The Duke and the Assassin (The Royal Agents of MI6 Book 1)

by Heather Slade

  “Better to stay as close as possible to SIS headquarters anyway,” suggested Pinch.

  “I’ll get with MI5 about security, with Pinch’s help, of course,” said Wilder. “Shiv, you should focus on getting Losha and the baby ready to leave as soon as possible.”

  “I need to make arrangements with her.”

  “She’s enjoying her time with Wellie so much.”

  “Darrow too,” said Pinch, holding up his phone that displayed a photo of Losha, Kazmir, and Darrow.

  How much simpler would it be if we just stayed here? If I resigned from MI6, and Losha and I spent our lives at Whittaker Abbey, raising Kazmir and any other children we were blessed with? We could be happy here; I was certain of it.

  Pinch offered to locate Thomas on his way out to let him know not to bother unloading the limousine since we’d be leaving within the hour. Wilder said he’d ride with me, followed by Pinch, and that the entire entourage would be escorted by the security team.

  “Did you know Thomas had a family?”

  Wilder didn’t respond, but his look was questioning.

  I ran my hand through my hair. “What if I’m not cut out to take over Rivet’s spot?”

  “Where’s this coming from?” Wild asked, closing the door without going out. “And what does it have to do with Thomas?”

  “The duke always made it a point to get to know the people who lived and worked at the abbey.”

  “If that’s all it is, don’t make too much of it. I believe the man you’re referring to is part of the security team sent in by MI5.”

  “It isn’t just that. I feel out of sorts, as though what I really want to do is walk away from all of SIS and do what Father did—live a simple life here at Whittaker Abbey.”

  “There’s nothing to say you can’t do that, Shiv.”

  “And leave everyone, Rivet included, in the lurch?”

  “Maybe not right away, but once things are settled, hand in your resignation.”

  “Wilder, I need you to tell me what Pinch said that made you so angry.”

  My brother walked over to the window. “It wasn’t what Pinch said. In fact, I think he’s a bit off base.”

  I folded my arms.

  “I heard the duchess on the phone earlier. It was right after I saw her and she looked as though she’d seen a ghost.”

  “And?”

  “I didn’t know then, but now I believe she was talking to Rivet.”

  “What did you hear her say?”

  “That they had to find ‘him,’ that it was imperative. She also said that with Anna’s death, he no longer had an excuse to wait.”

  “That’s how you knew Anna passed.”

  Wilder nodded.

  “When the duke told me to find someone named Matthew, the words he used were ‘before it’s too late.’”

  “I believe our mother’s mysterious and hasty departure may have something to do with this Matthew.”

  “Me too,” I murmured, wondering what my next move should be.

  “Perhaps you should revise your plan.”

  “How so?”

  “You and I go to London and find the duchess. If she is with Sir Ranald, we force them to tell us who Matthew is and why the duke was worried enough that his dying words were to find him.”

  “What about Losha and the baby?”

  “They stay here, Shiver. Have Pinch stay too, along with whatever security team he has in place.”

  “What if I’m required to stay in London?”

  “It’s an hour’s drive to return to Whittaker Abbey, pack them up, and head back to London, security detail with us.”

  “I hate leaving them here without me.”

  “I get it, but we won’t be gone that long.”

  I rubbed the ache in the center of my chest. Something felt off. Very much so. I only prayed that whatever it was, related solely to the man my father told me to find, and whom Wilder believed he overheard the duchess discussing with Rivet.

  34

  Losha

  I knew something was wrong the minute Shiver walked in Wellie’s front door. Darrow sensed it too; I could tell by the way the woman’s arms, currently holding my baby boy, tightened.

  “Losha, can I speak with you for a moment?”

  “Of course,” I said, standing to join him.

  “Darrow, will you be okay with the baby for a few minutes?” Shiver asked.

  His sister nodded.

  Even Wellie’s eyes were wide as I followed Shiver out the front door.

  “What’s happened?”

  “Rivet’s wife has passed, and I’ve been called to London.”

  “I see. How long will you be gone?”

  “Only a few hours.”

  I reached out and rested my hand on his sternum. “Tell me what’s really going on, Shiv.”

  “I’m not certain yet,” he said, putting his hand on mine. “You’re cold. Let’s go ’round back.”

  He led me through a garden gate and into a small structure I hadn’t noticed before.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  Shiver turned on a light and looked around, seemingly surprised. “I didn’t realize he used it,” he mumbled, looking at all the paintings hanging on the walls and canvases sitting on easels.

  “Is the work Wellie’s?” I asked.

  Shiver nodded, focusing his attention back on me. “I’m sorry, Losha, but what I have to tell you is quite urgent.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “My father’s last words to me were about someone he called Matthew. He told me he’d made a mistake, gotten it wrong, and told me to find him.”

  “You have no idea who he was referring to?”

  “None whatsoever.” Shiver took a deep breath. “When I went to the abbey to speak with my mother, she wasn’t there. According to Thomas, she’d left a few minutes earlier to go to London.”

  I stepped closer to him. “Tell me the rest, Shiver.”

