My Lady, My Spy (Secrets and Seduction Book 4) (23 page)

He moved even closer, his voice even softer. “Then we should begin if we’re still going to keep to our schedule for tonight.”

She gave a soft gasp. “Our sch—”

She grabbed his hand, turned, and pulled him out the door and into the hallway. “Are you telling me we’re still doing a mission? All of this wasn’t a ruse simply to bring me here?”

A smile tugged at his mouth. “Truth has its price. I did promise not to lie to you.”

She shook her head in bemusement. “Well, if this isn’t proof of your commitment to honesty, I don’t know what is.” She looped her arm through his as she turned to face the chapel’s entrance. “Let’s get this over with. I’d hate to disrupt your plans.”

He pulled her to a stop before she could rush them down the aisle. “No hurry. We’re right on schedule.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “By my calculations, we only have about ten minutes to complete this wedding.”

He let out a sigh. “You never were good at studying my alternate plans.”

She frowned at him. “The ones we’re supposed to follow when things go wrong? You prepare so many of them, but we hardly ever use them.”

He grinned. “This time, everything went right. Even so, we’re using our alternative timetable tonight. That gives us a little over an hour before we need to slip away. Plenty of time to complete the ceremony and announce our marriage to everyone here at the embassy.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Is that why you had three alternative plans for this mission?”

He glanced down at the floor. “I also thought having so many alternates would dissuade you from wanting to study them. I must admit, though, I had to have a plan in place in case you decided not to marry me.”

She paused. “Four plans total?” She narrowed her eyes. “The one I already know about, right? A sort of a dummy plan that didn’t include anything personal. That means there must have been a second one where my answer on the dance floor was yes, and a third one where I said no, right?”

A voice emerged from within the chapel. “Mr. Woolsy? Are you still in need of my services?”

Josephine glanced at the pastor and then back at Frederick. “You mentioned you made three alternates to your original plan. Four in total. So what contingency did the forth one address?”

He swallowed. “This moment. It’s the one I’ll employ if my presumptuousness makes you change your answer. It’s a rehashing of the plan where you rejected me on the ballroom floor. Neither one was pleasant to contemplate. They both include drunkenness, a tavern brawl, and the possibility of spending some time in a jail cell.”

Behind his dry humor, she could see his love for her. It was right there in his eyes. Love, along with a bit of anxiety, as he waited for her decision.

Her heart swelled. She took a step forward, pulling him along with her. “Public drunkenness? You? Heaven forbid.” She began walking down the aisle.

He fell in step beside her, his hand tightening around hers. “My future is in your hands. Do you know the power you hold over me?”

“The same power you hold over me.”

And they walked into their future, together.

§§§

Afterword

Thank you for reading
My Lady, My Spy.

Please consider leaving a review on Amazon.

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Would you like to read other books in my Secrets and Seduction series?

Book 1 -
It Takes a Spy…
is
here
(Devin and Cecilia’s story)

Book 2 -
Lady Catherine’s Secret
is
here
(Daniel and Catherine’s story)

Book 3 -
Once Upon a Spy
is
here
(Robert and Antonia’s story)

Book 4 -
My Lady, My Spy
(
this book
) (Frederick and Josephine’s story)

Book 5 -
Along Came a Spy
(coming soon!) (Elizabeth’s story)

You can find my standalone novel
Gambling on a Scoundrel
here
(Lucien and Tempy’s story). Tempy, a journalist working for Charles Dickens, meets Lucien, the owner of a gambling house. Lucien’s life is about to be upended by his unexpected inheritance of an earldom. It’s a fact he’d rather not have announced, and certainly not in newsprint, until after the sale of his casino.

Note: This book is
not
part of the Secrets and Seduction series.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sheridan Jeane grew up in Huber Heights, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, and now lives just outside of Pittsburgh.

Sheridan has always been an avid reader and a dedicated writer. She earned a bachelor's degree in computer science with a minor in English.

She's thrilled to have the opportunity to share her stories with her readers. Visit her website at
SheridanJeane.com.

CHAPTER NINE

“That went well,” Lord Cary said as they began to descend the staircase in the Foreign Office.

“You think so?” Frederick shot him a hopeful look. He’d thought the same thing, but it was good to hear confirmation. “General Ratliff seemed more interested in the play he saw last night than in anything I had to say.”

“Definitely.” Lord Cary clapped him on the back as they clattered down the stairs on their way toward the main entrance. “Ratliff is always thinking about twenty things at once. The fact that he wasn’t overly concerned with your credentials meant he was already familiar with them. With luck, you’re well on the way to becoming the new spymaster.”

“Now all I need to do is recover that church register.” As he left the building, he tossed a casual wave over his shoulder to Lord Cary and immediately turned his attention to that troublesome task. It was still on his mind as he entered Woolsy House a short time later.

