by Gayle Callen
He waited until Hume came down with the letter. He noticed how Hume’s hands shook, saw his reddened nose and bloodshot eyes. Hume had obviously taken to the bottle as he waited for protection from Julia. He’d have to be sobered up before the trial.
Nick looked at the letter in his hands. It resembled the one in his possession, except it was dated one day later, and covered different stories Julia had wanted to tell her friend in India. Whereas the first letter had many of the handwritten loops filled in, this one had tiny dots scattered through the text. When you compared this with the first letter, the dots would show which filled-in loop helped form the coded alphabet. Though it would take time, he would finally be able to read the message, with the help of the second code letter.
He held up the letter, out of Julia’s reach, but enough that she could see it. “Do you recognize this?”
“Of course,” she said angrily. “I wrote it. Doesn’t every woman you know write letters to her friends?”
“This was written while you were in Afghanistan.”
“I can’t see the date from here, but I’ll take your word on it,” she said with sarcasm. “Why has my letter been stolen from the person to whom it was intended? And why is it any of your business?”
She was good, he thought. His first instinct would have been to deny that he’d written the letter, claim it was a forgery. But clear as day she’d said it was hers. How did she think she would get away with this?
Chapter 21
A spy must be prepared for the inevitability that the object of his hunt is just as smart as he is.
The Secret Journals of a Spymaster
Nick watched Julia closely. “Your letters went exactly where you intended.”
“That can’t be true,” she said, “because Edwin—Mr. Hume had this one.”
“Of course he did. He was one of the men you employed to carry your letters.”
“He wasn’t even in Afghanistan,” she scoffed.
“You know he was,” Nick said, narrowing his eyes as he studied her.
“If he was, I never saw him, I never employed him. And why should all this matter?” she asked with exasperation, turning around to look at every person in the room. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
For the first time she seemed to notice Sam, who had quietly remained at the front door. Sam returned her stare impassively, but Nick knew him well, and knew that this was hard for him. Sam couldn’t separate the playful girl Julia had been with the traitor she’d become. Nick well understood his feelings.
“Sam?” she whispered.
Nick stepped closer, interrupting her. “With this letter I finally have enough proof that you betrayed your country, Julia. You are formally under arrest and the charge is treason.”
Her mouth gaped open, and she looked caught between hysterical laughter and tears. “This is all in fun, isn’t it? A terrible joke gone awry?”
Nick shook his head. “We know everything, Julia. There’s no use lying.”
“I’m not lying! Who told you these things? Someone wants me punished for something I didn’t do. Who is it?”
“You have many accusers, Julia, starting with an informant who saw you at the home of a Russian representative in Kabul. You delivered one of your own coded letters. With that hair, you’d think you’d have taken better care to hide yourself.”
“That’s a lie!” she cried, looking about her wildly.
“I visited the Russian later,” Nick said tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I saw the necklace I’d given you there on his table.”
She put a hand to her throat and whispered, “But I lost it! I never even met this man!”
“But the most damning evidence were these letters. Your man Hume sent me one and promised me the matching letter to decipher the code if I would protect him from you.”
“Protect—”
Julia stared at Hume with incomprehension, while he looked longingly at an empty bottle of brandy.
“Why are you doing this to me, Edwin?” she asked plaintively. “We were friends—you gave me my first kiss! I brought you your dead mother’s possessions.”
“What?” Nick interrupted.
“Look in my bag! You’ll see I’m telling the truth.”
Sam opened the carpetbag and began pulling out items: a hairbrush and mirror, a brooch, a stack of letters, and more.
After everything was lined up on the table, Julia said with relief, “Now do you see? Why would I come here to kill him when I was on an errand of mercy?”
Nick didn’t give a damn what story she’d concocted to cover her journey, but then Charlotte said, “That was what she was discussing with Mr. Hume at the tavern.” When all the men looked at her, she lifted her chin. “I just wanted you to know what I heard.”
“Charlotte, I appreciate your candor, but a cover story is supposed to be intricate,” Nick said. “Julia was in a public place, with witnesses. She’s a smart woman and had carefully thought out a story to explain her movements.”
Hume suddenly cleared his throat and blurted out, “It was a code.”
Nick nodded. Of course.
But Julia was staring at Hume with incomprehension. “What are you saying?” she finally whispered.
Hume looked at the floor and put his shaking hands deep into his pockets. “That was what we were supposed to talk about if someone overheard us.”
Julia literally staggered. “But—he’s lying. You must talk to my brother. He knows my old governess recently died.”
“I hope you didn’t kill her, too,” Nick said heavily.
She gasped but couldn’t seem to find words.
“Do you remember the massacre at the Khyber Pass?” Nick said, advancing on Julia in his anger. “The information you passed to the Russians helped bring about the deaths of those sixteen thousand British troops and their families. How do you live with yourself?”
Tears finally began to stream down her face as she gaped at Nick. He was unmoved. Thank God he’d finally accepted that a woman could be just as guilty of murder as any man. He would have no trouble making sure she received the ultimate punishment—death.
