Read Online The Cornish Heiress by Roberta Gellis - Free Book Online

reluctant to give any information on his French contact.
Perhaps they could provide more help if they knew more.
    Roger had already discussed this matter with Philip. Nothing
was to be said about Pierre absolutely nothing. Governments, Roger pointed out
cynically, had no honor, even the best of them. What Lord Hawkesbury knew would
get into some record somewhere. His intentions might be excellent; he might wish
to be sure that Pierre was rewarded for his help, or protected. Nonetheless,
when the emergency was over, other foreign secretaries might feel differently.
Pierre would be known, a marked man and ship. Philip agreed with his father and
merely made his face a blank as Roger replied to Lord Hawkesbury’s urging.
    “Impossible. He has my word that I would never name him or
his ship. I have already violated my promise by giving this information to
Philip. In the interests of the country I was willing to go that far. And, you
know, my lord, that even with the best of intentions, absolute secrecy might
not be possible.”
    “Are you accusing me—or Jacques—”
    “Of nothing, my lord,” Roger said hastily, although he was
by no means as sure of Lord Hawkesbury’s discretion as be would like. In
company he felt to be secure, his lordship might say more than was healthy. The
less he knew, the better off Philip would be. “However, you are an important
personage. Your private residence is not a secret. It is not impossible that this
house is discreetly watched.”
    “It may be, of course,” Hawkesbury conceded, “but I hoped it
would be thought that I would conduct only private affairs here. Perhaps it
would have been better to meet at the Foreign Office after all.”
    “No, my lord. If I thought so, I would have said so. But we
must work on the assumption that we are awakening suspicions somewhere.
Philip must do his best to convince anyone who might be interested that his
behavior is natural.”
    “Yes, of course. Do you have some plan for this?”
    “Well, I-I have been—er—running into debt a bit, my lord,
and I thought I might spread it around that my father had lost patience with,
me. It—er—is not completely untrue, except that it had nothing to do with the
debts. So it would be reasonable, you know, that I should go into the country.
Well, I would be going in any event. Hunting, you know.”
    “You aren’t going to meet a ship in Leicestershire,”
Hawkesbury remarked.
    “No, no, but—er—anyone who was watching me would rather
stand out in such company. When I was sure there was no one, I could move on.
Or if there were, my friends and I—I could say it was a joke or agents of my
creditors or something—and we could—er—take care of them or him—whatever.”
    “I see. And then?”
    “I cannot say for certain, my lord. I just do not know.
However, I promise I will make all the haste I can. I understand that if there
is a fleet, it must be quite ready, since no one in his right mind would think
of invading during the winter storms.”
    “Bonaparte is not in his right mind,” Jacques d’Ursine put
in.
    “I do not believe that,” Philip said. “Those victories—“
    “Luck! Dishonest grasping at other men’s skill—” d’Ursine
interrupted shrilly.
    “Yes, yes, Jacques,” Hawkesbury soothed. “Are you finished
with those documents? And don’t forget to include the identity papers that the
Ministry sent over. We don’t want to make this meeting too long, you know, in case
someone is watching.” He paused a moment to be sure d’Ursine had returned to
his work and then looked back at Philip. “You know what information we need?”
    “Yes. The number of ships and their condition of readiness
first. Then, if I can, the condition of roads in the area, supplies, number of
men employed, troops in readiness, anything that would help the War Office
judge when an invasion might be launched and the number of troops that might be
committed to it. And, of course, whatever I can pick