Saybrook swallowed a snort. “Very touching—but that raises even more questions about why you are here.”
“I’m getting to that,” replied Wolff. “Knowing that I would be bored to perdition beingtoorespectable, I informed Grentham that I was living in Hamburg, where—given that it is a trading hub between northern Europe and Russia—it seemed that I might be useful to him. The British Navy, after all, depends on essential shipbuilding materials from the region, so it’s a strategic area for Britain’s security.”
Wolff allowed a ghost of a smile. “The minister had gone through a great deal of trouble to establish my credentials as Count von Wolfram. It would have been a pity to waste them.”
“Very well, we now know you’re happily married and established as part of Grentham’s clandestine network of agents, doing important work,” mused Arianna. “And yet, you’re willing to risk it all by undertaking a dangerous mission like this?”
Her gaze locked with his. “What’s the connection with Madame Gruzinsky?”
“She is . . .” He drew in a ragged breath. “That is, she was an old and dear friend of Jelena. They were both adventuresses, and their paths often crossed in the palaces of the German principalities, where there were rich, idle gentlemen ready and willing to be parted from their money. A few times, they even schemed together.”
Arianna could well imagine why two clever, independent women would bond. It wasn’t easy trying to forge a life for oneself in a world where men made all the rules.
“And during a particularly dangerous undertaking, Anna-Maria saved Jelena’s life.”
She had never seen Wolff look so deadly serious.
“Jelena was devastated to hear of the baroness’s murder—naturally, Grentham, who knew of the connection between them, alerted me right away—and she implored me to help discover her dear friend’s killer and ensure that those behind the crime are brought to justice.”
“Go home, Wolffy, and leave this to us,” said Arianna abruptly. “We’ll have the captain alter course to drop you back in Hamburg. You can tell Jelena that Sandro and I have given our word to see that her friend gets the justice she deserves.”
He made a face. “I don’t blame you for saying that. In the past, my first instinct was always to save my own skin. But as I said, I seem to have acquired a conscience.”
“In good conscience, you can leave the fight to us,” offered Saybrook. “Think on it. You have a lot to lose.”
Wolff gave him a challenging stare. “As if you two don’t?”
“We’re used to risking our necks. You aren’t.”
“That’s not entirely fair,” countered Wolff. “If you recall, I took a bullet for you.”
“Is there nothing we can say to convince you?” asked Arianna. Wolff had his faults—a great many of them, in fact. But she loved him dearly and hated to put his newfound happiness in jeopardy.
“No.”
The wind kicked up, the swirling gusts drumming against the taut sail canvas.
“Then dare we hope that you have some information that may help shed light on why Madame Gruzinsky was involved in the intrigue of Tsar Alexander’s missing medallion?”
“As a matter of fact . . .” Wolff shifted, making a show of rolling the kinks from his shoulders as he looked around to ensure that no one had come within earshot.
“We received a recent note from Anna-Maria—I assume she sent it as she was traveling to London.” He turned back to the railing and eased a piece of paper out of his glove.
With a quick sleight of hand, he passed it to Arianna.
They continued to converse for several minutes before she worked it open. After a quick read, she slipped it back to him.
“There was only one sentence written on the page,” she said to Saybrook. “Look to The Redeemer.”
The earl frowned. “Do you or your wife have any idea as to what that might mean?”
“Not a clue,” replied Wolff. “But my guess is, the sooner we find out, the better.”
Chapter10
“What a relief.”Sophia repressed a shiver as she squinted through the floating mist at the ghostly silhouettes rising up from the sea. “I was beginning to wonder whether we would ever get here.”
It had been a very rough voyage, with heavy squalls in the North Sea turning into a full-blown autumn storm as they passed Copenhagen and the archipelago that formed the entrance to the Baltic Sea. Accustomed to the vagaries of ocean travel, Arianna, Saybrook, and Wolff had enjoyed daily walks on the quarterdeck and meals with Captain Griswold despite the filthy weather. But Sophia and Prescott had suffered from bouts of seasickness and spent a goodly amount of time confined to their cabins for the past ten days.
