Behind the Mask (House of Lords)

by Brooke, Meg

  She had not really believed there could be a threat to the princess until now. She had imagined that it was just the Foreign Office being overly cautious, that the Privy Council wished only to ensure the princess’s safety. But it was clear now that the heir presumptive to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland was in very real danger.

  Perhaps they should cancel the visit, Eleanor thought now. If it was not safe for the princess to come here, then it might be better if she didn’t come at all. But it would break her mother’s heart to lose such an important visit, which would raise their family’s status considerably and would put Georgina and Maris in the center of a group of young people who might previously have rejected them despite their pedigree because they were not closely placed to the monarchs. Much as Lady Sidney did not care about the fripperies of society, the balls and salons and teas, she did care about her family’s standing in the ton, and she understood the value of that standing. This visit would seal all their fortunes.

  So Eleanor sat with the housekeeper and approved tablecloths and napkins and the string quintet for the ball that was being held in the princess’s honor, though the girl was really too young to dance with anyone except family. In her ledger Mrs. Clarence had made a great schedule of all four days of the princess’s visit, and she and Eleanor sat the whole afternoon filling in teas and walks and carriage rides and at-homes. She tried to focus on that and only that, but each time she heard footsteps in the passage she imagined that someone was coming to tell them the news from the village, that any moment her mother would discover what had happened. Lady Sidney was not a frail woman, but since the loss of her father Eleanor had grown increasingly protective of her mother, wanting to shield her from distress and harm. Now, however, it did not seem feasible to do so. Her mother would have to be told, as would the girls, and Leo when he arrived.

  As if on cue, Eleanor heard the sound of hooves on the gravel drive. She excused herself, rose and went out into the front hall, only to hear Leo calling for another horse to be saddled. She ran out into the drive and saw him pacing there, his clothes dusty from the road.

  “Leo,” she said, “whatever is the matter?”

  He took her into a firm embrace. “Thank God you’re safe,” he said, and she could feel him trembling. He knew about the dead agent, then.

  “Lord Pierce took good care of me, Leo,” she said against his lapel.

  “I don’t doubt it,” he said, releasing her. “I’ve just run into his assistant Mr. Strathmore at the crossroads. He’s waiting for me there. He means to ride to Hafeley and try to persuade Sir John Conroy to take the princess back to London immediately, and I am going with him to lend some authority to his cause. I am sorry to leave you here to explain, Eleanor, but I am afraid I must rely on you again. It is a matter of such urgency that I dare not waste another minute.”

  Eleanor nodded. “Of course, Leo. I will wait until Lord Pierce returns from the village and then we will gather Mama and the girls and tell them.”

  Leo looked very grim. “Tell Lord Pierce that I will bear the cost of the man’s funeral and the expense of sending the body back to his family. I can do that much, at least. This is a bad business, Eleanor. I wish I had never allowed them to come here, that when Colin sent me that letter and told me about the situation I had cancelled the princess’s visit immediately.”

  “There’s no sense in wishing for it now, Leo. We cannot change what has happened. We must simply do our best and bear up under the circumstances.”

  With a wry grin, Leo chucked her under the chin and said, “You are perhaps the most British girl I know, Eleanor. I am glad we have at least one member of our family who always thinks sensibly.”

  Then one of the grooms led a freshly saddled horse out onto the drive, and Leo swung himself up into the saddle and was galloping away down the drive. Eleanor wrapped her arms around herself and watched him go. Then she turned and went back into the library, where Mrs. Clarence was still waiting with her plans spread out before her.

  “I think perhaps we had better hold off on any further planning for the moment,” Eleanor said. Then she went into the salon to wait for Lord Pierce to return.

  Colin felt completely, utterly exhausted by the time he returned to the great house. His mind kept traveling back to that afternoon three days ago when he had sat in Lord Palmerston’s office at Whitehall and listened to the Foreign Secretary say that this was routine, that these sorts of threats popped up all the time, that it was really nothing to worry about.

