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Schroeder that the verse had little to do with it.
    “It is obvious you don’t get along with her,” Schroeder said suddenly. “Is there something we need to know?”
    “No.”
    “Nothing that could impact how you discharge your duties in this situation.”
    “No.”
    She stood there, passive, damning in her silence. “Major,” she finally said. “If you have credible information that the duchess is part of a plot against the throne of England, then you have my full and unquestioning support. But if this is something personal between the two of you, then I must…wonder.”
    “We were…close once,” he snapped, then shrugged. “We are not now.”
    Schroeder nodded. “And this happened recently?”
    Harry got to his feet. “Ten years ago.”
    She stared at him. “You can’t mean to say that all this noise is over something that happened when you were, what? Twenty?”
    “Of course not.” He turned away from her and walked over toward the window. “I’ve run afoul of the duchess enough times to know what to expect from her. Suffice it to say that my experiences with her impressed on me the fact that she is not to be trusted. She is a facile liar, manipulating all those around her for her own pleasure. I wouldn’t put it past her to be involved in this plot just for the fun of it.”
    “Has she committed any crimes?”
    He sighed, wishing like hell that Schroeder were a Rifleman who took orders without question. “I was engaged twice,” he finally admitted, looking out the window as if he could see past the grime. “She managed to end both.”
    “The duchess?” Schroeder asked, her disbelief evident. “Ruined your engagements.”
    He could still see the fury in Lady Poppy Posts’s great blue eyes as she threw his ring at him. He’d never even had a chance to defend himself. “Yes,” he said baldly.
    “Why?”
    Why the hell was he having to dredge up the past? Schroeder didn’t need to know his personal history to follow orders. “Don’t you have work to do?”
    “Yes. Helping you figure out why the Surgeon mentioned Lady Kate in relation to the verse. I just thought it might be good to know whether we’ve locked her up because she is a danger to the Crown, or because you feel the need to exact some sort of revenge.”
    For a minute, Harry couldn’t manage an answer. He did get to his feet. “We’ve locked up Lady Kate to keep everybody safe until we find out what the hell’s going on. That’s all you need to know, and more than I usually tell a servant.”
    She was nodding. “Ah, but you see, I’m not a servant. Mr. Hilliard should have told you that.”
    “Then what are you?”
    She smiled, and Harry was struck suddenly by the quiet confidence he should have seen before. “Somebody who is very good at what she does. Now. I would ask you again. Since we’re just waiting around, why don’t I see if I can get any answers from her.”
    Harry kept staring at her. “What does Drake think of you?”
    “The earl?” she asked, then shrugged. “I have no idea. We’ve never met. I work solely with Mr. Hilliard.”
    Finally, he nodded. “Diccan says you have excellent instincts. Use them on Kate.”
    And without another word, she walked out, leaving Harry with the uncomfortable feeling that she had been right. He was looking for revenge. He was looking to cut Kate Hilliard down to size. Back to the Kate he’d known before she had added duchess to her name and become impossible. Before she’d betrayed him so thoroughly.
    Well, he thought, looking around the dim room. He had nothing to do right now but wait for Schroeder’s report. He could either wait here, up on his bed, or outside walking the estate.
    No question. Right now he needed to be busy.
    “Mudge!” he yelled, knowing the batman wasn’t far away. “I’ll be outside.”
    And grabbing his sketchbook and charcoal, he left the room.
     
    * * *
    “You truly don’t know what the Surgeon meant when he said you were