By the time James returned to his own house, his mother and Alice were waiting for him in the morning room.
“James, dearest.” His mother drew him into an embrace filled with unquestioning love. She simply held him, asking nothing of him despite the distance he had placed between them these past weeks. He had been so consumed by his search for answers that he had nearly forgotten what it meant to be a son.
She pulled back, studying him with a mother’s unnerving intuition. “There is something different about you,” she murmured. “You seem lighter. Happier. Does this have to do with Kate? Is there anything you wish to tell your mother?”
He should not be surprised that his mother could see the difference in him. Kate had helped him replace the jagged edges of his anger with hope. He would not stop his work as an agent for the Crown, but Kate’s love had chased away some of the darkness inside him. Still, he could not share the whole truth of what had shifted between them yet. Not until the danger had passed and their news could belong to joy instead of fear.
“Only that I am glad you are here, Mother.” He placed a light kiss on her cheek and turned to his sister.
“And you as well, Alice.” He drew Alice into an embrace next. He had seen her the previous autumn, but in the intervening months, his sixteen-year-old sister had transformed. She appeared far more like a young woman than the memory of the girl he carried in his head. They had once been quite close, and James felt a pang of regret at the distance he had allowed to grow between them. He would need to remedy that.
Alice peeked past him toward the doorway. “Is Kate coming? When may I see her?”
James laughed. Alice had always adored Kate. “Yes, she had a few matters to attend to, but she should be here presently. She is as eager to see you both as you are to see her.”
The next few hours passed in easy companionship, but James could not keep his mind from wandering to Kate. As the afternoon wore on, his concern grew. It was far past the hour he had expected her to arrive.
A knock sounded, and James was on his feet before Hadley entered the sitting room alone. “My lord, Lady Katherine is here and would like a private word with you in the drawing room.”
James did not fail to notice the silent understanding between his mother and sister as he excused himself. The thought that Kate might want more than a private word sent him toward the drawing room faster than dignity allowed. It had been far too long since he had felt her lips on his.
Those thoughts fled at the sight of Kate’s pale face, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. He strode forward and drew her close. She sank against him, trembling as her fingers twisted in his coat. “Kate, dearest.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “What happened? Are you hurt?” She shook her head against his chest.
“Please, tell me what is wrong.”
Fear gave way to anger. He had never seen her unraveled like this, even in Dover. Her fingers were icy even through his layers.
“I was followed,” she whispered.
Her words did not make sense at first.
“Followed?”
She nodded, still shaken. “As Tess and I walked from my house. I am certain of it.”
His entire body tensed. “Who? Who followed you?”
“I don’t know. I never saw his face, just movement in the shadows. Tess felt it too—the sense of someone keeping pace in the fog, that we were being watched. I fear I may have scandalized all of society by arriving in such an unseemly hurry, but I needed to see you.”
“You are not alone now, Kate.” He rubbed slow circles over her back.
The thought that someone had frightened her—that someone had even dared—snapped something cold and dangerous inside him.
He had faced many enemies over the years without flinching. But the idea of someone hunting Kate? That was not a challenge he would let go unanswered. They had come near her. Whether they knew her identity or meant only to frighten James through her, the message was clear.
Either way, they had misjudged what James would do to stop them.
By the next morning, Kate’s fear had become his. Hugh told him a servant had reported a strange carriage lingering outside their house. Similar reports of unease reached him from trusted sources, and even Jimmy was unnerved when he showed up on his doorstep. No one would speak to him for fear of reprisal. James did not want the boy to become a target because of his inquiries and instructed him to stay with Mrs. Bates for the day.
He could not dismiss it all as coincidence or nerves. The enemy was closer to home than James had thought. It was a warning.
The fire snapped and hissed in James’s study that afternoon as Kate, Westmarch, Hugh, Alex, William, and Nicholas took their places around the room. Hugh lowered himself carefully into an armchair by the hearth, while Westmarch stood by the mantel with the air of a man already directing the room.
Alex remained posted at the door, carefully assessing the windows and exits before settling his focus on Westmarch. William and Nicholas arranged themselves beside the desk, and Kate stayed near the fire. Even the warmth could not overcome the chill pressing against the glass.
Each had already been told enough to understand the stakes. Now they needed a plan.
“The Privy Council matter has been addressed,” Westmarch said. “Quietly. The necessary men have been warned, the arrangements altered, and the true date and details restricted to those who must know.”