  “Wilder overheard her talking to Rivet. While she didn’t use the name Matthew, Wild did hear her say that they had to find someone, that it was imperative. My brother also heard her say that now that Anna had passed, Rivet no longer had an excuse to wait.”

  “Who have you spoken with about this?”

  “Only Wilder and Pinch. Until now.”

  “Perhaps you should ask Wellie.”

  “I asked him once before, but he wasn’t forthcoming.”

  “Maybe it would be worth trying again.”

  “I will do.” Shiver looked at his phone. “I’m sorry. I need to go, but I’ll be back as quickly as I can be.”

  “Shiver?”

  “Yes?”

  When I put my arms around his waist, he rested his hands on my shoulders.

  “Every time I decide it’s time for me to tell you how I feel, one of us—usually you—immediately gets called away. I can’t let you leave this time without you knowing…”

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

  “I love you, Thornton Whittaker, with all my heart. It’s always been you. It’s only been you.”

  He opened his eyes and looked into mine. “Losha—”

  “Shh,” I whispered, bringing my fingertips to his lips. “Let me say it to you this time.” I kissed him, deepening it when he opened his mouth to mine. “Hurry back to me, Shiver.”

  He closed his eyes once more and looked up at the ceiling. “When I get back…line up the child watchers. At least a couple of days’ worth.”

  “Godspeed, Shiv.”

  “I mean this in the best possible way, Losha…”

  I waited for him to continue.

  “I’ve instructed Pinch not to let you and Kazmir out of his sight. Please cooperate.”

  I nodded. “Understood.”

  “Thank you.”

  Shiver held my hand as we walked around the cottage to the front door. Before we went inside, he gripped my neck and ran his thumb over my lips. “I can’t do it, Losha. I can’t leav
e without saying it. Don’t make me.”

  I smiled and kissed his fingertips.

  “I love you so much, and I love Kazmir too.”

  “And we love you.” Now that I’d said it once, I didn’t want to stop telling him what I’d held in my heart far too long.

  “You should know that there’s a security team in place on the estate.”

  “I know.”

  He laughed. “Of course you do.”

  “Shiver, seriously.”

  “You’ve probably been more aware of them than I have. God, I hate to leave,” he groaned, kissing me again.

  “If you don’t leave now, I’m not going to let you go at all.”

  “One kiss from Kaz before I do. Is that okay? Kaz?”

  “You’re his father, you can call him whatever you want to.”

  When we walked in the front door of Wellie’s cottage, Kazmir sounded like he’d just gotten fussy. I started toward Darrow to get him, but then hung back. I watched my baby boy’s face light up as soon as he saw his father, reaching out for Shiver to pick him up.

  My eyes filled with tears seeing him kiss both of our son’s cheeks and whisper something in his ear. He walked toward me and kissed the baby one more time before handing him to me.

  “I love you,” he said, looking at both of us.

  “We love you.”

  Shiver closed his eyes again and sighed. “I must go.”

  If I kissed him again, I’d only delay his coming back to us, so I turned away. “Go,” I pleaded, “or we won’t let you.”

  I walked to the back bedroom to nurse Kazmir, but more because I wanted to be alone to process what had just happened between Shiver and me. I didn’t want to share this moment with anyone but my baby boy.

  “I love your father with all my heart, Kazmir. Do you understand, my sweet, sweet boy? And your daddy and I love you more than anything else on the face of this earth.”

  Kazmir studied me and then gave me one of his beloved smiles before resting his head on my chest.

  “Losha?” I heard Pinch say a few minutes later, and remembered my promise not to leave his sight.

  “I’m here,” I said, switching the light on. “I just needed a moment.”

  “We’ll be staying at Dorchester House tonight.”

  I nodded and stood, soothing Kazmir back to sleep when he fussed. “Darrow?”

  “Would you like her at the house as well?” Pinch asked.

  “I suppose it’s up to her.”

  He smiled. “Just try to keep her away from that baby.”

  “Wellie,” I said when we walked from the hallway into the main part of the cottage. “Thank you so much for your hospitality and for taking such good care of Kazmir and me.”

  “You are welcome here anytime, lass. You and the bairn.”

  “I appreciate it so much.”

  “Good night, Wellie,” said Darrow, kissing his cheek.

  “We’ll talk later, Dad,” said Pinch, squeezing Wellie’s shoulder.

  “Wait, Axel. Do you have a minute?”

  “Not really.”

  “I can take Losha and the baby over to Dorchester House,” offered Darrow. “I’ll just swing by Covington and grab a few things.”

  “It’s okay,” I told Pinch when I saw him looking back and forth between his father and me. “We’ll meet you there.”

  35

  Shiver

  “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” I said to Wilder after we were over an hour into our drive.

  “You’ll have to leave them from time to time, my brother.”

  “Something isn’t sitting right with me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “In my gut, Wild. I didn’t feel as though I should leave tonight. I still don’t.”

  “Listen, we’re almost to the Kensington flat. If the duchess is there, we’ll have a quick chat and head straight back.”

  “Right.”

  More and more, I wondered how I could possibly stay on at MI6. Even if I took Rivet’s job, the hours would be long and there would be times I’d have to be away for extended periods of time. I couldn’t imagine being away from Losha and Kazmir for a few hours, let alone days.

