To Tame a Rogue

by Aston, Alexa

  Finally, a knock came at the door. Burke answered it and saw Jones standing there, dressed more meanly than usual.

  “Smith received your report. Everything is in place. There’ll be agents watching on each street leading away. They’ll follow anyone who attends.”

  “Good.”

  They left the house and Burke started down the street. After a few blocks, knowing Jones would be nearby as they’d arranged, he turned and hailed the driver. Jones drove him to Selina Crawford’s place. Burke hoped Hampton’s mistress would remain upstairs. He didn’t want to see her again.

  No one else was along the sidewalk as he dismissed Jones and went to knock on the door. A butler answered it and didn’t ask who he was. Instead, he led Burke to a room off the foyer, where five men were gathered in a poorly lit room. He recognized Hampton, Melton, Carpenter, and Brandon, though he’d have to feign ignorance when introduced to Morris’ clerk.

  The fifth man sat in the shadows in a corner, his face invisible to Burke.

  “Nicholson. Come in. Have a seat,” Hampton said. “Drink?”

  “Perhaps later.”

  “You know Melton and Carpenter, of course.”

  Burke nodded coolly at them.

  “This is Brandon,” Hampton continued, only giving the clerk’s surname.

  Once again, he merely nodded.

  “You know Melton and I work in the War Office. Melton and I deal mainly in procurement and transportation. Brandon, on the other hand, has access to strategy.”

  Burke turned and pretended to assess the clerk. “You’re young to be working in such a vital office.”

  Brandon smiled. “I’m much shrewder than they know. I may be young but I’ve planted myself with one of Britain’s top strategists and am milking him dry. Do you know Sir Paxton Morris?”

  “I’ve heard the name mentioned a few times while I served in Spain. My commanding officer spoke highly of him. Since I’ve returned to London, though, I’ve never met him.”

  Brandon snorted. “Morris is quite intelligent until it comes to what’s sitting under his very nose.”

  He laughed heartily. “I know what you mean. I’ve become rather friendly with his wife.”

  “So we’ve heard,” Melton said. “Is it true that she’s a hellcat in bed?”

  Burke smiled. “You wouldn’t think so by looking at her but she can wear a man out. It seems her husband is never around. Too busy fighting the war from his desk in London. Linda—Lady Morris—gets lonely. I’m helping fill her after-hours.”

  He still wondered what gentleman sat in the corner.

  And when he would make himself known.

  “Let’s sit, gentlemen,” Hampton said, and they all took the nearest seat. Looking to Burke, the earl said, “Tell us what you shared with me last night.”

  He went through it carefully, just as he’d rehearsed in his mind. No one asked questions. They let him recount everything he’d told Hampton, even embellishing a little.

  When he finished, Hampton looked to Brandon, who nodded.

  “Everything is as Nicholson said. I’ve seen the documents.” He withdrew a sheaf of papers from his inner coat pocket. “I’ve also copied them so you could read them for yourselves.”

  The clerk passed them to Melton, who handed a page at a time to the next man as he finished. None was given to Burke. He wondered if the jury was still out on him.

  Or if an executioner would be called in.

  After everyone, including the stranger in the corner, finished their perusal, Hampton said, “What do you think, gentlemen?”

  Melton looked at Burke. “What else do you think you can get from Lady Morris?”

  “Whatever she knows,” he said glibly. “This is no time for modesty. I’ve always had a way with women, from the time I woke in the mornings with a hardened cock. If Linda knows more, she’ll share it with me.” He paused. “If you have any other women I need to seduce, I can do the same. Whatever it takes to get back at the men who perpetuate this war.”

  Burke indicated his eye. “This is what they did to me. It’s time they stopped making money off this war and causing all the damned suffering.” Looking around the circle, he said, “I’ll do whatever you want. Lie. Cheat. Kill. It’s nothing I haven’t already done before in the name of the crown.”

