A Spy Unmasked by Tina Gabrielle

Author:Tina Gabrielle
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2014-11-09T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Robert watched as Jane entered the house. Sophia’s cousin must be reeling from her discovery for her to absently leave Sophia unchaperoned with him in the front gardens.

He turned his attention to Sophia. Her gaze was riveted on the front door where Jane had entered. A shaft of moonlight illuminated the burnished-copper tresses in her chestnut hair and the shimmer of her blue silk gown, which accentuated her slender waist and the flare of her hips. She looked fragile and ethereal beneath the moonlight, yet he knew she possessed an iron determination.

A will so different from Gwendolyn’s.

A disturbing part of him acknowledged that her strength did not lessen her femininity.

Or her desirableness.

She bit her bottom lip—a nervous habit he now recognized when she had something troubling on her mind.

“What is it?” he asked.

She motioned him close to the fountain. A slight breeze stirred loose tendrils of hair across her cheeks, and a fine spray of water glistened at her smooth nape. Glancing both ways, she lowered her voice, and he strained to hear above the sound of running water.

“There’s more to tonight’s events than I mentioned,” she said. “When Vivian was describing Charles’s ‘presence,’ she went into detail about his appearance and his clothing. She spoke of a pocket watch and a dangling fob of gold. It sounded like one of the gold gears.”

His gaze sharpened. “Wendover never mentioned that a gold gear was found on the body of the Earl of Stanwell.”

“Maybe Charles wasn’t wearing his pocket watch at the time of his death. Maybe it’s among his possessions.”

She made a valid point. He considered how best to discern the truth. “Are you comfortable enough with Jane to ask whether her husband was part of a select group in the Society or if he owned a gold gear without arousing her suspicions?”

She raised her chin, her green eyes flashing with conviction. “I can.”

“Good. Keep me informed. Meanwhile, you need to return to the house.”

She took an abrupt step toward him. “Wait! How did you know about the door to the tunnel?”

He hesitated and looked at her intently. “Whenever I am on a job I always conduct a search of the grounds. In my line of work, preparation is the key to survival.”

Her eyes widened. He suspected she was recalling their mad flight through the gardens the night of the masquerade party. She had been brave that night, just as tonight. He knew she didn’t want to climb down the ladder into the underground chamber, but he grudgingly admired her for conquering her fear.

Would anything stifle her spirit?

“Did you tell Jane the truth tonight?” she asked.

“I did.”

“You truly do not believe Vivian knows about the existence of that chamber?”

He shook his head. “Like I said before, she seems convinced of her ‘talents.’ I suspect she has no idea of her husband’s underhanded dealings with a secret group.”

“Then how do you explain the viscountess’s description of the gold gear?”

“Charles was part of the Inventors’ Society. She must have seen him on numerous occasions and was able to describe his dress and the watch fob.

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