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Not to mention, he’d completely ruin his cover, and he’d spent years making sure no one but his closest family knew that Willoughby Galloway was an agent for the Crown.
And so when his valet arrived with warm water for his shave and clean linen, Will sent him away. He needed to speak to Emily, but it would be a mistake to rush to see her. He had to think carefully about how to proceed with her. He didn’t think she was the traitor. He was almost entirely sure she was not. And his first act today should be to respond to the Kellys’ letter and arrange a meeting. If he went to Emily now, he’d only be putting her before his mission again, and he couldn’t afford to do that. If Emily wasn’t the traitor, who was? The queen wouldn’t be safe until he determined that and foiled their attempts to contact the separatists.
It took some time to write the Kellys back and then to code the letter. After he did so, he summoned his valet again and proceeded to dress. Then he left the palace before the queen could call for him. If he was not in residence, he couldn’t be detained. Instead, he went straight to the coffee house, even though his meeting with Cal wasn’t for an hour yet.
At the Farm, Will had been known for his skill at surveillance. He didn’t pride himself on it because it wasn’t a skill he’d worked to cultivate. It was something innate. He had an eye for details. He knew how to observe without being seen and to make himself blend into the background. Likewise, he knew when he was being watched or followed. It wasn’t that he saw anyone following him as he walked down James Street, but hefeltthe eyes on him,feltthe presence behind him. So when he stepped into the coffeehouse and out of the light rain, he waited for whoever had followed him from the palace to enter as well.He sat in the back, where he and Cal usually sat, his back to the wall. He pretended to read the paper and sip his coffee, but his attention was on the door.
If he hadn’t been watching closely, he would have missed it when she stepped inside. She was quick and smart enough to enter with a small party, so she might hide behind the other patrons. She would have made a good agent. Emily even kept her head down as she took a seat a few tables away from where he sat, her back to him. She probably hoped to be close enough to overhear what he might say.
If she hoped to convince him she wasn’t in league with the assassins, this was not the way to go about it. Of course, no one had the knowledge he had—that she had left his bed a few hours ago and, upon doing so, discovered the man she’d shared the night with was not the man she’d thought. He could hardly blame her for following him and attempting to find out who he really was. He would have done the same.
The problem was, she couldn’t be allowed to find out more about him or about his work. It wasn’t safe for either of them.
And if he hadn’t allowed himself to fall half in love with her, he wouldn’t be in this compromising position. Neither of them would be.
He had to do something about her, but before he could decide what that might be, Callahan Kelly ducked into the coffee shop. He kept his hat low over his forehead and made straight for Will, taking the seat beside him so they could both keep an eye on the door.
“Took you long enough to write me back,” Cal said without preamble. He removed his hat and shook the water off it.
“I had a trying few days.” Will thought about stopping the conversation then but decided to allow Emily to hear this.
“So I read. And apparently you no longer believe the lady is our traitor.” He lowered his voice on the last word.
“I know she’s not.” Will looked up at the approaching server and ordered coffee. Cal did the same. When the server hurried away to fetch a pot, Will said, “Which means we are back at the beginning.”
“Not exactly. I told you I have news to share.”
As eager as Will was to hear it, he couldn’t allow Emily to overhear. Learning that he thought her innocent—something she already knew from reading his letter—was one thing. Finding out any more about his work was another thing entirely.
Will raised a hand, staying Cal’s next words. “Before you speak, I want to introduce you to someone.”
Cal’s eyes narrowed then widened as Will rose and took two steps to stand behind Emily’s chair. “Lady Averley, meet my friend Callahan Kelly.”
Cal swore, an oath more fitting for a tavern than a coffeeshop. And Emily took her time turning to look at Will. When she did look up at him, her cheeks were crimson.
But her eyes were ice cold. She glared up at him, her gaze cool enough to send a chill down his spine. “You knew I was here all along,” she said, not bothering to acknowledge Cal.
“I’m an agent for the Crown, sweetheart. Did you think I wouldn’t know I was being followed?”
She rose, shoulders straight and back stiff. “You don’t even have any shame about lying to me, do you?”
“I don’t have any shame about my work, but I am sorry for lying. It’s part of the job.” He should have left it there, but he saw the flash of hurt in her eyes and it felt like the slice of a knife on his heart. “Emily, if you’ll let me explain.”
She shook her head. “I think I had better leave you to your...work.”
He grasped her arm before she could stomp away. Her cloak was wet, and she must be cold. “And where are you off to? Youcan’t walk back to the palace alone. You took enough of a risk following me.”
She snatched her arm away. “Don’t pretend you care about me or that I was anything more than a part of one of your missions.”
Cal cleared his throat. “Perhaps I should take a brief walk and leave you two—”
“Not necessary,” Emily said, pointing at him. Cal sat back down. “I have nothing more to say to Mr. Galloway. If that is even your name.”
“It’s my name,” Will hissed. “And sit down before you cause a scene. That’s the last thing any of us need right now.”
The serving woman returned with two mugs and the pot of coffee. She stopped short upon seeing Will and Emily face to face.
“Could you bring another cup?” Cal asked, voice light. “We’ve added another to our party, so we have.”