  “Good,” the man in the corner said. He rose from his chair and stepped into the light.

  Burke guessed he was the large man he’d seen at the previous meeting and knew this was the mastermind. He had graying hair and looked to be in his mid-fifties, with dark, intelligent eyes.

  The man didn’t bother to introduce himself but from his immaculate clothing and speech, he was of the nobility.

  “You can start with eliminating Sir Paxton Morris.”

  Shock gripped him but his face remained a blank as he stood. “Why would you wish to do something so foolish?” he questioned. “Doing so would eliminate Brandon’s access to valuable information. There would be no guarantee that Brandon would serve as clerk to the next man appointed to the position. Since Brandon claims he has easily deceived his employer, wouldn’t it be better to leave Morris alive? At least until he is no longer useful.”

  The man studied Burke. “You are most astute, Mr. Nicholson. Suffice it to say that we have already taken care of that.” He paused, his gaze intense. “Do you have a problem ridding us of Morris?”

  “Tell me when you wish it done and I’ll make it happen,” Burke said easily. “And if you want it to look like an accident or not.”

  “Hmm. I hadn’t thought of that,” the man said and paused a moment. “It’s not a time to be sending messages. That day will soon come. I promised Fouché when it did that we would be ready. For now, Mr. Nicholson, you can make it look like an accident. That will keep the authorities out of our way.”

  He stepped closer to Burke and held out a hand. Burke offered his and the man shook it, his grip strong despite his age.

  “Do it by the day after tomorrow, when we’ll meet again at midnight. Will that be a problem, Mr. Nicholson?”

  “Not at all.”

  *

  Burke left the meeting, deliberately keeping his eye straight ahead as he moved slowly down the block. He knew his own government had eyes on him but didn’t know if the rebels had stationed anyone outside. He decided to go straight to Morris and lay out what had been said. If anyone followed him, he would reveal he’d already arranged an assignation with Linda Morris.

  As he turned the corner, he spied the hansom cab which had brought him tonight and called out. It surprised him when Jones turned his head. He thought the agent was supposed to be watching the house.

  “Why are you here, Jones?” he demanded. “I thought you were to keep eyes on the house.”

  “Others have been assigned to that task,” the spy replied. “Sir Paxton thought you would have valuable information to pass along to him after your meeting and that you could make use of me if needed.”

  “Very well. Take me home first. I’ll be in and out and then head to Morris. I’ll fill you in once I’ve met with him.”

  Burke climbed into the cab and settled against the cushions. The group was moving rapidly now. He wondered what they had planned and knew it imperative to take them down before they could plan the murders of any others in the government. He realized his heart pounded and he slowed his breathing, trying to get his emotions under control.

  They arrived at his rented townhouse and he hurried inside and stayed for under five minutes before leaving again and climbing back into his cab. Once they reached Morris’ residence, Burke paid Jones and told him to wait down the block. He went through the pretense because the agent had given him a signal they had been followed. From the corner of his eye, he saw another vehicle pulled up to the curb.

  Going to the side of the house, he was glad he’d already arranged with Morris to have a way into the house tonight. Since he’d mentioned his affair with Lady Morris to the traitors, he thought they
might pursue him at a distance. He wanted whoever watched to see him sneak into the townhouse so that his cover story was believable.

  As planned, the window to a designated room was unlocked. Burke opened it and climbed through, closing it behind him and then pushing aside the drapes.

  Sir Paxton Morris sat in the dark, his silhouette briefly seen before Burke put the drapes back in place.

  “I assume your meeting was a success by the fact you aren’t dead,” the spymaster said dryly. “And that you’ve come to supposedly see my wife. I’m gathering you were followed.”

  “Yes. We need to talk.”

  Morris rose and Burke sensed him moving in the room. A door opened and a servant stood waiting with a candle.

  “Come with me,” Morris said.

  He followed the spymaster up the stairs and into a beautifully furnished library. The servant left them and Morris indicated for him to sit.

