
“I’m not sure, but my gut is telling me that LordHungerton is not who he claims to be,” Caleb said. “I think it would be best if we stationed two guards outside of Simone’s townhouse, just as a precaution.”
Kendrick gave him a knowing look. “Have you spoken to Simone about this?”
“Not yet, but I worry that she might be too close to the situation.”
“I would proceed cautiously, then. You two are supposed to be working together, not against one another.”
Caleb bobbed his head. “I understand, but I assure you that I am only thinking of Simone’s best interests.”
His mother’s voice came from the doorway of the study. “Who are you talking to?” she asked as she stepped further into the room.