  Before he had left the village he had found a man who said he could reach Great Yarmouth in an hour and had given him a sovereign to take a letter there for an express rider. He had penned the letter hastily, explaining very little, but he thought he had made it quite clear that the situation was dire. The Serraray had arrived in Norfolk and were clearly willing to take great risks to achieve their ends. Colin would need reinforcements as soon as possible.

  But until those reinforcements arrived, he would have to keep the women safe at Sidney Park with only Leo beside him.

  As he rode down the drive he saw hoofprints in the gravel drive, both coming and going. Perhaps Leo had arrived, but what about the set of prints leaving the great house?

  He had his answer soon enough. Miss Chesney, her face very pale, was waiting for him in the salon.

  “Leo has come and gone already,” she said without preamble. “He met Mr. Strathmore at the crossroads and decided to go along with him to Hafeley to speak with Sir John Conroy.”

  Colin nodded. “That was a wise decision,” he said. Sir John was far more likely to listen if the advice came from a man who outranked him. It was still by no means certain that he would change his course, but there was at least a chance. “It means, however, that I am left with the unpleasant task of having to tell your mother and sisters what has happened.”

  “I will go with you, Lord Pierce. I would not want you to have to face that particular duty alone.”

  He took her hand, and she laced her fingers through his. They stood silently like that for a moment, and he realized how natural it felt, how right her hand felt in his. She seemed completely at ease.

  The door to the salon swung open, and Colin and Miss Chesney flew apart as Lady Sidney swept in.

  “Mama,” Miss Chesney said, before her mother could get a word in, “we have something to tell you.”

  At once Lady Sidney broke into a huge grin, and she rushed forward. “Of course, my dear! Oh, Lord Pierce—”

  “Not that, Mama,” Miss Chesney said, cutting her mother off. “I’m afraid we have some bad news. Where are Georgina and Maris?”

  “Upstairs, I think,” Lady Sidney said, frowning. “Has something happened to your brother? I thought I heard him in the drive.”

  “No, Mama, he is quite well. He has been and gone already, I’m afraid, and Lord Pierce and I must explain why, but it would be better if we had everyone together at once.”

  “I see. Well, we shall go upstairs to my sitting room. I believe we will find the girls there.”

  Miss Chesney took her mother’s hand as they went up the stairs. Lady Sidney had gone very pale, and by the time they reached the sunny little sitting room attached to her chambers she looked as though she was on the verge of tears.

  The twins were, indeed, already there. Maris had a sketchbook spread open on her lap, and Georgina was seated at a little desk, a pen in her hand. Both girls looked up when their mother and sister entered and looked confused when they saw Colin behind them.

  “Stay where you are, girls. Lord Pierce and Eleanor have some news.”

  “Oh, Eleanor!” Maris cried, leaping up from the sofa.

  “No, Maris, not that,” Miss Chesney said, sounding rather exasperated. “Sit down, please.”

  Maris sat, frowning.

  Miss Chesney looked at Colin and then back at her mother and sisters. “There has been a murder,” she said evenly. “A body was found in the Park this morning.”

 
; Lady Sidney gripped the delicate arm of her chair. “One of the villagers?” she asked.

  “I’m afraid not, My Lady,” Colin said. “The victim was a member of my team, the man who was sent to Porter-on-Bolling in advance of our arrival. He had been missing for almost two days before we found him.”

  “We?”

  Colin nodded to Miss Chesney. “Your daughter was with me when we discovered the body near the waterfall this morning.”

  “We were both out riding, Mama, and I thought to show him the scene,” Miss Chesney took up the thread. “But then we found...Mr. Yates.”

  Lady Sidney looked from her daughter to Colin. “Why exactly was Mr. Yates sent ahead?”

  “I sent him, My Lady,” Colin explained. “He came so that he could be on the lookout for the men who killed him. I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you about the reason for my visit to Sidney Park.”

