was I to do, put him in a death grip?”
Noah laughed. “That would have been interesting, but I see your point.” He paused. “There was no permanent harm done. Tomorrow you and I will call on Douglas Ellison and you’ll smooth things over. I’m sure he believes Griffin ravaged you in the carriage on the way home, but we’ll make sure that notion is wiped from his mind.”
Audrey choked on her drink. “Wh-Why would Ellison think that?” she finally managed to say between coughing.
“Ellison sees him as a rival. That was more than clear after his reaction at the reenactment,” Noah explained as he patted her on the back until she regained her breath.
She frowned. “Perhaps we can make that work to our advantage.”
“How so?”
She laced her fingers together nervously. “After today, I’m certain that Ellison is on the verge of killing the Prince and causing all hell to break loose in this country. The infighting could weaken us to the point that France and any number of other enemies could attack.”
“True.” Noah leaned back in his chair. “Continue.”
“Because of this, I believe it’s more imperative than ever that I find out the identities of Ellison’s allies so we can arrest them en masse and bring an end to this.” She took a deep breath, unsure of how her brother would react to her next statement. “To do so, I need to get even closer to Ellison.”
Noah straightened up. “Closer?”
“Yes. Right now we’re courting, and I’ve made some inroads with him. But there’s no way I’m going to find out anything else unless he trusts me completely.” She paused. “I want to manipulate him into a proposal.”
Noah shook his head before she’d even stopped speaking and set his half-empty drink on the table with a clink.
“No. There are limits to what I’ll have you do. A man like Ellison will become increasingly demanding the closer he gets to a woman. I won’t have that monster touching you to seal some kind of marriage bargain.”
She shivered. If her brother was having this strong of a reaction to her plans, what would Griffin think? He hated her being in the same room with Ellison, he would be livid when he found out she wanted the traitor to propose.
She touched her brother’s hand. “I know you worry, but I
“I don’t like it.” Noah frowned, but Audrey knew him well enough to know when he was breaking under her reasonable approach.
“Of course you don’t. I don’t either. But you’re also clever enough to realize that this could be the only way. All our efforts since we arrived in London have left us with no more evidence than we had in Avonblithe. I’m the only one who can push this investigation forward.” She looked at him with loving eyes. “You’ve given me so much by letting me work with you over the years. You gave me confidence and freedom. Allow me to return the favor by helping you catch this man.”
Noah reached across to take both her hands in his and shook his head. “You gave yourself confidence and freedom. I only watched you transform in amazement. I don’t like this plan, but you’re right. It may be the best and quickest way to catch Ellison. I’ll speak to Lord Golding tomorrow morning, but as far as I’m concerned, the answer is yes.”
Audrey smiled with relief that Noah trusted her. Now if only she could convince Griffin to do the same. “Thank you.”
Her brother stood. “I’ll send a message to Golding tonight. Meanwhile, you should go talk to Hannah. She’ll be a key ally in this plan.”
She stood to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I will
“Goodnight,” he said absently.
As Audrey hurried up the stairs toward her room, she hugged herself with glee. For the first time she was going to really get to participate in a job, not just be a lookout or diversion. She’d get a chance to prove herself to Lord Golding, to Noah, to Hannah and most of all to Griffin.
Griffin.
As she passed by his chamber door, she paused. After all they’d shared that day, how would he feel about her plan to become Ellison’s fiancee? He’d probably be furious. But this was her job, and she had to do it. Griffin would just have to understand. Somehow she would make him understand.
***
Audrey entered her chamber with a broad grin on her face as she looked around. “Hannah? You aren’t already in bed, are you? I want to talk to you about our assignment.”
“And just what are these?”
Spinning around, her smile fell. Hannah stood in the entryway to her adjoining room holding Audrey’s blood spotted drawers from earlier in the day.
“I–I…” she stammered, cursing herself for her stupidity. Her mind had been so clouded with images of Griffin and worries about their plan she hadn’t taken care of her soiled things.
Hannah dropped the pantalets and came across the room to take both Audrey’s shoulders in her hands. “Please tell me you cut yourself.”
“I cut myself?” Audrey repeated, but the words came out as a timid question rather than a solid fact.
Hannah held her gaze for a long moment, then sighed. “When did it happen? In the carriage or here?”
“Cutting myself?” Audrey asked, her voice suddenly very small. She couldn’t seem to make it stronger.
With a tilt of her head, her friend said, “No. When did you give yourself to Griffin Berenger?”
The blood rushed to Audrey’s face in a hot wave. Her cheeks tingled and head throbbed. The room was suddenly spinning, moving further and further away from her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She trembled as she turned from Hannah’s arms. At the window, cold air was reflected from the glass, but it wasn’t enough to calm her.
“Hmph,” Hannah grunted. “I used to lay on my back for a living, missy. You think I don’t know the sight of virgin’s blood when I see it?”
Audrey drew in a short breath at her friend’s blunt words, then spun around. The other woman had her hands on her hips, one foot tapping from under the hem of her plain gown. She looked every inch a schoolmarm who couldn’t be fooled. Truth was Audrey’s only remaining option.
With a hard swallow, she said, “Hannah, you and I have been through very much together, haven’t we?”
“Yes,” Hannah’s tone was wary.
“You’ve been my… my best friend.”
Hannah’s green eyes filled with tears at those words. “And you’ve been mine.”
“Then promise me you won’t tell Noah what you know.” She grimaced and quickly corrected herself. “What you
“You think I’d tell the man? Are you daft, girl? He’d rip Griffin Berenger apart and then where would we be! No, I won’t tell your brother. What is said about this will stay between us.” Her face softened as she reached out a hand. When Audrey took it, she whispered, “I promise you, Audrey.”
“Today in the carriage on the way home from the reenactment.” Audrey dipped her head while heat darkened her cheeks. “That was where…
Hannah dropped down into a nearby chair with a thud. “Oh, Lordy. Well, it was bound to happen.”
She cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
Her friend’s answer was a little burst of laughter. “The way you two eye each other, I would have wagered it would have happened much sooner.”
Audrey eyes widened. “That’s absolutely scandalous.”
“Well, I wasn’t the one losing my virtue in a carriage, now was I?” Hannah asked with a twinkle in her eye. “Don’t hold back now, how was it?”
“It was…” Audrey paused, searching for the right word. “It was amazing. Is it wrong to feel that way? I know
