“The best outcome would have been not kidnapping me in the first place,” Henri retorted. “But since Lord Trenwith seems incapable of properly explaining why such drastic action was necessary, how can I possibly allow such a man to control my future? If he cannot trust me with the truth about his motives, how can I trust him with my life?”
Mr. Tyne was quiet for several minutes, and Henri could see him wrestling with some internal conflict. When he finally spoke, his voice carried a conviction that surprised her.
“Miss Bigsby, I have worked for Lord Trenwith for many years, and I will tell you this. He is the most honorable man I have ever had the privilege to serve. Yes, he is intensely private. Yes, even after all these years in his employ, I cannot claim to have a good sense of what my master is thinking most of the time. But his loyalty and honor are beyond reproach.”
Henri studied the secretary’s earnest face, noting the genuine conviction in his pale eyes. “You truly believe that, don’t you?”
“I do,” Mr. Tyne replied without hesitation. “I may not understand his methods, Miss Bigsby, but I am certain there was a good reason he elected to behave in such a … dastardly fashion.Lord Trenwith is not a man who acts without attention to the greater good.”
“Then why will he not explain his reasons to me?” Henri demanded. “If his motives are so noble, why all the secrecy and evasion?”
Mr. Tyne hesitated, then reached some internal decision. “He may not trust you, perhaps not even me, with the full details of his work. But you can certainly trust him, Miss Bigsby. Open his heart, and I am sure you will find it as bottomless as the Atlantic Ocean. Monsieur Grantham would lay down his life for you.”
Henri tilted her head, studying the secretary’s expression. “Yes, I keep hearing about Monsieur Grantham.”
He winced visibly. “Lord Trenwith uses that name when he is engaged in sensitive matters. I fear I cannot say more than that without betraying his confidence.”
“Sensitive matters,” Henri repeated slowly. “Diplomatic work, I assume? Intelligence, too, I presume? Something that requires him to maintain a false identity while in France?”
The secretary’s uncomfortable silence was answer enough.
Henri rose from the bed and moved to the window, gazing out at the harbor view where ships bobbed at anchor in the gray water, their masts creating a forest of vertical lines against the overcast sky. Somewhere among those vessels might be her passage back to England, if she could find a way to reach them. But, if she did so, would she imperil the men Gabriel would not talk about?
“Mr. Tyne,” she said without turning from the window, “I appreciate your loyalty to your employer. Truly, I do. But you must understand my position. I am being asked to marry a man who refuses to explain why he destroyed my life, who conducts his business under false names, who apparently considers kidnapping an acceptable solution to his problems. Would you advise your own sister to accept such a proposal?”
When she turned back to face him, Mr. Tyne looked deeply troubled. “Miss Bigsby, I … that is … the circumstances are highly unusual …”
“Indeed they are,” Henri agreed. “And until Lord Trenwith sees fit to treat me as an intelligent adult capable of understanding those circumstances, I see no reason to consider his proposal seriously.”
She returned to her seat on the bed, noting how Mr. Tyne’s distress increased with every word she spoke. “I do not doubt that you believe in your employer’s essential goodness, Mr. Tyne. But belief is not the same as knowledge, and I require rather more substantial evidence before entrusting my future to a man I barely know.”
“But Miss Bigsby,” the secretary began desperately, “your reputation?—”
“Will survive or it will not,” Henri interrupted with more confidence than she felt. “But I will not surrender my independence to preserve it. There are other options available to a woman of education and determination.”
Mr. Tyne stared at her with obvious dismay, clearly unprepared for such stubborn resistance to what he saw as the obvious solution to her predicament. Henri almost felt sorry for him. He was clearly a good man caught in an impossible situation, trying to serve both his employer’s interests and his own sense of moral obligation.
“Is there anything I can say to convince you to reconsider?” he asked finally.
Henri considered the question seriously. “Lord Trenwith could start by treating me as an equal rather than a problem to be managed. He could explain his work, his reasons for bringing me here, his plans for resolving this situation. He could demonstrate that he sees me as a partner rather than a possession.”
“And if he were to do those things?” Mr. Tyne pressed.
Henri met his gaze steadily. “Then I would consider his proposal on its merits rather than dismissing it out of hand. But until that happens, Mr. Tyne, I’m afraid your employer will have to find another way to solve the problem he has created.”
The secretary slumped back in his chair, looking defeated. Henri commiserated, caught as he was between his loyalty to Gabriel and his obvious distress at her situation. But she would not be swayed by pity or guilt. Her future was too important to sacrifice on the altar of someone else’s convenience, no matter how honorable their intentions might be.
Outside, the church bells began to toll the noon hour. Henri wondered what Gabriel was doing at this moment, whether he was conducting his mysterious negotiations or plotting his next attempt to convince her to accept his proposal.
Whatever his plans, she would be ready for them. She had made her position clear to Mr. Tyne, and to Gabriel himself. Now it remained to be seen whether Lord Trenwith was capable of the honesty and trust that any real partnership would require.
Henri suspected she would not have long to wait for her answer.
Gabriel emergedfrom his morning meeting with Étienne feeling both elated and cautiously optimistic. Word had arrived from Paris that the King’s counsel was reviewing their negotiated treaty with favorable attention. Étienne expected the approved documents to be returned within a couple of days. Maybe as soon as tomorrow.
After weeks of delicate negotiations, they were finally approaching the conclusion. The agreement that would securethe release of the English agents was tantalizingly close to completion. Soon Gabriel would be free to return to England and address the more personal matters that had complicated his life so dramatically. The mystery of the manuscript needed to be resolved, and he needed to learn what Miss Bigsby’s involvement was once he could secure some spirit of cooperation with her. Her situation weighed heavily on his thoughts.
The afternoon hours passed quickly as Gabriel focused his attention on Miss Bigsby’s sketch and the manuscript pages he had been working on. With the negotiations essentially complete and only the formality of royal approval remaining, he could dedicate his full attention to unraveling the mystery that had led him to Danbury’s estate.
