The Lady and the Spy by Casie Ruth A

Author:Casie, Ruth A.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2022-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The tunnel incline rose as Nikolai made his way to the part of the icehouse that was above ground. At last he entered the brick lined room. There was little there except the ice harvesting tools, several ice saws, tongs, gaffs, and picks.

He peered into the deep ice well and wasn’t surprised to find blocks of ice remained at the bottom. Before he went into the woods, he needed some form of protection. He wished he had his knife, but he had lost that at Philby’s.

He looked at the wall of tools and hefted the gaff. Too cumbersome and heavy. He chose one of the smaller picks.

Once he was outside he admired the construction of the small building. Secluded as it was among the trees and undergrowth, it was well disguised. The recessed door of the man-made mound faced north and for this storm was protected to some degree from the snow drifts. He covered his tracks as best he could, not wanting to lead anyone to the remote building, then followed the river.

He pulled the coat collar over the green scarf and stuffed the rest inside his coat. The last thing he wanted was for someone to easily spot him.

He should never have encouraged her or let himself get close to Patrice. He did neither of them any favors. She was every bit as intelligent and beautiful as he remembered. If things had been different, he could have saved her from the heartache of these two years.

Would she consider his delay another deception? Well, that couldn’t be helped. There was more at stake than the woman’s feelings. If she didn’t forgive him, at least she would know the truth about Edgemont. Thanks to Philby. At least that part of his mission would be a success.

By his estimation, he was halfway to the road. So far nothing was out of place. The only tracks he came across was the occasional small animal. He moved on through the eerie, muted stillness keeping watch for Barrington and anyone else.

The snap of a branch broke through the stillness. His heart pounded. In the muffled air it was difficult to identify the sound’s direction. He gripped the ice pick defensively and moved on. He knew someone was near, but did they know where he was? He kept moving.

He left the forest as the river made its way through the open field. The outcropping was ahead. It was urgent that he give his contact a quick briefing regarding Mr. Peters as well as his current situation. Once he completed that, there was a good chance he would be sent back to St. Petersburg. If Patrice could be brought into their confidence, he would tell her all she wanted to know.

Bombarded by ice and wind, he hunkered down as he began to cross the field. The weather was brutal. His legs were like weights and his side was beginning to ache, but like he was on a forced march, Nikolai kept moving.

He came to the large outcropping.

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