“Are you ready?” he asked.
Kate met his gaze squarely. “With you? Always.”
They walked in together, joining Westmarch and their friends. Alex stood at the mantel, arms crossed. William had already claimed the chair nearest the ledger pages. Hugh’s usual brightness had dimmed, and Nicholas, for once, was not smiling. Kate rubbed her wrists as she sat beside James, haunted by the ghost of the ropes and the terror of watching him fight Henry before she could free herself.
Westmarch stood by the desk and addressed William and Alex. “Before we go further, the two of you should understand what you are agreeing to. James, Hugh, Kate, and Nicholas already know the nature of this work. You do not. This is not drawing room gossip. If you remain, you keep what you hear in confidence and accept the risk that comes with knowing it.”
Alex remained unmoved. “I saw enough last night. Ignorance will not make any of us safer.”
William tapped a finger on the ledger pages. “If these men are hiding behind contracts, property leases, and false accounts, I may be of some use. I would like to help.”
“And if someone needs to be taught a lesson in the ring,” Nicholas said, “I presume you are available to help with that too?”
William smiled. “I promise to look into the matter personally.”
James waited until Nicholas’s grin faded, then relayed everything he and Kate had learned from the previous night and from Thomas. Kate watched the knowledge settle over them asJames spoke. Henry had chosen treachery, and none of them yet knew what that would cost.
When James finished, Westmarch said, “Thomas Whitlock is indeed an ally. I have trusted him for years, and his connections as a Runner may prove useful. I recruited Henry on Thomas’s recommendation. Neither of us could have imagined what Henry would become, but I bear the responsibility for bringing him into this work.”
“Where is Henry now?” Hugh asked.
“Alive,” Westmarch said. “For now, that fact is known only to those present, Thomas, and the men guarding Henry.”
James leaned forward. “Does the Circle know where he is?”
“They know last night’s attempt failed,” Westmarch said. “Whether they know Henry is in custody, I am not certain.”
Alex’s arms crossed more tightly. “How long before they discover it?”
“Not long,” Westmarch said. “Which is why we must use the uncertainty while we have it.”
Kate could wait no longer. She had to know. “And Mr. Ashcombe?”
Westmarch’s mouth hardened into a grim line. “Henry admitted to precious little when questioned, but he did confess to killing Ashcombe. He had followed you to the inn and overheard enough of Ashcombe’s conversation with you to recognize him as a risk.”
“So Henry silenced him,” Kate said.
James’s hand found hers beneath the table.
“Kate,” said Westmarch, “his death is not yours to carry. That belongs to Henry alone.”
“And the other two men apprehended last night?” Alex asked.
“More afraid of the Circle than of any jail cell or hangman’s noose,” Westmarch said. “I suspect their families were threatened, though neither man will say as much.”
James studied Westmarch. “But they gave you something.”
Westmarch nodded. “A target. Sir Geoffrey Cavendish, Second Lord of the Treasury.”
William sat forward. “Cavendish has been reviewing government contracts.”
“Yes,” Westmarch said. “Had Cavendish died, so would his inquiries. The Circle would have removed one danger to their plans and sown panic through the circles preparing for the Privy Council.”
“Then Kate’s abduction wasn’t part of their plans?” James asked.
“No,” Westmarch replied. “Henry used the ball as cover for his own purposes.”
“To reach James,” Kate said quietly.
