A Wedding In Springtime(44)

“This was a test?” Penelope flushed with anger. He put her through this emotional turmoil for nothing? “You said I should do this to protect England from Napoleon. You spoke of the blood of English nobility flowing through the streets! All this was to challenge my loyalty?”

“No, no, my dear, the threat is real. You may not appreciate my methods, but I will flush out all traitors to the Crown, and I will see them swing from the highest gallows!”

“Thank you, Mr. Neville, that is quite enough,” said Marchford with a razor edge. “Let me disabuse you of two false notions. First, your inquiries into the loyalty of my staff and guests are no longer required. Second, Miss Rose is not your ‘dear’ nor anything else to you. There is no acquaintance between you; you will forget her name and never speak to her or about her ever again. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

Marchford stepped forward and Neville stepped back.

“Yes, Your Grace. Perfectly clear. You may not appreciate my methods, but I must get results.”

“Perhaps your methods would be best used cleaning your own house. Find your own traitors and leave my household alone.” Marchford backed Mr. Neville to the door as he spoke, the efficient butler being on hand to open the door and remove Mr. Neville from the house, swinging the door shut behind him.

“Thank you, Peters,” said Marchford to the butler. “Mr. Neville is no longer welcome in this home. Please see to it that he is never again granted admission. Miss Rose, a word.” Marchford strode into his study, Pen following behind.

“Have a seat, Miss Rose.”

Penelope sat obediently but bristled at the duke’s brusque manner. If he thought she could be “managed,” he would soon realize his error.

“Please tell me exactly what Mr. Neville said to you,” said Marchford.

Penelope quickly gave him a full report. “Now, I think I deserve to know the truth. Is what Mr. Neville said true?”

Marchford sighed and sat in a chair next to hers. “I do apologize, Miss Rose, for dragging you into this. Mr. Neville had no business speaking to you at all. But yes, it is true. I worked for the Crown in Cadiz, however ‘spy’ is not a word I would use lightly. In fact, it is not a word I would use at all, and I sincerely hope neither will you.”

“You can depend on my discretion.”

Marchford nodded and continued, “Mr. Neville is correct. At the dance, some letters were stolen, letters that could reveal the identity of British spies working on the Continent. These letters are useless, however, without the code, which the admiral asked me to keep safe.”

“Why not turn it over to the Foreign Office or the War Department?”

“Because there have been a series of leaks. Information has been found in the hands of the enemy that only could have come from those offices. Neville may not like to admit to it, but somewhere in his office, there is a traitor.”

“But why would Neville ask me to steal it for him?”

“There are two possibilities. The first is that he is doing exactly what he says—he is trying to get the code so he can protect it and testing persons in my household to see if they are susceptible to bribes. The second option is that he is the traitor himself and trying to get the codes, so he can pass them on to his contacts in France.”

“Mr. Neville a traitor?” The skin on her arms prickled with goose bumps as with a chill. “Which do you think more likely?”

“I’d like to think he is the traitor, but that is only because I do not care for the man. However, I have found that the spies among us are generally those you do not expect, rather than those you do.”

Penelope took a long breath and leaned back in her chair. “So I may have been conversing with a traitor? What would have happened if I had given him the code?”

“If he is the traitor, he would have taken the codes and given them to France. If he is what he purports to be, the codes would have been hidden away and neither of us would have ever seen them again.”

“And the ten thousand? I am only wondering, you understand.”

“It is understandable. If he is not the traitor, he most likely would have had you arrested for theft and sent you to Newgate. If he is the traitor, he would have more than likely taken the codes and given you a bullet through the brain.”

“Oh!” Penelope covered her mouth.

“Forgive me. I am not accustomed to speaking of these things with ladies. I have said too much.”