Julia sank down on the couch, staring blankly forward. “You’ve all been following me for days now, haven’t you?” Then her gaze darted to Charlotte. “Even you. You made up that story about my brother.”
Charlotte nodded solemnly. “I couldn’t let you leave Tuxford. We weren’t ready to follow you yet.”
Sam finally stepped forward. “That’s enough for now, Nick.”
Julia’s gaze narrowed in on Sam. “Why would I do this? Someone give me a good reason why I would throw my entire life away for the Russian cause?”
“Money,” Nick answered. “You have precious little of it.”
Her lips parted. “You think I would help…kill people, all so I could have a dowry?”
“It happens all the time,” Nick said coldly.
Her mouth moved, but no sound came out.
Nick turned back to Sam. “Julia will stay with us here for today. I have an errand to run that directly pertains to her.” He looked down at Julia. “Though you tried again to have Will killed, it didn’t work. But I’ll find the woman you hired, and that will be one more witness against you.”
Julia shook her head beseechingly at him and then lowered her face into her hands.
Charlotte walked toward him, and he put an arm about her even though she stiffened. He felt her trembling, but knew she was strong enough to hear the news.
“Nick, what do you mean?” she asked anxiously.
“I left a coded message about our destination for Will at the Misterton inn, in case he needed us. Barlow just found me an hour ago.” He lowered his voice. “There’s no easy way to say this. Jane and Will were poisoned last night.”
Charlotte’s eyes filled with tears.
“They’re alive,” he quickly assured her. “The doctor has already been to see them this morning. Will and Barlow are
recovering well, but Jane’s recovery is proceeding at a much slower pace.”
She sagged in his arms for a moment, then her strength resurfaced, and she straightened. “Do they think she’ll die?”
“The doctor is optimistic that she’ll improve, but only time will tell.”
She wiped a hand across her wet cheeks. “I have to go to her.”
“I’ll do it, Charlotte. I can move faster without you.”
“But—but she needs me, Nick!” she whispered.
“Will is taking good care of her. And you can be of use to us here, by helping watch Julia.”
“Me?” She choked on a sob. “I’ve done nothing but get in your way.”
“But with you here, Julia won’t be able to claim that we abused her. Can you do this for me, Charlotte? I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”
“You’ll go now?”
“It’s already full dark. I promise that I’ll leave at dawn.”
He wanted to hold her close, to ease her pain, but he’d never earned that right. She walked to the window and looked blankly out, hugging herself.
Sam watched them impassively. “Will we be turning Julia over to the police tomorrow?”
“We’ll escort her to London ourselves. She has highly placed connections, what with the Duke of Kelthorpe panting over her, and her brother a general. I don’t want accusations of mistreatment. Put her in a bedroom upstairs, and I don’t want you or Cox leaving her room, no matter what.”
When Cox pulled Julia to her feet, she stiffly turned her face to Nick. “I need to speak with my brother.”
Nick shrugged. “Maybe. Now search her for weapons before you take her upstairs.”
Sam stepped forward, watching Cox begin to run his hands along Julia’s back. “Nick, is this really necessary?”
But when Cox found a pistol strapped to her thigh, Sam nodded and turned away.
As Cox led Julia toward the stairs, she called back, “Sam, what did you expect? That I wouldn’t need a weapon to protect myself? I’m a woman traveling alone!”
He didn’t answer her.
There was silence in the room for a moment. Then Hume mumbled something and walked slowly into the kitchen.
Nick glanced at Sam, whose eyes were shadowed with sadness and confusion. Nick needed to give him something else to think about.
“Sam, could you make sure Hume gets a decent meal in him and is safely bedded down for the night? Try and steer him away from the bottle. We need him believable when he has to testify.”
Sam started to turn away.
“I also wanted to remind you about Julia’s last henchman,” Nick continued. “Since we killed Campbell and have Julia in custody, he’ll probably look after himself and run. But we still have to be careful.”
Sam kept his back to him. “I’ve been doing this as long as you, Nick,” he said in a low voice. “I haven’t forgotten my duty.”
“I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”
Sam nodded.
“I’ll take the next watch on Julia,” Nick called.
Sam didn’t answer, and Nick stared after him thoughtfully.
Charlotte’s gaze went from Sam’s back to Nick. “Are you worried that he might believe Julia’s story?”
“No. He knows the evidence. He just can’t believe that Julia could commit these crimes.”
“Can you?” she asked, studying him closely.
He smiled grimly. “Yes, I can. And I’ll see that she’s punished for it.”
Charlotte rubbed her arms, then looked up at Nick with tears glistening in her eyes. “I’m so frightened for Jane.”
“Could I hold you?” he asked.
When she hesitated, he enveloped her in his arms and held her close. It felt so natural, so right to be comforting her, and sex had nothing to do with it.
And it was that final thought that disturbed him the most.
As promised, Nick left for Epworth at dawn. He was confident that Sam and Cox could handle Julia, but he felt less confident about Charlotte. She was trying to be brave, promising to help keep everyone fed, but he sensed a deep fatigue in her. He needed to get her to her father’s, to restore her sense of normalcy and her place in life. She’d feel more comfortable that way.
