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It was Bertram who bent down and lifted thechevalierto his feet before dragging him to the settee and dropping him down on it. Pelletier groaned, clearly in pain as Bertram reached for the kerchief covering his face and ripped it off.
“Sir, you are bleeding to death. If you want to live, you will answer my questions,” he said.
Pelletier stared blearily up at him, clearly trying to narrow his eyes. “I shall tell you…nothing.”
Letty knelt down by the settee so that he could see her clearly, “Whatever you were doing here, it is done. The Duke will not hesitate to kill you if you do not give this information! Please, for the sake of the men you command, tell him what he needs to know.”
Thechevalier’slips twisted. “You think I would listen to a traitor like you? You take me for a fool?”
“Just the opposite,chevalier. You are a wise man. Sothink. What good will your death do to France? Whatever you meant to do here today, it failed.”
Pelletier looked away from her and down at his feet. Rosamund came to stand by Letty.
“You have used my daughter for a long time,ChevalierPelletier. Now it is your turn to give her something. After everything you and my husband put her through, you owe her this.”
Pelletier spat at her feet. “I owe hernothing. She was serving her country and now she is a traitor.”
“Is she? Because she is as much English as French. She has betrayed no one. All she did is fall in love.”
Letty reached out to grip her mother’s arm in thanks. Pelletier snorted in derision. “That is why women do not make effective spies. Their hearts always get in the way.”
“And yet she has been an effective spy for you, for more than a decade.” Bertram’s voice was cold and cutting, “Do not despair, I think I can piece together what has happened here.”
He pointed to the short man, “His wife is a…relative? Perhaps to you or someone close to you. You heard that we were cooking up something and urged him to acquire some intelligence through Lady Perrin whose brother is also in need of an asylum from time to time. Am I close?”
Thechevaliersimply glared.
Bertram took a breath. “Well, perhaps you killed her husband, perhaps he died, and then your man was free to manipulate her. What I do not understand is why she tried to seduceme. Was that a substitute plan in case Letty failed to steal the letters?”
Pelletier’s mouth twisted.
“Or perhaps it was her own idea? I think you did not tell her you had sent a spy into my household. Plausible deniability, no?”
“Perhaps she wanted to get close enough to you to get the information in return for something,” Letty chimed in.
Bertram nodded. “Indeed. It could be that. In any case, allow me to inform you that I am placing you all under arrest, and I will be transporting you to the barracks where His Grace, the Duke of Wellington will prefer charges upon you.” He turned to Letty and bowed, “Forgive me for having to cut our honeymoon short, my dear.”
Letty smiled. “Not at all. I shall wait for you at Rose Manor. Hurry back.”
“I will, my dear.”