He immediately noticed something was different. The scent and sight of that difference struck him the moment he walked through the door. A large arrangement of flowers sat on the round table in the foyer. They might have a small flower conservatory here at Woolsy House, but neither he nor his brother or sister had bothered with this sort of display since their mother’s death. It had been her domain.

Had his sister decided to try her hand at it? If so, she’d improved dramatically since her last attempt. The arrangement was stunning.

He pondered the mystery as he climbed the stairs toward his bedroom. Voices intruded. Robert’s and— a stranger’s. A woman’s. Perhaps a new maid?

At the top of the stairs, he turned to find Robert and a young woman he didn’t recognize standing outside his sister’s bedroom.

Frederick narrowed his eyes. The pair gave the distinct impression he’d interrupted a tender moment. He could swear they were about to kiss.

There was something about the woman— something not quite right. In fact, if he wasn’t mistaken, she was wearing one of his sister’s dresses. “Well, isn’t this a pretty scene?” he asked.

Robert jumped away from the girl as though he’d been scalded.

Frederick examined her closely. He and his brother traveled in the same social circles and knew the same people, yet he didn’t know her. It was beyond coincidence that this particular stranger happened to match the description of the woman who’d stolen the church register from him at the Koliada Ball.

She had to be the thief.

“Frederick.” Robert took a step toward him. “It’s good to see you. I hope your meeting went well.”

Frederick kept his gaze trained on the woman, and this seemed to make his brother nervous.

“This is our guest, Miss Antonia Winter.” He glanced down at the woman. “Miss Winter, I’d like you to meet my brother, Mr. Woolsy.”

Frederick examined her as she dropped into a graceful curtsy.

“She’ll be staying with us for a few days, along with Lord and Lady Huntley. Lady Huntley has kindly consented to serve as chaperone.”

My, but his brother had been busy. Was it possible he could have tracked down the thief, moved her into their home, and brought in a chaperone in such short a span of time? Maybe he was mistaken. Maybe this wasn’t the thief.

He’d need to find out more about this woman. “Miss Winter? Now, where have I heard that name before?” Images flashed through his mind. Snatches of conversation. General Ratliff’s ramblings. And then— “Ah, yes. Now I remember. You’re the actress I’ve heard so much about.”

“Am I?” she asked, startled but not embarrassed. “I hope it was nothing bad.”

“Not at all,” he said, trying to dredge up bits of what the general had said about her. “I hear you gave an outstanding performance in
Anne Blake
last night.” He smiled at her, trying to get her to lower her guard. “Do we have you to thank for that stunning flower arrangement in the foyer?”

She blushed as she nodded, and Frederick relaxed. She’d be easy enough to question.

“Perhaps we should retire to the morning room,” Robert said. “I only just arrived home, and I still need to speak to Landon to ensure rooms will be ready for our guests.”

Perfect. Frederick grinned as he stepped forward and offered Miss Winter his arm. “Take your time. I’ll keep Miss Winter occupied while you sort out the details.”

When Robert’s expression turned into a glower, Frederick’s grin deepened. This woman was the thief. He was certain of it. But what game was his brother playing?

As he escorted Miss Winter down the staircase, he said, “I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but your hair is a most unusual shade. It reminds me of a sunset on an overcast day.” He shot his brother a smirk.

§

Even now, Frederick’s head swirled from his brother’s revelations. Not only was Miss Winter the thief, just as he’d suspected, but she was also the granddaughter of a famous Russian artist. A painter. And she was now living in their house because the Russians had tried to kidnap her.

Apparently she wasn’t “too important” to the Russians anymore. Not when they believed she had the church register.

How he’d allowed himself to become complicit in this mess, he’d never understand.

Or perhaps he did. He’d seen the way Robert looked at Antonia Winter. He was besotted.

Pathetic man.

Almost as pathetic as
he
was.

Frederick shook his head, still surprised he’d allowed himself to become enmeshed in this bizarre and untenable situation. But he’d had a strong motivation.

The book.

He’d been shocked when Antonia had agreed to help them. Apparently, she’d had no idea Queen Victoria hoped to use the book to avert a war. She’d stolen it because it held information concerning her family. She promised to turn it over to Frederick in exchange for being permitted to use it as evidence in a court case.

True to her word, she’d already retrieved the book. Now it was time for Frederick to follow through on his part of the bargain. The sooner Antonia stood before a judge, the sooner Frederick could give the church register to the Queen.

Frederick would have been willing to walk through fire to retrieve that book— he smirked at the thought as he flexed his hand. He certainly had been burned for it. And now the book was here, in the house. Fortunately, Antonia seemed to be a woman on the side of the angels. He could see why his brother was smitten with her.