  “Lay out everything.”

  Burke recounted what had occurred in the meeting, finishing with his assignment to kill the man seated across from him.

  “My, they are stepping up their game,” he said.

  “It could be a test. Same as how they ascertained how I knew of Wellesley’s troop movements.”

  “If it’s a test, it’s a large one. If you go through with it, you will certainly be admitted to their inner circle.”

  “They could also order the assassination of other government leaders,” Burke said. “Your death is to be an accident. We’ll need to see it through and have you remain in hiding. I don’t think it will be for long. Already, they’ve ordered the murder of a high-ranking government official. That could cause the entire group to hang. But I want more.”

  “So do I,” Morris agreed. “As much as you can get. But remember, Nicholson—I can’t stay in hiding long. We can fake my death but I’m needed at the War Office.”

  “You’ll need to stay dead a few days. We don’t know who else at the War Office is involved. I don’t know if the man who never gave his name works there or is merely an influential gentleman of the ton.”

  “Describe him again.”

  Burke did and concluded with, “He really has no distinguishing characteristics. He looks like many gentlemen of his age and rank. Spoke in cultured, educated tones. I haven’t seen him at any social events this Season, though.”

  “Not every member in the House of Lords bothers coming to social affairs, especially by the time they’ve reached their fifties. Many prefer private card games with a good cigar in their own homes to the social whirl.”

  “I’ve never seen him in White’s. I haven’t been to Brooks’ and he could be a member there.”

  “Members of Brooks’ almost always belong to White’s. A gentleman of his age would most likely prefer White’s, at any rate.” Morris paused. “Hopefully, one of our agents was able to follow him after tonight’s meeting. That is my hope and it would help us identify him quickly. We’ll know by early morning. All agents on hand tonight are to report to me at six o’clock.”

  “Will you get word to me?”

  “I shall. And I will also watch Brandon like a hawk until I am supposedly dead,” Morris promised.

  “You have already fed him false information regarding Wellesley’s troop movements,” Burke pointed out. “Is there a way to limit his access to vital information? From what I gathered, Brandon is apparently giving up everything he comes across to the spy ring.”

  “I have an idea of what to do with him to get him out of the office during a few of the days I am dead to the world.” Morris smiled. “I believe Lady Morris will have a great need of Mr. Brandon. She will claim that Brandon is the man her husband trusted the most and she will expect him to be by her side day and night, comforting her until she leaves to take my body to the country for burial. That should keep the rat bastard busy and away from gleaning any new information that might come across my desk.

  “In the meantime, Mr. Nicholson, how do you plan to murder me?”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “You’re going to have a heart attack,” Burke said. “I’ll give your wife foxglove, which I already stopped by home to pick up before I arrived here.”

  Morris chuckled. “You are rather eager to get rid of me.”

  “You’ll ingest some at breakfast this morning. A small amount. It will give you nausea and vomiting. Your caring wife will tend to you and see you get another dose sometime during the day, probably in a bowl of broth. By then, you’ll exhibit signs of dizziness and tremors. A doctor will be called. I’ll arrange with Jones for someone to play that role.”

  “My, you think of everything.”

  “Lady Morris will insist you try more broth tomorrow. You’ll drink it and shortly after ingesting this final, larger dose, your heart rate will increase. The heart muscle will contract more quickly and pump more blood from it. You will experience chest pains—and die from a heart attack.”

  Morris nodded. “And since I was ill and exhibited certain symptoms the day before, it won’t come as a total surprise.”

  Burke nodded grimly. “Still, Lady Morris will be distraught.”

  “She will be. I’ll let her know the course of action. Should she send you a note? Informing you it’s done?”

  “That’s a clever idea. Let it be vaguely worded. If it’s intercepted before it reaches me, I want them to know she was in on it. I may even mention at my next meeting with them that she may be an afterthought to be dealt with.”

  “Bloodthirsty creature.”

