Bound to a Spy Page 10
“I’m not stupid, Rose.”
“And neither am I, Will.”
“Admit it, you were there to listen to what they had to say. My only question is how did you know they were going to meet that night?”
She seemed to weigh her words carefully, thinking long and hard before she answered. “I’ve been watching Lords Moray and Maitland. I know they are involved for I recognized their voices. They’re close, those two.” She shrugged. “I just had a feeling that they would meet that night.”
“And you just happened to be wearing a black gown the same night? How convenient for you.”
Her gaze flickered away. “It was a coincidence.” But then she pierced him with a hard, green stare. “And what about you? How did you just happen to stumble upon the meeting?”
“I’d been waiting down there every night in the hopes that they would arrive.”
“Hmmm.”
He raised a brow. “You don’t believe me?”
His blood was running fast through his veins. He’d interrogated many people in his day but this was by far the most exciting interrogation he’d had yet. Rose was a suitable adversary. She was careful yet quick with her answers.
“Were you there to gather information for Darnley? Are you perhaps spying for him?”
Will wanted to laugh. How surprised she would be to know she had half of it right. “No. This is purely selfish. I like to know what is going on and I don’t like surprises.”
She seemed to think about that for a minute. “Do you think they’ll do it? Kill the king?”
“Yes.”
She flinched at his quick but sure answer. Her fingers nervously pleated her gown. What was going through that beautiful and quick mind of hers?
“You didn’t seem surprised by what you heard last night.”
“Maybe I too don’t like to be surprised.”
“Are you a spy, Rose?”
Her head jerked up and she let out a surprised laugh. “Me? You think I’m a spy?”
“I see no other reason for your accidental stumbling upon a meeting well hidden in the cellar of the palace.”
“I’m not a spy. Just an unfortunate lass who is now aware that the king’s life is in danger.”
Her tone was sad and confused and Will fought the urge to take her in his arms and hug her tight and tell her everything would be fine.
“I wish you had not stumbled upon that meeting. I wish you knew nothing of this.”
“And what of you? Do you wish you didn’t know?” she asked.
“Knowing this will prepare me for the future.”
“Are you a spy, Will?”
“Nothing so adventurous. I simply look out for myself.”
“A mercenary then? Do you sell your information to the highest bidder?”
He could tell by the twist of her lips that she thought the notion of him being a mercenary distasteful yet she had just handed him the perfect explanation and he could do nothing but grab hold of the opportunity she presented.
“I gather information and use it how I see fit.”
“I see,” she said. Her eyes turned a dull green, and he knew he’d lost her respect and he felt like the worst sort of cad for it. “And what do you plan on doing with this information?”
“I don’t know yet,” he said.
“Don’t you think the king should know? Don’t you owe it to your friendship to tell him? Or do you exploit that friendship as well?”
He hid his wince behind a cocky grin. She would never know just how well her mark hit its target.
“Do you think he should know? After all, you probably despise him as much as or more than those men plotting against him.”
She looked away and blinked several times. The high color she’d had when she’d rushed in was gone and she appeared wan and worried.
“I’ve struggled with this,” she admitted softly. “I do despise him. He’s the worst sort of evil using his position to stalk innocent women knowing they dare not speak out against him.” She shuddered, her small shoulders quivering before straightening, as if she didn’t want him to see her vulnerability.
“But…” She looked down at her fingers still pleating her skirts. “I am not God, to determine if a person should live or die and neither are those men.”
“So you will tell him?”
“No. I will not put myself near enough to speak to him again.”
He tilted his head, curious as to what she intended to do.
“I should tell the queen. She should know that there are men in her service, men living under her roof, using her hospitality, who are planning to kill her husband.”
“You humble me.”
She jerked her head up to look at him with wide, emerald eyes that were bright and shiny with unshed tears. “Why do you say that?”
“You are willing to do the right thing—the just thing—when he has not been so kind to you.”
Her gaze drifted away and he could tell she still struggled with this decision.
“Have you attempted to speak to the queen?” he asked.
“No.”
“And who would you tell her is plotting against her?”
“Lords Moray and Maitland. They were the only two I recognized. Do you know who the other two are?”
“I know of one of them, the other escapes me.”
She swallowed and licked her lips. “Who is it?”
Will was hesitant to tell her. He didn’t know why. She deserved to know the danger she was in, but still he hesitated and that hesitation cost him.
Her expression turned hard but her eyes showed her hurt. “I see. Everything has its price for you, Lord Sheffield?”
“Pardon me?” He frowned, confused.
“You buy and sell information. It’s what you do. Well, I don’t have much coin. My parents nearly beggared themselves to give me the gowns required to fit in at the palace and hopefully land a good husband. I have nothing to give you for the name of the other person.”
“That’s not—”
She held up her hand, tears glimmering in her eyes. “I don’t want to hear the lies that drip off your lips.”