But would he?
Nick arrived in Epworth by midafternoon and found the Crown and the Horse. When he stood outside Jane’s door and knocked, he took a deep breath and forced himself to smile cheerfully, triumphantly.
Will opened the door, and he looked so unlike himself that Nick was taken aback. His face was lined with worry and had the sunken appearance of a man who hadn’t slept well. This engagement of Will’s might have been for convenience’s sake, but it was obvious he’d fallen in love with Jane and was suffering along with her.
Will stepped back to allow Nick inside. “I take it everything went well.”
Nick froze when he saw Jane lying pale and unconscious on the bed. Where was the vibrant woman who’d stood up to him for her sister’s sake? Damn, but he was glad he hadn’t brought Charlotte. “Is she doing better? Should we step outside to talk?”
“I’d rather stay here,” Will said and sat down in a chair beside her bed.
Though Will took Jane’s hand in his, Nick saw that his fingers felt for a pulse at her wrist. Had he spent the night like this, dreading her death as every minute ticked by?
“She’s no better?” he asked.
Will shrugged tiredly. “She’s been unconscious since last night. The doctor said it would help her to sleep.”
Though Nick nodded, he found he couldn’t just stand there and look at Jane. He started to pace and tried not to imagine Charlotte in that bed, Charlotte sick from something he himself had led her into, just as he had brought Jane into this mess. He felt guilty for what he’d done to their innocence.
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Will finally said. “Did you catch the bitch?”
“Unusually harsh for you.” But Nick was grateful to be distracted by conversation.
As Will looked down at Jane, his expression hardened. “I’m not feeling particularly charitable today.”
“We have Julia in custody,” Nick said.
“Did she go to her accomplice, as you thought she would?”
“She did—though she claimed to be there on a family errand. She said that the man’s mother, her governess, had died. To support her story—which she’d obviously thought out well—she had his mother’s possessions. But she also had a pistol strapped to her thigh.”
“Did she turn herself in without a fight?”
“Yes. Claims she’s innocent, of course. We showed her the coded letters, and she had nothing more to say, except that she wanted to speak with her brother, General Reed.” Nick didn’t bother to tell Will just how persuasive Julia had been, how badly Sam was taking her capture.
“Are you going to arrange it?”
“Maybe. If he even wants to speak to her. Hell, I’ll have to go tell the Duke of Kelthorpe the truth, as well.” And that was something he didn’t look forward to.
“Is Sam guarding her?” Will asked.
“With help from Charlotte.”
As Will gave him an intent look, Nick wished he hadn’t mentioned her.
“Trust her already, do you?”
“She’s proven herself,” Nick said impassively. “We’ll see what happens next.”
An uncomfortable silence hovered between them, and he sensed that Will wanted to talk more about Charlotte.
Nick changed the subject. “So what are you going to do about Jane? Surely you’ll make clear to her that she cannot speak about anything that transpired with Julia Reed.”
“I have her under control.”
When Will got to his feet and led Nick to the door, Nick almost smiled. It seemed Will didn’t want to talk about his relationship with Jane, either.
Will opened the door. “Let me know what happens with Julia.”
“Of course. You’re headed for Colonel W
hittington’s?”
Will nodded. “Can I tell him what’s happened?”
Nick’s unease went up another notch. “Yes, but be vague about Charlotte. I’d rather he hear that story from her.”
Will wore the ghost of a smile. “He has an extensive gun collection, you know.”
Nick glanced back at Jane. “And I guess you should be worried about that, too.”
“At least I’m actually engaged to his daughter,” he pointed out.
“At least I’m not,” Nick shot back, trying to play the carefree bachelor just to see Will grin.
Then Will looked back at Jane, and his smile vanished. “I have to go.”
“Of course. Send me a message on Jane’s condition. Charlotte is extremely worried.”
Will nodded, but his thoughts were obviously on Jane, and Nick couldn’t be sure Will even heard him. But he shut the door, and Nick was left standing on the gallery awkwardly, thinking about Will.
He obviously loved Jane. How had Will known? Will’s decision to leave the army had had nothing to do with Jane, yet Nick had sensed a restlessness in him the last several meetings, as if Will still wasn’t sure he’d made the right decision.
But Will was different now. Though he was worried about Jane, there was a sense of peace about him, as if he’d finally found the life he wanted.
Would Nick ever feel that way?
Chapter 22
Just when you are most confident that your goal is met, disaster can strike.
The Secret Journals of a Spymaster
Charlotte had avoided Julia’s room during the day. She knew Sam and Mr. Cox took turns guarding her, and they’d taken up the simple meals Charlotte had prepared.
But Charlotte herself stayed downstairs.
Was she a coward?
The evidence against Julia was overwhelming, yet she couldn’t forget the look of disbelief and despair Julia had worn when they took her upstairs.
Those two emotions could very well show on the face of a criminal who thought she was too intelligent to be caught. A criminal who would poison an innocent man and woman.
But Charlotte was thankful it was over for Nick’s benefit. He would be a great success with the government. He would be showered with praise and offers of even more dangerous missions. It was what he wanted.