  “That’s what I want them to think,” Burke said.

  “We’re done here. Go home and try to get some sleep. No need to write up a report for me. From this point, I want nothing in writing from you.”

  “All right.”

  Morris himself led Burke back to the room where he’d entered, blowing out the candle before he opened the door.

  “Good luck to you, Nicholson.”

  He entered the room and felt his way to the window, leaving as he had entered. Jones awaited him and drove him home, leaving with the hansom cab in case they were still being watched.

  Burke went to wait in his study. Half an hour later, Jones joined him. He revealed everything that had occurred at the meeting and his conversation with Morris, including the times of his illness and death.

  “I’ll see to the doctor that’s to arrive and examine Sir Paxton. I’ll also make sure Lady Morris sends word to the War Office of her husband’s illness, explaining his absence tomorrow.”

  “What I’m most interested in is finding out who the unnamed man is.”

  Jones nodded. “I’m to attend the meeting at Sir Paxton’s in a few hours. I hope to hear good news in that regard.” He studied Burke a moment. “If we were able to ascertain his identity, though, other agents will be placed on him and follow his movements. You need to stay far away from him until your next meeting.”

  “I still want to know who he is.”

  After Jones left, Burke made his way upstairs and fell into a restless sleep. When he awoke, it was a little before six. He remembered this was the day Gray and Charlotte were leaving for the country and decided to call upon his friend, hoping to mend fences with Gray.

  Dressing quickly, he walked the few blocks between their townhouses and gained admittance. Though the hour was still early, a flurry of activity went on inside.

  “Wait here, Mr. Nicholson,” the butler said. “I’ll see if Lord Crampton is available.”

  Within minutes, Gray appeared and led him into the study.

  “I owe you an explanation,” Burke began as they sat.

  “Not as much as you owe Gemma one,” his friend retorted. “I thought you loved her, Burke. Yet you dropped her and have cavorted with too many women to count. I believed once you found the one woman destined for you that you would change. You’ve disappointed me more than I can say.” Gray paused. “And broken poor Gemma’s heart.”

  “I’m working for the crown—and Gemma kn
ows it.”

  Surprised filled Gray’s face. “You what?”

  “After I saw you at Gray Manor, I came to London to offer my services to the War Office. I wasn’t fit to return to the battlefield but I thought I could be useful in some other capacity. I answer to Sir Paxton Morris. He discovered there was a traitor in the War Office and enlisted me—and Gemma—to root him out.”

  “Gemma? Why would she be involved in such a dangerous game?”

  Burke hesitated and then said, “I’m not at liberty to speak of certain matters but just know that Lord Covington, her father-in-law, got her involved in a situation. It’s quite safe and Gemma’s proven invaluable in the fight against Bonaparte. But Morris extended her involvement by having her partner with me. It’s a long story, Gray, but we were to act as if we were involved. Especially if we were found in a place we weren’t supposed to be.”

  Gray frowned. “So you had no true feelings for her?”

  “On the contrary, I love Gemma a great deal. Because of the dangerous nature of my assignment, Morris finally agreed to pull her from the game. To keep her safe, I distanced myself from her.” Burke choked and dropped his head into his hands.

  After a moment, his gaze met Gray’s. “If I’m lucky to get out of this current situation alive, though, there can be nothing between us.”

  “Why not?” his friend demanded. “You say you love her. I know she feels the same.”

  “You know as well as I that I unintentionally did something that led to the capture of The Don and me. Gemma has struggled with loyalty to her dead husband and my role in his death. Even before Morris removed her, she’d told me she no longer welcomed my kiss. That hasn’t changed, I’m sure. We’re miserable apart but I don’t think she could forgive herself if we came together.”

  “I’m sorry, Burke. I didn’t know.”

  “I tried not to entangle you or Charlotte into this mess. That’s why I’ve avoided you at events. Why I didn’t call on you. I hope you understand that.”