Free Not by Sight by Kate Breslin

to spy on me.”
    Expecting to hear his friend scoff through the receiver, Jack was surprised when Marcus said, “Not good news, old boy.”
    Jack straightened. “Why?”
    “Can’t discuss it over the telephone,” Marcus said. “Look, I’ll verify her application through the Army Service Corps, since they govern the WFC. I’ll also do some other checking. It may turn out we’re both wrong and her reason for being there has nothing to do with any collusion with her father.” He paused. “You’ve been unreachable for so long, I haven’t been able to tell you we finally arrested James Heeren last week. Caught him passing coded information to a known German agent.”
    “The cargo supervisor for the Acionna ?” Jack gripped the receiver. “What did he say?”
    “Heeren’s involved in the same spy ring we’ve been after for months.”
    “I knew it! Now, please tell me the code was sent along in one of Mabry’s letters?”
    “I’m afraid not,” Marcus said. “But MI5 still has a man doing surveillance at Swan’s and keeping an eye on Patrick Mabry’s movements. Unfortunately the trail went cold recently, but Heeren’s arrest is a boon. Thanks to you, we know the two men were connected.”
    Jack’s hopes plummeted. “And the proof lies at the bottom of the Thames.”
    “It might be Mabry doesn’t know that.” Excitement tinged Marcus’s tone. “Look, it’s just a theory, but possibly he sent his daughter to snoop around. Can you make certain she stays put? I’ll check her story, but it might take time, and those hay-baling crews move around a lot.”
    Jack bit back an oath. He hadn’t thought it through when he demanded her removal. “Get back to me as soon as you can, Marcus. I’ll handle things on this end.”
    “Fair enough. And since we’re finally having a conversation, if there’s anything I can do . . .”
    “Just ring me back with something useful,” Jack said beforesevering the connection. The last thing he wanted to hear from his friend was anything that sounded remotely like pity.
    From the study he carefully retraced his steps upstairs. Like the hedge maze, Jack had spent enough summers at Roxwood to memorize every door and hallway, along with the placement of each chair, potted plant, or other pieces of furniture in the house.
    Inside his room, he removed the mask and sat down on the edge of his bed. He needed to figure out a way to delay her departure, at least until Marcus got back to him. Perhaps in the morning Edwards could obtain something useful from the WFC person in charge at the farm.
    Jack fisted the steel mesh of his mask. James Heeren’s arrest merely confirmed to him Mabry’s involvement in the explosion. The idea of his offspring remaining on the property, within proximity of his sanctuary, enraged him. Wasn’t it enough he’d been thrown from a burning ship into complete darkness, pocked by scars no woman would ever look at without collapsing into a dead faint?
    Except for Mabry’s daughter, he thought savagely. She was more callous than he’d given her credit for, especially if she were here to do that traitor Patrick Mabry’s bidding.

    “Enter,” he called to his steward, Mr. Edwards.
    Jack stood in his room four hours later, dressed and freshly shaved, the latter only on condition he raise the steel mesh himself just far enough that his valet could get the job done.
    At the moment, Townsend was performing the last ritual of grooming, brushing imaginary lint from the back of his jacket.
    “Milord, I was able to obtain her file from Mrs. Vance, the supervisor,” Edwards said. “Would you like to review it now?”
    “Thank you, Townsend. That will be all.”
    Once the valet departed, Edwards began, “Miss Mabry hired on with the Women’s Forage Corps just weeks ago. She recently attended training at Norfolk before being assigned to Roxwood.”
    “Anything else?” He’d hoped for some kind of substantial proof she wasn’t here by