way. They want to know what he knows. And they may want to know who his informants were.”
“But by taking him, they have tipped their hand, haven’t they?”
“Not necessarily. Frank may not know who has him or even where he is. He was likely unconscious or blindfolded when they took him.” Blackstone was familiar with the abduction techniques of bandits and warlords.
“Why the note to us?” She couldn’t help the plaintive question. He looked up then.
They were face-to-face on the little bench. How had she imagined him changed? The intensity of his gaze, the sharp edges of his face, the commanding line of his mouth. He tilted her chin up to meet his dark gaze. “They want you to think Frank is alive, and they want to keep you from setting up an alarm. Whoever they are, they do not want the government looking for Frank.”
“And if they find out that the government is looking for him?”
“Frank’s situation will not be a comfortable one. Hence our ruse, Violet.” His gaze was steady, a reminder that she must play the role in which she had been cast.
“Then we must find him. Where do we begin looking?”
“You and I will be looking at the prince and his party. The government will be looking where the ship docked.”
“You are not in charge of me.”
“I am in charge of the government’s investigation.”
“You expect me to do nothing?”
“I expect you to act as if you believe your brother has been delayed and to pay sharp attention to the prince’s party. One of them knows something. What was Frank’s plan for the prince’s entertainment tomorrow?”
“Blackstone, do not presume the rights of true fiancé.”
“Only the rights of a government agent.” His gaze was unyielding. In any test of wills between them, he would be a tough opponent.
Violet did not want to give in, but Frank was somewhere in the worst of circumstances, and whatever else she knew of Blackstone, she knew he could find Frank if anyone could.
“The prince wants to settle his horses properly. Later, my father is to show him the bank and the exchange, and tomorrow evening the prince has planned a dinner for the officers of the bank to express his gratitude for England’s past support. His chef is to do all the cooking.”
“It sounds like a day for you to play hostess and tend to your guests’ comfort, Violet. Make sure their rooms suit them.”
He gave her hands an indifferent parting squeeze, as if his mind were elsewhere, rose from the bench, and was gone. Violet began to shiver, which was just the room and the shock of the news about Frank.
The worst was over. She and Blackstone had met again. Such a meeting would have happened sometime. She could count herself fortunate that it had not happened in a public place. She’d survived two shocks, the news of Frank’s disappearance, and the effect of Blackstone’s return. She folded her shawl around her to keep off the chill and snagged the silk on Blackstone’s diamond.
A score of candles burned, but she could hardly see anything clearly. With her free hand she pulled a delicate lilac thread from the brackets that held the false diamond. It made no sense Blackstone’s working for the government, not going home. He loved Blackstone Court. He had not always been comfortable there, but for the brief time of their engagement, he had been full of how it would be for the two of them to live there. He had promised her miles of bookshelves and a bed big enough to hold a boxing match in. So why had he stayed in London?
Chapter Six
“How soon any other wishes introduced themselves I can hardly tell, but I believe in about half an hour after I had seen you.”
—Jane Austen,
Pride and Prejudice
Blackstone found the ways of Hammersley House as familiar as if he had not spent five years in exile from the easy intimacy he had once enjoyed with the house and its occupants. After midnight when he left Violet at the top of the ridiculous grand staircase, he had
“But by taking him, they have tipped their hand, haven’t they?”
“Not necessarily. Frank may not know who has him or even where he is. He was likely unconscious or blindfolded when they took him.” Blackstone was familiar with the abduction techniques of bandits and warlords.
“Why the note to us?” She couldn’t help the plaintive question. He looked up then.
They were face-to-face on the little bench. How had she imagined him changed? The intensity of his gaze, the sharp edges of his face, the commanding line of his mouth. He tilted her chin up to meet his dark gaze. “They want you to think Frank is alive, and they want to keep you from setting up an alarm. Whoever they are, they do not want the government looking for Frank.”
“And if they find out that the government is looking for him?”
“Frank’s situation will not be a comfortable one. Hence our ruse, Violet.” His gaze was steady, a reminder that she must play the role in which she had been cast.
“Then we must find him. Where do we begin looking?”
“You and I will be looking at the prince and his party. The government will be looking where the ship docked.”
“You are not in charge of me.”
“I am in charge of the government’s investigation.”
“You expect me to do nothing?”
“I expect you to act as if you believe your brother has been delayed and to pay sharp attention to the prince’s party. One of them knows something. What was Frank’s plan for the prince’s entertainment tomorrow?”
“Blackstone, do not presume the rights of true fiancé.”
“Only the rights of a government agent.” His gaze was unyielding. In any test of wills between them, he would be a tough opponent.
Violet did not want to give in, but Frank was somewhere in the worst of circumstances, and whatever else she knew of Blackstone, she knew he could find Frank if anyone could.
“The prince wants to settle his horses properly. Later, my father is to show him the bank and the exchange, and tomorrow evening the prince has planned a dinner for the officers of the bank to express his gratitude for England’s past support. His chef is to do all the cooking.”
“It sounds like a day for you to play hostess and tend to your guests’ comfort, Violet. Make sure their rooms suit them.”
He gave her hands an indifferent parting squeeze, as if his mind were elsewhere, rose from the bench, and was gone. Violet began to shiver, which was just the room and the shock of the news about Frank.
The worst was over. She and Blackstone had met again. Such a meeting would have happened sometime. She could count herself fortunate that it had not happened in a public place. She’d survived two shocks, the news of Frank’s disappearance, and the effect of Blackstone’s return. She folded her shawl around her to keep off the chill and snagged the silk on Blackstone’s diamond.
A score of candles burned, but she could hardly see anything clearly. With her free hand she pulled a delicate lilac thread from the brackets that held the false diamond. It made no sense Blackstone’s working for the government, not going home. He loved Blackstone Court. He had not always been comfortable there, but for the brief time of their engagement, he had been full of how it would be for the two of them to live there. He had promised her miles of bookshelves and a bed big enough to hold a boxing match in. So why had he stayed in London?
Chapter Six
“How soon any other wishes introduced themselves I can hardly tell, but I believe in about half an hour after I had seen you.”
—Jane Austen,
Pride and Prejudice
Blackstone found the ways of Hammersley House as familiar as if he had not spent five years in exile from the easy intimacy he had once enjoyed with the house and its occupants. After midnight when he left Violet at the top of the ridiculous grand staircase, he had
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