“There are no lies…” But there were lies. So many, many lies that he’d lost count long ago. It didn’t even bother him to lie anymore. Hell, most of the time he didn’t even know what the truth was.
“It’s Lysle,” he said.
Chapter 14
“What?” Rose whispered.
“The other lord is Lysle,” Will said.
Rose felt as if her heart was hammering and it had stopped all at the same time.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t believe you.”
“I have no reason to lie to you.”
Will had straightened from the desk and was standing in front of her, tall and intimidating. She didn’t want to believe him, not because she liked Lord Lysle, but because she didn’t want to believe that the man who had practically proposed marriage to her just an hour ago was caught up in this evilness.
“I don’t know what your motives might be but you are not telling me the truth,” she said. “Lord Lysle would not plot against the king.”
“Oh?” He raised a brow. “And you know him so well?”
She opened her mouth to say that she did but they both knew it would be a lie. She hardly knew Lysle at all. She was reacting to Will’s proclamation because she’d been seriously considering his almost-proposal to her.
“I know him well enough to know that he is very close to Queen Mary and a favorite at court. He would not jeopardize that.”
His other brow went up. “He’s close to the queen. Not the king. If the king were to ascend to the throne Lysle would be a nobody. Listen to me, Rose.” Will took a sudden step toward her, causing her to flinch and pull back. He froze and his face settled into a mask of indifference. “I would never hurt you,” he said softly.
“I know that.”
His fists clenched at his sides. “You need to li
sten to what I’m saying. Things are not what you think.”
“I think you are a man who buys and sells information. I think you create fantasy stories about Lord Lysle for some reason.”
She was so confused. She needed time to think this through, to sort out the information that had been thrown at her, but Will was pressing her, forcing her to listen to him. She didn’t know whether to believe him anymore. She was so disappointed that he was not the man she wanted him to be, and yet, she knew that was unreasonable. It wasn’t his fault that she’d thought him honorable.
“Are you missing a peach colored shawl?”
The blood drained from her head and she swayed, remembering the shawl that she had desperately wanted to believe she’d dropped in the frozen grass or in the corridor of her chamber.
“You found it?” she asked softly.
“Lysle found it. You were standing outside that very door we were standing outside of last night,” Will said, relentless. “You heard them. I saw you. I watched as you listened to them and I watched you run away but you had dropped your shawl in your flight.”
There had always been something off about Lysle, some insincerity that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. He’d said all the right words, behaved admirably, but had always fallen just a wee bit shy of being convincing.
And now Will was saying that Lysle had found her shawl and somehow connected it to her and the only reason he’d been pursuing her was because he knew that she’d overheard them discussing the king’s demise.
He’d used her for his own gain.
Or…was Will just saying that to distract her?
But how did he know about the shawl?
She lifted her chin, going on the defensive. “Why were you there? Are you a part of this? Are you their guard? Do you watch for intruders while they meet?”
Her thoughts were careening around in her mind, bouncing all over the place. Could he be part of this conspiracy? Had she foolishly put her life in danger by meeting him here tonight?
Everything was suddenly becoming clearer. “You made a point to be introduced to me because you saw me down there.”
“Rose…” He paused and blew out a deep breath. “I…I admit that I had Lady Howard introduce us so I could get to know you because I saw you outside that door—”
“I am such a bloody fool.”
“Rose.” He reached for her but she flinched from him, and he dropped his arm to the side.
“Now what are you going to do? Do away with me because of what I know? Is that why I’m here tonight?”
“No!” He seemed genuinely shocked but she didn’t trust herself to believe anything that came from this man. She’d kissed him. He’d had his tongue in her mouth! She’d come here hoping that he would kiss her again.
“What do you think I am?” he asked, sounding almost hurt.
“I don’t know what you are. But I know what Lord Lysle is not. He kissed me tonight.” Why in the world was she telling him this? It was none of his business nor was it pertinent to this discussion. “I kissed him and he practically declared for me. He said he had feelings for me. He indicated that he would ask for my hand in marriage.”
But the words were ringing hollow, and she was beginning to think that she’d been caught in a complicated web of deceit and possibly murder.
She lifted her chin and stared at Will with all the haughtiness she’d seen the other girls use on each other. “I am finished with this conversation and I never want to speak to you again.”
She headed toward the door and had her hand on the knob when he softly called her name. She didn’t want to turn around. She didn’t want to see him standing alone in the middle of the room looking forlorn. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say. She didn’t want to think about their kiss anymore.
But she turned her head anyway and looked at him.
“I’m sorry you were dragged into this,” he said.
“I’m sorry I ever came to Holyrood palace.” She swept out the door, her vision blinded by the sudden tears that had formed. She would not cry in front of him. She would not look weak and vulnerable. She would look strong and determined, like she was sure of her life and everything about it.
Tyche whickered to her but she couldn’t stop because the tears were starting to fall and her nose was running and she would not give Will the satisfaction of sniffing, proving that this night had devastated her.
