Page 30 of A Rogue at Stonecliffe

Sloane’s jaw clenched. He had sworn he’d never work for Asquith again, but here he was, just like Verity, being pulled back into the man’s web. “I want to talk to this French agent who gave you this information.”

“Ah. Well.” Asquith sighed. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. He died in his cell. Hanged himself.”

“That’s certainly convenient.”

“Not for me,” Asquith retorted. “I’m sure I could have discovered more, given time. He may not have wanted to face the scandal or maybe he did it to keep from telling me what I wanted to know.” He paused. “Or...maybe the man we’re looking for got to him, even in jail.”

Sloane sighed. “Very well. I’ll do what you want because it’s the only way to make sure Annabeth is safe. But I am not going to tell her that her father was a traitor, and neither are you or anyone else. I didn’t give her up for her to find that out now.”

“Whatever you say,” Asquith said agreeably. “Though I’m not sure how you’ll explain all this to her.”

“I’ll figure it out,” Sloane said tersely.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ANNABETH PACED BACK and forth across the room, as she had been doing since Sloane’s abrupt departure. Petunia had trotted along with her the first few times, but she grew disinterested when the activity did not result in treats and went back to sleep on her pillow at Lady Lockwood’s feet.

“Do sit down, Annabeth,” Lady Lockwood said. “You’re making me dizzy. Pacing won’t make him return any earlier. And neither will looking out the front window every few seconds. Worry does nothing for the passage of time.”

“I’m not worried... I’m... I don’t know what I am.” Annabeth’s first feeling—after complete astonishment—had been hurt. Sloane hadn’t told her that he was working for the British. All this time he had let her believe the worst. As if she was nobody to him. It didn’t matter to him that she had been wounded inside by the rumors that he was working for the French, that she had hurt for him. And when he left her—had what he told her been a lie? Had he not trusted her enough to tell her the truth? Not cared enough to ease her hurt a bit with the real explanation?

Next to all that, the betrayal by her maid was only a minor hurt. Still, Annabeth had liked Judy, trusted her. And Judy hadn’t even been real. She’d been Verity, a woman who was using her. It was foolish, she supposed, that she’d let herself believe they had become something like friends.

Nathan’s sweet attempts to soothe her were more than she could bear, and so she excused herself to go up and repair the damage done to her this afternoon. Annabeth changed clothes and washed away the dirt and put her hair back in place, then sat for a moment to gather herself together. But the longer she sat, the more she thought, and the more her wounded feelings turned into anger. Sloane and Verity were the ones who had been in the wrong, and then they had just run off without a word of explanation about whatever bizarre thing was going on.

None of it made any sense, and it would be just like Sloane to never return to tell them anything about it. Well, that was not going to happen. Annabeth wasn’t as meek and mild as everyone seemed to think; there was a bit of her grandmother in her, after all. If they didn’t return, she would hunt Sloane down and make him tell her.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to set up a hunting party. Nathan was in the midst of giving her and Lady Lockwood what Annabeth was sure was a highly expurgated account of his and Sloane’s search this afternoon when there was the sound of a carriage outside. Annabeth flew to the window and saw Sloane and Verity descending from a hack. Annabeth returned to the sofa and sat beside Nathan, doing her best not to look as if she had been pacing the floor for the better part of two hours.

The butler didn’t bother to announce them since Sloane paid no attention to such niceties and just strode into the drawing room. Even though she was furious at him, Annabeth’s heart lifted at the sight of him, and the anger in her chest was joined by excitement. How could he still affect her this way when she had long ago ground him out of her heart? Why did that wild black hair and those piercing blue eyes still send a spark sizzling through her?

Verity did not look pleased, which gave Annabeth a small flicker of satisfaction. She dismissed that as an unworthy thought, though, as she took in Verity’s cut and swollen lips. The woman had managed to braid her hair and wind it into a poorly held knot at the nape of her neck, but that had served to make the bruising and swelling on her cheek even more noticeable.

Before Annabeth could even think about it, she found herself saying, “You should have that cut seen to. Mrs. Archer has supplies. She’s rather good at healing.”

Verity looked surprised and smiled a little, though she stopped with a wince. “Thank you. I’ll see to it as soon as we’re done.”

It was so odd to hear those upper-crust tones issuing from Verity’s mouth.

Sloane said nothing for a moment, and Lady Lockwood thumped her cane. “Don’t just stand there, man, out with it.”

“I’m not sure where to begin,” Sloane said.

“I’ll help you.” Annabeth popped to her feet, the anger and hurt she’d been feeling bubbling to the surface, further fueled by irritation at the way her heart had lifted when Sloane stepped into the room. “Why did ‘Judy’ come to work here?” She stabbed her finger in Verity’s direction. “What is she looking for? And don’t even think about lying to me again, Sloane.”

“I didn’t lie to you,” he said indignantly. “I didn’t know what was going on either.”

“But you went running off to find out, refusing to take me with you. I had a right to hear the story firsthand. I am the one who has strangers poking about in my business, not you. I was the one snatched off the street! I deserve the truth, not some story you make up.”

“I’m not making anything up.” He set his jaw, taking a step toward her.

“The problem is I don’t know when you are lying and when you aren’t. Clearly you’ve been doing it for a long time.”

“I never—”

“A lie of omission is still a lie. Telling me you’re going to do one thing when you’re really doing another is a lie. Giving me false reasons is a lie.”

Verity cleared her throat and stepped between them. “I am the one to answer those questions. I am here because the man I work for received information that there is an important document here.”