Free The Mayfair Affair by Tracy Grant

was flawless. Perhaps a shade too flawless. She had the knack of blending into the background. But she noticed everything."
    "That could have indicated a budding novelist," Malcolm said.
    "It could. But remember I had reasons to be wary where all of you were concerned. Reasons you at least did not yet know of."
    "But I knew," Suzanne said. "I should have seen it."
    "You were more concerned with Miss Dudley's impact on your children. Which seems to have been nothing but positive, from everything I've observed."
    Suzanne drew a sharp breath, picturing her children asleep in their beds and the questions the morning would almost certainly bring. "It won't be positive if they lose her."
    "She said she'd had nothing to come back to in England," Raoul said. "But from her hesitation, I'd say she had mixed feelings about returning to her homeland." He turned back to the molding and ran his fingers along it. A few minutes later a piece of the molding fell away in his hand and a packet of papers tied with buff-colored ribbon fell to the floor. "Everyone has secrets." Raoul said, stooping to pick them up. "But somehow with Miss Dudley I assume these are more than just love letters."
    He carried the papers over to the dressing table and set them in the light of the candles. Suzanne moved to stand beside him, aware of an unexpected dread coiling in her chest. Malcolm joined them and undid the first of the papers.
    10 February. Lord Worsley and Mr. Tanner came to dine along with the Davenports. They were discussing the possibility of a bill mitigating the penalties against the northern machine breakers. They were still talking about it when I brought the children into the drawing room. Mr. Rannoch and Lord Worsley seemed to disagree about tactics.
    11 February. Mrs. Rannoch went to a china warehouse today with Lady Cordelia and the children. Mr. Rannoch is speaking in the House. They've gone to a reception at the Austrian embassy this evening. All I overheard was a comment on the Esterhazys' chef having a heavy hand with the cream.
    It continued in the same vein. Dates and notes on where they had gone, whom they had had to dine, what they had discussed. Malcolm lifted his gaze to Suzanne. She felt the same realization shoot through both of them. Trust was a fragile thing, as they both knew well. And so easily broken.
    Malcolm said it first. "It seems Laura was spying on us."

Chapter 7
    Malcolm turned to Raoul. "Your instincts were right, O'Roarke."
    Raoul's mouth twisted as he looked down at the paper in his hand. "On the contrary. I'd decided Miss Dudley could be trusted."
    Suzanne stared at the paper and saw the face of the woman she'd trusted with her children. "I engaged her. I brought it into our home. Of all the idiotic—"
    "It's amazing how the cleverest agent can be deceived," Malcolm said.
    Suzanne met her husband's gaze. "Dearest—"
    "Don't be so hard on yourself, Suzette. At least you weren't sleeping with her." He looked at Raoul. "Was she your—"
    "You think I'd set a spy in your household?"
    "I can imagine more surprising things."
    Raoul's mouth lifted. "At the risk of ruining my reputation, I do have some scruples."
    Suzanne folded her arms over her chest. "Trenchard was an Elsinore League member, Trenchard knew about me. And hated Raoul."
    "It does seem likely." Raoul grimaced. "Odd. I'm less disappointed that Miss Dudley is a spy than with whom she was working for. Assuming it's Trenchard."
    "It would explain why she won't talk to us," Suzanne said.
    Raoul touched her arm. "Don't torture yourself until you know more, querida ."
    They examined the rest of the room but it yielded no further clues. "I have some contacts I can use to make inquiries about the Elsinore League," Raoul said. "Discreetly," he added at a look from Malcolm. "I presume you'll both be busy talking to Miss Dudley. I'll see you at the Carfax musicale. If you need to reach me before, you can leave word at Mivart's."
    Malcolm nodded, but when Raoul