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She threw her shoulders back and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m going to Paris. Don’t try to stop me.” She smiled at Sir Malcolm. “A secret mission on behalf of the Crown—how thrilling!”
“Don’t be silly,” Raven said, beginning to panic a little now. The foolhardy woman would get herself murdered. “It’s not a lark. There will be real danger involved.”
“Then you’d best hire extra guards to protect you.” She lifted the front of her coat to reveal the dagger she always carried at her side. “I’ve nothing to fear.”
She tapped the heels of her boots together. “Sir Malcolm, I leave you now. I’ll breathe not a word of this to anyone. You have my word that I’ll recover the stone within the fortnight.”
Nothing stopped Indy when she set her mind on something. She must be the most stubborn, fearless female the world had ever known.
She marched away.
“Pomeroy,” Raven called.
She halted and turned around. “Yes, what is it?” she asked impatiently.
“You might need this.” He held out his palm. Her moustache had lost the battle and fallen to the floor during their conversation.
She walked back, plucked the wispy moustache from his hand, and stuck it above her lip. “Thank you,” she said with great dignity.
Her exit was half swagger, half flounce, and all Indy.
Their meetings never ended well, and this one had ended even worse than usual.
“I like that lady,” said Malcolm with a chuckle. “Is she always so biddable?”
“This mission is too perilous for Lady India. You know as well as I do that Le Triton is the most likely culprit.”
“You’ll just have to find the stone before she does, eh?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that it was missing?” he asked Malcolm.
Malcolm’s gaze moved to the counterfeit stone. “I was going to tell you.”
Something was wrong. Malcolm never avoided his eyes. Understanding began to dawn.
“You weren’t going to tell me,” Raven said. “You were having me evaluate the men at the meeting for potential involvement in the disappearance of the stone. You were going to take the intelligence I gathered and send someone else to Paris.”
Sir Malcolm sighed. “You’re right. And we already know who was behind the attack in Athens. It was Le Triton.”
Raven let that absorb. “Jones was about to tell me something about the Rosetta Stone when we were attacked. So that makes Jones the traitor. Le Triton killed him to silence him before he confessed to me.”
“It’s the most likely scenario. Though Jones might not be the only informant in Le Triton’s pocket.”
“I can’t believe you were withholding this information.”
“I’ve been worried about you.”
“Athens was an aberration. I’m fully recovered and sharper than ever.” He should have been able to defend himself against the attack. He’d defeated twice as many men before.
He’d been sluggish. He hadn’t been sleeping well.
“You look fatigued.” Malcolm laid a hand lightly on Raven’s shoulder. “No shame in it. You suffered a grave injury.”
Raven shrugged his hand away. “Don’t do this, Malcolm. I’m fit and ready for duty.”
Malcolm met his gaze for several moments. Raven didn’t dare blink.
“Come by Sutton Hall tomorrow morning,” said Malcolm. “If you pass your field examination, I’ll grant you the mission.”