  “I must confess that I suspected as much, My Lord,” Lady Sidney said.

  “There is a threat to the safety of the Princess Victoria. A Berber group called the Serraray are planning an assassination, and Lord Palmerston believes that they mean to strike while she is at Sidney Park. It is the most likely target.”

  “But...why? What do they want?” asked Lady Sidney.

  “They want an independent Algeria,” Colin said.

  “I don’t understand,” Miss Georgina said. “How will killing a British princess convince the French to give up their occupation?”

  Colin stared at her a moment. He had assumed that behind her quiet facade was an equally quiet mind, and so her question surprised him. But at last he said, “They want to show their power. Until now they have been content to kill French dignitaries and officials in Algeria, but they have begun to realize that more must be done if they are to be taken seriously. For the last year or more they have been targeting high-profile victims on the Continent, and now they have set their sights on the Princess Victoria, who is vulnerable whenever she leaves Kensington Palace. A royal progress is the perfect time to strike. And a place like Sidney Park, where the grounds are openly accessible and the house has dozens of entrances that cannot all possibly be guarded at the same time without a considerable amount of manpower, would be an ideal location to carry out such a plot.”

  “Then the princess cannot come here,” Lady Sidney said firmly. “She must go back to London at once.”

  Until now Miss Chesney had been standing quietly beside him, listening attentively, but now she said, “Leo has gone to Hafeley with Mr. Strathmore to try to convince Sir John Conroy of that same thing, Mama.”

  “So he came and went again,” Miss Maris said. “I thought he must have arrived by now. Poor Leo.”

  “He is doing his duty,” Lady Sidney said with admiration and pride in her voice. “Do you think, Lord Pierce, that my son will be able to convince the Duchess of Kent and her comptroller that they ought to return to London rather than coming here?”

  Colin shook his head. “I have my doubts, My Lady. Leo is certainly better placed to succeed that Mr. Strathmore would have been alone, but I am afraid that Sir John does what is in his own best interests, and it is to his benefit to continue the progress.”

  “And if she comes, we must receive her,” Miss Chesney put in. “We cannot possibly close our doors and insist that she return to London without welcoming her.”

  “No, indeed,” Lady Sidney said, her tone implying that the very idea of such a thing horrified her. “But, oh, what a terrible thing to happen! Why, there hasn’t been a murder in this area in…well, it must be fifteen years or more. The villagers must be so frightened. We will all have to go to church tomorrow to show that we are not afraid. That is, unless you think there is some risk to my daughters, Lord Pierce?” She looked pleadingly up at him, as though he might somehow make all this trouble vanish with a wave of his hand.

  “It is my belief that the assassins will go to ground now. They took a great risk in abducting Mr. Yates, and they will be more careful until they are ready to strike. I do not believe there is any immediate threat, but you and your daughters will have all the protection I am able to offer, My Lady. I hope that within a day or two we will see some reinforcements from the Foreign Office, and perhaps the militia as well.”

  “The militia? At Sidney Park?”

  “I am sorry, My Lady, but it cannot be helped.”

  Lady Sidney reached out and gripped Miss Maris’s hand. “And the assassins?”

  Colin cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. “As I said, I don’t believe there is much danger from them now. They have made a crucial mistake in killing Yates, and they know it. They will go to ground now, but I do not think they will go far. I mean to search the entire park and the areas beyond for them.”

  “And I will help you,” Miss Chesney said.

  “Eleanor, no!” Lady Sidney cried, leaping up from her chair.

  “He does not know the area, Mama,” she protested. “He does not know where the most likely hiding spots are, or the dangerous places. And it will quell suspicions if I am seen with him. People will not suspect our purpose if we appear to be a young couple, exploring the Park together. If he tries to recruit men from the area to help him search people will begin to think something is wrong, that they are still in danger, and there will be panic.”

