Free The Reluctant Earl by C.J. Chase Page A

handwriting.”
    “I see I was right about your special talents.”
    “So what else happened in Northamptonshire?”
    “I discovered a member of my brother-in-law’s staff searching my room.” Julian hesitated, his thoughts harkening to those moments in his bedchamber when he’d first encountered Miss Vance. “She claims she receives remuneration for her activities.”
    “Selling government information gleaned from Sotherton? Did you inform your brother-in-law?”
    “Not yet. I came to see you instead.”
    “If she is telling the truth about her compensation, that indicates planning. And funding.”
    “And collaboration with either a hostile power or revolutionaries within our own country. If what I surmise is true, there will be further unrest.”
    “The current hardships add impetus to their cause. Men with hungry bellies are easily led. Such as I.” Harrison eyed his empty bowl as he refolded the note and returned it to Julian.
    “My original objective was to determine the letter’s veracity—and if true, bring my father’s killers to justice. But it seems I chanced upon something greater than my poor troubles.”
    “Tell me about the informant.”
    Julian hesitated, strangely reluctant to reveal her identity. “My niece’s governess, Miss Vance.”
    “The governess?” Harrison’s widening eyes revealed his first surprise of the day. “Been with the family for long?”
    “Eight years.”
    “So she could have begun her enterprise during the war, selling Sotherton’s secrets to the French.”
    Nausea roiled the broth in Julian’s belly. He pictured Miss Vance’s frayed coat and vintage gown. “If she did, she hasn’t spent her ill-gotten gains on her attire.”
    “A smart woman wouldn’t.”
    And she was that. “She seems quite close to her charge.” And yet she was betraying the Sothertons for a fee. Surely the woman who had claimed her cynicism stemmed from a French shell wouldn’t have conspired with England’s enemies. “However, I don’t know if she’ll remain with the family after my niece’s comeout in the spring.”
    “Eight years is long enough to form significant connections in the neighborhood. Someone knows her well enough to realize she’d be receptive to betraying Lord Sotherton.”
    The serving girl collected the empty bowls. Julian placed a few coins on the table and earned a gap-toothed smile. “I suspect my sister is a demanding employer.”
    “So demanding a woman would betray her country to settle her grudge?”
    Julian rose from his seat, his thoughts turning back to Miss Vance’s comment about evil and the disparity of power. “She seems to feel injustice keenly.”
    “So she might believe her actions justified.”
    “I meant such an idealistic nature would be unlikely to have sided with the Corsican tyrant during the war.”
    Harrison pulled on his gloves, the side of one finger visible through a rent in the fabric. “You seem wont to defend her, my lord. What are you going to do about her?”
    “I’ve hired her to pass on my messages to her compatriots. I left her instructions to inform them of my suspicions regarding their involvement in my father’s death.”
    “That could be dangerous to you, my lord.”
    “Then I’d have my answer.”
    “If her sympathies lie with the radicals, your offer of remuneration might not be enough to buy her loyalty. I don’t suppose you left any bogus messages in your chamber before you left.”
    “To test her credibility?” The wind whipped against him as he exited the building. Julian turned up the collar of his cloak. Once before he’d entrusted a subordinate with a confidential communication, only to find himself deceived. He would do well to remember that. “I’ll do that when I return to Rowan Abbey. Perhaps a letter suggesting the government intends to crack down on the growing unrest and will be sending troops to Wellingborough will garner their attention. Will you accept the position?”
    “Only a