Persuasion (Hqn) by Joyce Brenda

Author:Joyce, Brenda [Joyce, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises
Published: 2012-07-31T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

SIMON HADN’T BEEN TO Bedford House in years. Although Dominic Paget, the Earl of Bedford, was no longer active in the war effort, he had once been deeply involved in the royalist insurgency in France. From the moment Simon had been lured into Warlock’s web of intrigue, he had been told that it was prudent to feign indifference to men like Paget, Penrose and Greystone. Warlock had made certain that those elite agents were well aware of one another. It was a circle of the charmed, so to speak, or perhaps of the damned. In any case, Simon knew the identity of almost two dozen agents, most of whom were deeply embedded in France, gathering information for the War Office and now for the Alien Office, as well.

He had been recruited by Sebastian Warlock almost two years ago. The powers in Europe were in a panic over the anarchy in France, fearing the revolution would insidiously spread into their own countries. In Britain, it had been no different. In London’s highest Tory circles, Pitt and his cronies huddled into the night, trying to comprehend the extent of the damage in France and if it could leak over into Britain and her allies. Everyone in the country with something to lose was afraid of the anarchy in France now.

It was no secret that Simon was fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and German, and that he also spoke a spattering of Russian. It was no secret that he was a Tory and a supporter of Pitt’s, although not terribly active in political circles thus far. Mostly, it was no secret that he was in an unhappy marriage, and that he spent most of his time on his northern estates, avoiding his wife.

One foggy night in London, his friend Burke had invited him to White’s. He had been introduced to Warlock then. A day later, Warlock had appeared at Lambert House, insisting he join him for lunch. And in the dark shadows of Sebastian’s carriage, the shades drawn, he had been recruited to save his country from anarchy and revolution.

“You are never in town. You have the perfect alibi,” Warlock had said.

Simon had not hesitated. His life had become an exile of sort, even if it was self-imposed. He had chosen to avoid Elizabeth, even if it meant giving up his relationship with his sons, because he could not stand the thought of a lifetime with her. Warlock’s offer had been a means of escape. He had eagerly taken up the challenge of reinventing himself as a Frenchman and a Jacobin.

He knew Paget well and liked him immensely. As his coach approached Dominic Paget’s home, he wondered if he dared resume the old friendship. He did not think it wise, not when he was playing both sides. But one call would not be too alarming. In any case, Paget could be a fountain of information.

Although his contact hadn’t shown up the other morning, “Jourdan” had received a note earlier in the day, requesting a rendezvous.

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