  Colin stared at her. For a moment he considered arguing that it was too dangerous, that there were too many risks involved, but when he really allowed himself to consider it he was able to recognize that she was right—he did need her help. He simply did not know the park well enough.

  Lady Sidney nodded, though she looked unconvinced. “Very well,” she said. “When do we expect Leo to return?”

  “Tomorrow, with any luck,” Colin said. He was certainly hopeful that they would see Leo soon, for there was very little he could do until the lord of Sidney Park returned. Miss Chesney and her mother could make many of the decisions, of course, but only Viscount Sidney could allow a militia to occupy the grounds and approve assistance from the crown. Without Leo, none of the protections he hoped to put in place before the princess’s visit would be workable. Colin wasted none of his energy hoping that Sir John would decide to turn tail and take the princess home. He knew as well as the rest of the employees of the Foreign Office and the Privy Council that there was little chance of the Duchess of Kent’s comptroller backing down once he had set his sights on something.

  “Well, then,” Lady Sidney said, “we must await his return and hope that Sir John will make the right choice.”

  “Of course,” Colin replied. Then he bowed his head and went downstairs to find Mr. Jameson. He still had servants to interview.

  After Lord Pierce had gone, Eleanor stared at her mother and sisters for a long moment. None of them seemed to know what to say. Maris had pulled Lady Sidney back onto the sofa and was holding her hand. Georgina was gripping the back of her chair, her knuckles white. Eleanor took a few deep breaths.

  “Lord Pierce will take care of us,” she said at last. “There is no point in tormenting ourselves with worry.”

  “Of course not,” her mother said woodenly. “There’s only a dead body in the village doctor’s rooms, a band of assassins on the loose, and the heir to the throne coming to stay in four days. Why on earth should we worry?”

  Eleanor went to take the empty seat on the other side of her mother as Maris said, “Now, Mama, try to stay calm.”

  “I am perfectly calm,” Lady Sidney said, her voice still even and toneless. “I believe, Eleanor, that I am bearing up remarkably well under these terrible circumstances.”

  “Yes, Mama.”

  Her mother rose. “I believe I shall go and lie down for a while,” she said. Maris, mouth set in a frown, stood and followed her out of the room.

  Georgina stared silently after her. It was several moments before she turned to Eleanor and said, “Is there anything you’re not telling us?”

  Eleanor shook her head. “I have
told you everything Lord Pierce told me.”

  “Then is there anything he is not telling you?”

  “I have no way of knowing. I’m sure there are details he cannot reveal.” She put her face in her hands. “Oh, I wish we had never agreed to invite the princess here.”

  Georgina rose and came to sit beside her. “It will be well, Eleanor. When Leo returns we will all go back to London for a while, and when it is safe we will return to Sidney Park, and all this trouble will be forgotten.”

  “I do not think Lord Pierce believes Leo will be able to dissuade Sir John Conroy from bringing the princess here. You have not met the Duchess of Kent, but I have. She is a silly, frivolous woman who thinks very little of the welfare of others. She will not care about the danger, so long as she is able to carry out this ridiculous plan of hers to parade the princess across the country. Or if she does accept that there are risks, she will dismiss it as some trick of King William’s to stop her from making these progresses. I think it is very unlikely she and Sir John will agree to take the princess back to London. And now I must find a way to incorporate a militia and half the Foreign Service into our plans.”

  Georgina put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “If anyone can do it, Eleanor, you can. You always do the right thing.”

  Eleanor laughed bitterly. “Do I?”

  “For as long as I can remember, you have never put a toe out of line. You have always done the sensible thing. That is how I know you will be able to manage this as well. You are the strongest of us, Eleanor.”

  “Fine praise, indeed,” Eleanor said. She thought of what Leo had said to her on the drive not an hour ago. Was that really how her family saw her: the staid, solid, sensible sister who never did anything wrong or made any mistakes?