Page 48 of When the Duke Met His Match

“We can take advantage of the weakness with him dead. England will be ours for the taking,” Fergus sneered.

Odette couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and her heart lodged in her throat.

“This war isn’t over yet. We’ll meet at the Red Sparrow tonight. Our informant will be there, and we can further discuss the details before we begin.”

Glancing at Theophilus, she mouthed wordlessly, “What’s the Red Sparrow?”

Theophilus shrugged with his back pressed to the wall, mirroring her stance despite being unable to see. He didn’t know either.

The shuffle of footsteps sent panic shooting through her, and Odette quickly grabbed his hand, pulling him into a different alley. They were cloaked by darkness, which only added to her uneasiness.

The boots approached them and walked through where they had been as the group disbanded, surely off to continue their scheming. Theophilus’ hand held hers tightly while they waited until the alley was clear of all others.

Turning to face him fully, Odette searched his eyes for answers, her breathing labored.

She didn’t know what to say or how to react to what she heard.

While she had been an integral part of her rebel group when the war was at its worst, Odette had never been a part of any assassination plans. She gave the men funds whenever she could to help keep the French motivated and fighting, but she never bet on taking down the king.

Clearly, the group’s ambitions had changed drastically since the end of the war, and things were not looking good.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

THEOPHILUS

Odette gazed at Theophilus with a look of bewilderment. She blinked repeatedly, struggling to find the words to express her thoughts. Theophilus, too, was at a loss for words, and an uneasy silence descended upon them, punctuated only by the sound of their heavy breathing.

“This can’t be happening,” she murmured to herself, looking around the alley as if answers were written on the bricks around her. Her desperate gaze returned to him. “Did we just stumble on a plan to assassinate the king?”

Theophilus cursed loudly, his voice reverberating between the buildings that surrounded them.

He had been so close to getting them to France and away from all the troubles chasing them from London.

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. “This is bad—horribly bad. How can we board that ship and leave knowing the king’s life is in danger?”

Odette looked back at him with defeat pulling her features down. “I may have hated the crown for what they did to my home country, but it was never my hope to see the king forcibly removed.”

“I wouldn’t blame you for hating every English soldier for what has happened, and a part of me holds that resentment too. But I don’t know if I could abandon my country, my king, or my duty.”

She seemed to understand that statement, for it had been her truth as well. She put her own life and reputation on the line to fight for her country. She even gave up her freedom for those men she trusted once.

“What are we going to do?”

Theophilus scrubbed a hand down his face and shook his head. He paced the alleyway, lost in thought. “I don’t know.”

“We can’t just stand here.”

“We need a plan.”

“I wish I could help, but I’m at a loss,” she admitted with worry laced in her eyes. “I never suspected any of this.”

He paused and considered a kernel of an idea that entered his mind. He met her gaze. “We cannot stay here, not with the bounty on our heads. There’s no denying that.” Conviction spread through his body, and he pointed at her like he had cracked a case. “But if you and I can uncover the details of this plot and prevent it from happening, it could be our ticket to acquittal.”

Odette stared back at him in disbelief, lips parted but seemingly unable to speak.

Taking a step forward, he gently held her arms. “We could return to England without being labeled as traitors. It could be exactly what we need, so long as we succeed.”

As she looked back at him, he could sense the conflict and disappointment coursing through her, surely shocked by the lengths her old crew members were willing to go to.