Читать книгу Brazen in Blue - Rachael Miles - Страница 13

Chapter Six

“He’ll do it.” Joseph Pasten lifted a basket filled with food into the carriage. Shutting the door behind him, Joe settled into his seat. “But I still think it’s a bad idea. His feelings for Lady Emmeline divide his loyalties.”

Mr. James, Joe’s superior officer and the mastermind of the Home Office, waited inside the carriage, his legs outstretched on the seat, his back bolstered by pillows. If it hadn’t been for Joe’s care, he would have died at Waterloo. But, even so, the ravages of his wounds couldn’t be hidden or overlooked. The tip of a sword had destroyed his once-handsome face, splitting it open from forehead to jaw, barely missing his eye, but slicing through the edge of his mouth. The parts had knit together unevenly, joined along the length by a thick, uneven scar. Seen from one side, he was still an angel; from the other, the devil himself.

“You may be right. I had predicted he would stay away.” Mr. James shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. “But we should be grateful. Had Montclair remained in town, my brother—I mean Lord Colin—would likely be married now.”

“You don’t usually make such a mistake.” Joe shifted the pillows that supported Mr. James’s back and leg and rearranged the blanket across his legs. “It wasn’t wise to come, Benjamin. It puts too much strain on your body.”

“I’ll survive—I always do with you to care for me.” When Benjamin smiled, his cheek from the edge of his mouth to his ear remained motionless, making him appear either clownish or terrifying, depending on the light. “I wanted to see my family together. The worst thing about being dead is missing all the gatherings: weddings, holidays, births, deaths.”

“They mourn you even now, Aidan most of all. Perhaps it’s time to tell one of them you are alive. Lady Judith could keep your secret.” Joe knew that the argument would go nowhere, but he had to try. “Or Lord Clive. He is known to be a fine surgeon. He could look at your leg.”

“If Aidan would remain duke and let me live in the shadows, I would try. But he would insist on stepping aside. I would be miserable as duke, and you as well.” Benjamin leaned forward to put his hand on Joe’s knee. “Death has its advantages, Joe. I have my family in you.”

Moved with sudden emotion, Joe tapped the ceiling, and the carriage began to move out of the yard. “I merely follow the Prince Regent’s orders. I’m to take good care of the hero who died for his country and now spends his afterlife in a hidden office suite, poring over information the way Wellington used to pore over maps.”

“So you have told me.” Benjamin leaned his head back, tired. “And you rarely make such a mistake with my name either. I’m Mr. James now, remember.”

“I’m too old to change.” Joe traced the lines of exhaustion and pain in Benjamin’s face. “As for Lady Emmeline and Montclair, I’m not certain this plan is going to work. It requires Lady Emmeline’s cooperation, and that didn’t end well before.”

“Yes, but Montclair is the only man Lord Colin would trust to manage the search. Anyone else, and Lord Colin would have felt obligated to search for her himself. Besides, if she’s given us such a gift as to run away from her estate and her obligations, we should take advantage of it. With Charters extending his reach across the country and the Continent, we must find him.”

“I told Montclair we have a plan to ensure her cooperation.” Joe removed two plates and some table linen from a drawer beneath the seat, then took several jars and packages of food from the basket.

“We’ll need the help of a solicitor for it to work.” Benjamin watched Joe prepare their meal, his hands deliberate and efficient.

“I wish you’d mentioned that.” Joe buttered a slice of bread and handed it to Benjamin. “Aldine was here escorting Miss Equiano.”

“No, we’ll need someone more willing to twist the law to suit our ends.” Benjamin took a bite of his bread, then closed his eyes.

“That’s half the lawyers at the Inns of Court.”

“Then choose one of those.” Benjamin’s smile split across the sides of his face, half warm, half terrifying. “We need one especially good at breaking wills.”