  As far as I knew, Rivet and Anna had only one child, a boy, but I didn’t know much about him, even his name. That was telling in itself. I wouldn’t be able to compartmentalize as easily as my boss had. If I wasn’t with them, I’d likely be talking about Losha and Kaz to whomever would listen.

  “Duchess,” said Wilder, answering his phone. “Where are you?”

  I couldn’t hear what she was saying.

  “We’re on our way there now,” Wilder said before hanging up.

  “Is she at the flat?” I asked.

  “On her way. Should be there by the time we are.”

  I pulled out my phone. “I’ll just check in,” I muttered.

  My calls to Losha, Darrow, and Pinch all went unanswered. Finally, Wellie picked up.

  “They left here about thirty minutes ago,” he reported.

  “Who did?”

  “Losha, Darrow, and the baby. Axel left a few minutes after them.”

  What the bloody hell? I’d specifically told Pinch not to let her out of his sight. “Where are they now?”

  “I think they were headed to Dorchester House.”

  “Thanks, Wellie. If you happen to hear from Axel, can you please ask him to contact me immediately? It’s urgent I speak with him.”

  “I will, Thornton.”

  I was about to hang up when Losha’s suggestion came to me. “Hey, Wellie?”

  “I’m here.”

  “I asked you once before about someone named Matthew. I’m asking again. What do you know of him?”

  Wellie took a deep breath. “Have you spoken with the duchess about this?”

  “We’re on our way to her now.”

  “It’s better if she’s the one to tell you, Thornton.”

  I pulled the phone away from my ear, incredulous. “He hung up. He bloody hung up.”

  “What did he say about Matthew?”

  “That it’s best if the duchess tells us who he is. At least that’s what I think he meant.”

  In all the years I’d known him, this was the first time Wellie cut me off. The bad feeling I’d had since before I left Whittaker Abbey intensified ten-fold.

  By the time we walked in the door of our mother’s flat, I was furious.

  “Who’s Matthew?” I asked before we’d even said hello.

  “Thornton—”

  “Who is he, Duchess?”

  “Shiver…” Rivet came around a corner. “Please have a seat.”

  “Not until you tell me who Matthew is and why my father’s dying words were for me to find him.”

  When the duchess gasped, Rivet walked over and put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Who is he, Rivet?”

  “Matthew is my son. Mine and Anna’s.”

  “Not good enough. I asked you a specific question, and I expect an answer.”

  “Thornton—”

  I held up my hand. “I’ve run out of patience with the both of you. I want you to sit down, this minute, and explain to me why my father told me to find him.”

  My mother’s eyes filled with tears, and Rivet looked as though he might tear his hair out with the way he was running his hand through it.

  “Enough with the secrets. Get on with it.”

  “It isn’t an easy story to tell, Thornton,” said the duchess, dabbing her tears with a handkerchief. “Your father was involved with another woman before he and I were married.”

  I immediately saw where this was going, but under no circumstances would I relent. Between my mother and Rivet, I expected to hear the full story.

  “That woman was my wife, Anna,” said Rivet, now seated next to the duchess.

  “Shortly before your father and I were to be married, Anna discovered she was pregnant.” She looked at Rivet, and he rested his hand
on hers.

  How had Rivet gotten involved in this whole sordid affair, and what was his relationship with my mother?

  Rivet’s gaze met mine. “Anna and I were married within the month.”

  “Arranged by whom?”

  “Me,” answered the duchess.

  “Why?”

  “The answer should be obvious.”

  “If it were obvious, I wouldn’t ask. Why did you arrange a marriage between the duke’s mistress and Sir Ranald?” I saw my mother cringe, but I was beyond caring.

  “Your father was destined to be the next Duke of Bedfordshire—the heir to one of the great estates in all of England.”

  “Surely, you didn’t ask Ranald to marry a complete stranger because of an estate, Mother.”

  “As much as you’re inclined to walk away from your birthright, your father was not. I didn’t act alone, Thornton. I offered assistance at your grandparents’ request.”

  “We aren’t living in the eighteenth century, Duchess,” added Wilder. “Having a child out of wedlock, even having a mistress, is not a reason for someone to give up their birthright.”

  The duchess folded her arms. “And what of Charles and Diana?”

  Wilder rolled his eyes and paced to the other side of the room. “Jesus,” he muttered.

  “Charles had been involved with another woman—a married woman—for years, and yet he married someone the palace approved of, not the woman he loved.”

  “Our father was a duke, not the bloody future King of England,” Wilder spat.

  There were several things about my mother’s last statement that bothered me. One, that she believed her role in arranging for Rivet to marry a woman who was a stranger to him, pregnant with another man’s child, was her duty as the future duchess. Second was her comparison of the situation to the current Prince of Wales’ relationships. Had my father loved this Anna? Had he married my mother because she was someone of whom his parents approved? Had she arranged for the marriage solely to secure her ongoing position in English society?

  “Why, Ranald?”

  I knew I’d hit a nerve when my mother looked at Rivet once again. There was love between them. I couldn’t say for certain it was romantic love, but there was an affection that ran deep.