eyes, but his hooded expression told her nothing. “Why would my presence here cause my husband trouble?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Then please just tell me where he is.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“You can’t, or you won’t? Or perhaps you don’t know where he is yourself?”
He sighed. “At the present time, my lady, all apply.”
“Might my husband be a spy, Mr. Scovell?”
He raised shaggy brows. “Surely you don’t expect me to give you information regarding the army’s intelligence services.”
“I’m not easily fobbed off, Mr. Scovell.”
“I quite see that,” he said thoughtfully. “Do you have a carriage waiting?”
She jumped up, her heart pounding in unison with her head. “I came in a hackney. I’ll walk.”
“That will not do. This is not a country estate. A soldier will escort you home in my carriage.” He called to his aide. When the man appeared, Scovell barked orders at him and sent him hurrying from the room.
“There’s really no need. I’m sure to find a hackney.”
“Most unwise. I must ask you to be careful who you take into your confidence, Lady Halcrow.”
“Unless you can tell me why, I can’t see how I’ll know who to be careful about,” she said, her voice rising with her frustration.
His mouth thinned, but his manner remained annoying cool. “Just know that, by your actions, you might place the earl’s life at risk.”
Selina leveled him with a scowl, hiding how anxious his words had made her. “How can I possibly harm him just by being here in London?”
“Don’t doubt that Napoléon’s spies will resort to using you to gain information.”
“Then they would be wasting their time. I have nothing of importance to tell them.”
“More than you think. You are asking questions where prying eyes might be watching.”
Sheer black fright swept through her. “Can you at least tell me if Lord Halcrow is still in London?”
He shook his head and tapped a finger to his nose.
“Then good day to you.” She snatched up her reticule and left his office, not waiting for him to reply. Outside the building, an armed soldier waited by the carriage. One glance at his rifle and she didn’t feel strong enough to argue. Burdened by Scovell’s stark warning, she could do little but allow him to escort her back to Park Lane. She mounted the steps. The soldier closed the door after her.
During the carriage ride, Selina tried to make sense of what Mr. Scovell had hinted at. French spies were operating secretly in London. Was Devereux one of them? Could he have gone over to the French? Was that why Scovell refused to tell her? She dismissed that out of hand. He might not even be in England, perhaps behind enemy lines at this very moment. She shivered.
She’d been foolish to come to London. Devereux would be angry, but he had himself to blame. He could have written, told her to stay with her sister until he contacted her. Or had he been suddenly whisked away? Frobisher had said Devereux left of his own free will, so that didn’t fit. Clasping her hands, she wound her wedding ring around her finger. She could make sense of none of it. Devereux had said he would never be cruel or lie to her. Instead, he kept her in the dark, which now seemed even crueler.
Selina spent the rest of the week with Mrs. Hawkins, whose manner toward her had warmed. The house appeared to be efficiently run. There was little for her to do, except discuss the menus with the housekeeper. She felt oddly like an interloper and roamed the leafy Mayfair streets with Sarah, where extensive building was taking place.
Selina’s arrival in London had been noted, however, for several invitations arrived, and the butler presented her with gilt-edged visiting cards on a silver salver. Not confident to deal with strangers, she instructed him to make her excuses. If Devereux didn’t come soon, she would return to Halcrow Hall. She was rapidly becoming exhausted at hiding
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Then please just tell me where he is.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“You can’t, or you won’t? Or perhaps you don’t know where he is yourself?”
He sighed. “At the present time, my lady, all apply.”
“Might my husband be a spy, Mr. Scovell?”
He raised shaggy brows. “Surely you don’t expect me to give you information regarding the army’s intelligence services.”
“I’m not easily fobbed off, Mr. Scovell.”
“I quite see that,” he said thoughtfully. “Do you have a carriage waiting?”
She jumped up, her heart pounding in unison with her head. “I came in a hackney. I’ll walk.”
“That will not do. This is not a country estate. A soldier will escort you home in my carriage.” He called to his aide. When the man appeared, Scovell barked orders at him and sent him hurrying from the room.
“There’s really no need. I’m sure to find a hackney.”
“Most unwise. I must ask you to be careful who you take into your confidence, Lady Halcrow.”
“Unless you can tell me why, I can’t see how I’ll know who to be careful about,” she said, her voice rising with her frustration.
His mouth thinned, but his manner remained annoying cool. “Just know that, by your actions, you might place the earl’s life at risk.”
Selina leveled him with a scowl, hiding how anxious his words had made her. “How can I possibly harm him just by being here in London?”
“Don’t doubt that Napoléon’s spies will resort to using you to gain information.”
“Then they would be wasting their time. I have nothing of importance to tell them.”
“More than you think. You are asking questions where prying eyes might be watching.”
Sheer black fright swept through her. “Can you at least tell me if Lord Halcrow is still in London?”
He shook his head and tapped a finger to his nose.
“Then good day to you.” She snatched up her reticule and left his office, not waiting for him to reply. Outside the building, an armed soldier waited by the carriage. One glance at his rifle and she didn’t feel strong enough to argue. Burdened by Scovell’s stark warning, she could do little but allow him to escort her back to Park Lane. She mounted the steps. The soldier closed the door after her.
During the carriage ride, Selina tried to make sense of what Mr. Scovell had hinted at. French spies were operating secretly in London. Was Devereux one of them? Could he have gone over to the French? Was that why Scovell refused to tell her? She dismissed that out of hand. He might not even be in England, perhaps behind enemy lines at this very moment. She shivered.
She’d been foolish to come to London. Devereux would be angry, but he had himself to blame. He could have written, told her to stay with her sister until he contacted her. Or had he been suddenly whisked away? Frobisher had said Devereux left of his own free will, so that didn’t fit. Clasping her hands, she wound her wedding ring around her finger. She could make sense of none of it. Devereux had said he would never be cruel or lie to her. Instead, he kept her in the dark, which now seemed even crueler.
Selina spent the rest of the week with Mrs. Hawkins, whose manner toward her had warmed. The house appeared to be efficiently run. There was little for her to do, except discuss the menus with the housekeeper. She felt oddly like an interloper and roamed the leafy Mayfair streets with Sarah, where extensive building was taking place.
Selina’s arrival in London had been noted, however, for several invitations arrived, and the butler presented her with gilt-edged visiting cards on a silver salver. Not confident to deal with strangers, she instructed him to make her excuses. If Devereux didn’t come soon, she would return to Halcrow Hall. She was rapidly becoming exhausted at hiding
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