His friend brought his gaze up. “Caleb,” he greeted. “Come join us.”
Caleb shook his head. “I need to speak to you. Privately, if you don’t mind.”
Roswell must have heard the seriousness in his tone because he promptly put his cards down. “I shall be right back.”
Anette followed suit and rose. “I shall join you.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Caleb said. “I just need to speak to Roswell.”
With a mischievous smile, Anette responded, “You don’t need to beg, Caleb. I would be happy to hear what you wish to say.”
Knowing the urgency of the situation and aware he was in a losing battle with his sister, Caleb relented, “All right. You may join us.”
“How gracious of you, Brother,” Anette said.
Caleb stepped back into the hall and waited for Roswell and Anette to do the same. Once they were alone, he spoke in a hushed tone, “Simone believes that Victor is going to usegrenades at the ball this evening to assassinate General Merrell and the attending members of the House of Lords.”
Anette gasped. “Why would he do such a thing? That could kill hundreds of people, along with the general and members of the peerage.”
“I know, which is why we have to stop him,” Caleb said before addressing his next comment to Roswell. “I need you to go find Fredrick and inform him that we need his help to convince General Merrell to abandon the ball, along with the members of the House of Lords.”
Roswell nodded. “Fredrick is familiar with General Merrell. He mentioned working with him on multiple occasions while serving under Wellington.”
“Good, that association will come in handy,” Caleb said.
“Why do you suspect they are targeting General Merrell, as well?” Roswell asked. “Not that I am questioning it, but I am merely curious.”
With a slight shrug, Caleb replied, “The general is Wellington’s right-hand man and has won many key battles against the French. If he died, it would leave a leadership void in the war efforts.”
Anette spoke up. “What will you have me do?”
Caleb turned to his sister. “You have a very important task of ensuring Mother goes nowhere near that ball this evening.”
“Why not tell her the truth?” Anette asked.
With a lifted brow, Caleb questioned, “Do you want to explain to Mother how we know that there is a pending attack?”
Anette looked thoughtful. “Good point,” she replied. “I will think of something.”
“I need to go speak to Kendrick about this. He must know what is going on,” Caleb stated. “Oh, and Lord Hungerton is a French spy. Do not trust a word out of his mouth.”
Roswell didn’t seem fazed by his words. “I understand.Also, I will go round up Greydon so he can help look for Victor.”
“Good idea. We need all the help we can get,” Caleb said.
With a solemn look, Roswell encouraged, “Be careful. I have seen the destruction that can be caused by a single grenade. If what you are saying is true, I can’t imagine the devastation that could be caused by multiple grenades in a ballroom.”
Caleb tipped his head. “If you will excuse me, I will see you at the ball this evening. Ensure that you bring your pistol with you.”
“I always do,” Roswell said.
Knowing time was of the essence, Caleb hurried out of the townhouse and was about to step into the waiting carriage when he noticed a shadowed figure already inside.
“Do come in,” a familiar voice said.
Caleb recognized Kendrick’s voice and went to sit across from him. “I see that you got my message.”
“I did, but it was rather vague,” Kendrick said. “Although, I am glad that you were able to rescue Lady Hungerton and she is safe from her husband’s clutches. For now.”
