Free Unmasking the Spy by Janet Kent Page B

the door
when it swung open from the other side.
    She smelled him before she saw
him. The cloying cologne caused an unpleasant taste in her mouth. Alicia took
an involuntary step back.
    Louis.
    The wispy frizz surrounding his
red head glowed pink in the setting sun. His pudgy face first registered
surprise, then machination.
    “Why, good afternoon, cousin,” he
said in a saccharine voice. “Heading to the garden?”
    Alicia thinned her lips. Denying
it was out of the question.
    She granted him a sharp nod.
    “Shall I join you?” he asked
innocently. Too innocently.
    Alicia hesitated. He had never
before displayed any interest in spending time with her. What plan could he be
hatching? She inclined her head as graciously as she could.
    “If you like,” she answered.
“Please allow me one moment to ask Aunt Beatrix if she–”
    “What’s the matter?” interrupted
Louis with a smirk. He tossed his head. “Afraid an unchaperoned walk with your
cousin might be construed as a compromising situation?”
    Alicia recoiled. Her suggestion
to fetch her aunt had been automatic. She had never considered how easily the
circumstances could be manipulated into a contrived disaster. The eleven days
remaining in her two-week reprieve could vanish in an instant.
    She narrowed her eyes. Forget it.
She’d visit the garden another time.
    Alicia turned on her heel and
stalked up the stairs to her room, the grating sound of Louis’ feral cackles
echoing behind her.
    *          *          *
    Later that night, Ian hugged his
arms around his chest, his silver-tipped black swordstick trapped underneath
one arm. Too bad there wasn’t a closer place to safely store his horse. He
rubbed his biceps with his gloved hands and lengthened his strides. Ian watched
each breath crystallize into frozen mist.
    The waxing moon shone big and
round, unhidden tonight by clouds. Nonetheless, the road was silent, save for
the sounds of his footfalls. The occasional croak of a frog or chirp of a
cricket kept him company as he walked. A sudden splash of color in the gloom
caught his eye.
    Wildflowers. Spring truly was
coming.
    Ian bent mid-stride and plucked a
few straggly blossoms. He brought the blooms to his nose. Too cold to smell the
petals properly. An icy breeze swept past, engulfing him in its damp chill.
Fragile stems crumpled as he shoved his hands into his pockets, flowers and
all. Ian lowered his head against the wind and strode even faster.
    He walked several long minutes
before he rounded a corner and stopped.
    Chadwick House. At last.
    Ian frowned as a candle flared
briefly in an upstairs window before being quickly extinguished. Who would be
up at this hour? Perhaps a late sleeper just off to bed. Ian took a step
forward then came to a standstill. What if the candle meant Elizabeth, rising
for a mid-night ramble? Ian hesitated before taking a determined step forward.
Unlikely. The candle had already been snuffed.
    He donned his mask, ducked down
and sprinted across the lawn.
    *          *          *
    Alicia woke herself from a vivid
nightmare. Caught in a compromising situation with Louis. God forbid she even
dream such a catastrophe could occur. Alicia’s hands shook with renewed rage.
She flung off her covers and sat up in her bed.
    Either she had been mistaken
about his lack of interest in her or Papa must be practically blackmailing
Louis to take her off his hands as soon as possible. Too bad. She had no intention
of standing idly by as her father coldly packaged her off to a convenient
cousin.
    Tonight, while he slept, she
would try again. It might be late enough already. Alicia cocked her head and
listened for snores. Her efforts were met with silence. She swung her legs off
the bed and stood upright. A hazy moonlight filtered through the rustling
trees, casting a dimly flickering pattern across the floor.
    She hated the thought of rifling
through Papa’s desk, but desperate times called for desperate