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Will took that opportunity to pull out a chair and glower at Emily until she took it. Cal poured her a cup of coffee and sat back. “Well, this is a fine kettle of fish.”
Emily extended her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kelly, is it? I apologize for interrupting your meeting.”
Cal took her hand with a bemused smile on his lips. He cut Will a look. “Do I kiss her glove or just shake it? Sure and I’ve never met a lady before—not properly at any rate.”
Emily withdrew her hand. “You mean you don’t make a habit of accusing ladies of treason?”
“Keep your voice down,” Will said. “We don’t need the whole of the coffeehouse knowing our business.”
“Your business, Mr. Galloway,” she said. “Apparently, you are an agent for the Crown, not a friend of Prince Albert’s. Was anything you told me true?”
Cal looked at Will. “Tell me you didn’t break the cardinal rule, Will.”
Emily peered at him. “What’s the cardinal rule?”
“Never become romantically involved with your subject,” Cal said.
She turned to Cal. “He seduced me. Does that qualify?”
“I—” Will sputtered. “I did not seduce you. You came to my chamber—”
Cal held his hand up. “I really think you should save this conversation for a more private moment. Right now, we have a decision to make.”
“What’s that?” Will asked.
Cal slanted a look at Emily as though to inquire if it was safe to speak in front of her. Will let out a breath. She already knew too much as it was. What was one more piece of knowledge? Will nodded.
“I told you I have news, so I did.” Cal looked about to make sure they were not being observed. “Two days ago, I spotted a man I recognized as a member of Innishfree. He was here in London.”
“What’s Innishfree?” Emily asked.
“Not so loud, lass,” Cal said. “Innishfree is a group of Irish men and women who want Home Rule in Ireland. And they are quite willing to go to any length to achieve it.”
“You mean...” Her eyes widened. “The queen?”
Cal shrugged. “What better way to get the attention of the government and to show that they are a serious force to be reckoned with?”
“What better way to ensure a battalion of troops descends on the country, bringing harsh penalties and even harsher laws with them?” she countered.
“Perhaps they want a war,” Will said. “If England were to send troops, that might rally the common man. But whatever itis they want, my task is to sabotage their efforts to assassinate the queen.”
“And you thought I was involved.”
“He was ordered to investigate you, among others,” Cal said. “He was given a job, so he was. It wasn’t personal, lass.”
“I’m not your lass,” she said, straightening.
“A thousand pardons,” Cal said, giving a slight bow. “Mylady.”
“You were saying you spotted a member of Innishfree,” Will said. He knew that look in Cal’s eye and had better intervene to keep the conversation civil.
“So I did. And I followed him and liberated him of an interesting letter. There’s a meeting called for today in Wapping.”
“Wapping,” Will said quietly. Wapping was a city adjacent to London, a stopping point for the hundreds of vessels that sailed down the Thames each year laden with goods from around the world. The land around the river at Wapping was full of quays and warehouses to store the goods. And Wapping was full of sailors from every part of the world. No one would look twice at a group of Irishmen there.
“Today you say?” Will glanced at his watch. It was after one. “What time?”
“Five,” Cal said.