LaGrange was outside the stables. He took one look at her leaking eyes and running nose and fell into step beside her. She began to sniff and a handkerchief appeared in front of her. She took it and sopped up her tears.
“My thanks,” she mumbled.
He didn’t say a word as they walked across the clearing and she entered the side door of the palace. She nodded her thanks, her throat too tight for words, and closed the door on him.
—
LaGrange found Will still standing in the middle of the small office, drumming his fingers on the desk. He looked up as the giant man stopped in the doorway and crossed his heavily muscled arms to glare at him.
“She’s crying,” LaGrange said.
“She’s upset.” Will wasn’t sure why he had to explain Rose’s current mood to LaGrange but it seemed the man had a soft spot in his heart for her, which irritated Will.
“What did you do to her?”
“She’s a casualty,” Will said with a shrug, using Tristan’s words to convince himself that Rose’s feelings held no weight when the mission was far more important.
LaGrange narrowed his eyes. The overall effect of intimidation was lost, however, when the cat padded in and wound around the man’s ankles. The big man didn’t seem to notice the newest intruder.
“She’s an innocent in all of this,” LaGrange said.
Will huffed out a laugh. “Come now, man. You know more than I do that there are casualties in our line of work. We can’t become involved with every woman that crosses our paths. Rose Turner is not innocent. She deliberately insinuated herself into the middle of this when she returned to that cellar last night. If she heard things that frightened her then that’s her own damn fault.”
Will’s words were full of bravado that he didn’t feel. Inside his heart was hurting that he’d made her cry and that she now thought him the lowest sort of being. But how could he correct her misconceptions when he’d purposely put them there? He couldn’t tell her what he was truly about. Not without jeopardizing everything—even her.
“She thinks I’m a mercenary,” he said as he watched the cat rub against LaGrange’s leg. “She thinks I’m here to gather information to sell to the highest bidder.” It made him feel somewhat soiled that she thought that of him.
“Better than the truth.” LaGrange picked the cat up and held it against his chest, his oversized hand nearly dwarfing the feline’s head as he petted it. The cat closed her eyes in joy and Will could hear her purring from across the small room.
“Yes,” Will said. “Better than the truth.” There are always casualties.
“So what will you do now?”
“I will wait and see and watch and listen. And maybe if she lets me come near enough to speak to her again I will try to convince her that she must stay clear of Lysle.”
LaGrange’s hand didn’t stop moving and it was almost hypnotic to watch him pet the cat.
“What does it matter if she believes you or not?”
“My biggest fear is that she will go to Lysle and tell him what she heard.”
“You underestimate her,” LaGrange said. “She’s much more intelligent than that. She’ll stay quiet.”
“You know her that well?” His gut clenched and he didn’t want to think of how well LaGrange knew Rose. Not that anything untoward had happened or would happen. No, Will was more upset by the fact that the two might have shared confidences, become friends even. Lord knows Rose spent enough time in the stables to become well acquainted with the people who worked here.
“I know her well eno
ugh but mostly I know her kind,” LaGrange said. “She’ll have doubts about what you said. She’ll doubt everything—your claim about Lysle, her feelings about Lysle. She’s a thinker.” The cat squirmed and LaGrange let her jump from his arms. She stalked over to Will to sniff his boots, then turned her nose up, lifted her tail and walked away. “She’ll mull it all over in her mind, think long and hard about everything before she does anything. If she does anything.”
“I don’t like not knowing,” Will said. “I want to talk to her.”
“Well I can tell you she doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Will’s head jerked up. “What did she say?”
“Nothing. And I didn’t say anything to her. Just walked her back to the palace, made sure she got in safe.”
“You’re a smarter man than me, LaGrange.”
The man grinned. “How do you think I’ve survived this long?”
—
It felt like hours that Rose had been in the stables with Will so she was surprised to find that the salon was still full of laughing, joyful people when she passed. It seemed so incongruous to her that people were carrying on without a care in the world when her life was in such turmoil.
She sidled past the main door to the salon, praying she wouldn’t be recognized, praying that Lysle wouldn’t find her and draw her into a game of Maw. Her head was pounding with the information that she’d just learned and she wanted nothing more than to be in a quiet place, alone, so she could think clearly. Unfortunately, there were no private, quiet places in the palace.
She made it past the open door and breathed a bit easier.
Her and Margaret’s chamber was deep in the palace. Rose and Margaret were lesser courtiers and therefore received the lesser rooms. Normally Rose didn’t mind so much unless she was late to supper or dinner and had to run down the corridors.
Tonight the corridors were quiet, and the farther she traveled the more quiet and deserted they were until she was alone, not even a servant in sight.
Will was a mercenary. The idea was repulsive and it grieved her that the man she had come to admire and, yes, like, held no loyalty to anyone but himself. He used people, picked their minds, listened at doors, observed and noted information so he could sell it to whomever would pay him the most.