Chapter 21

It had been a handful of hours since Harlan had laid eyes on Leah, but as he waited anxiously in the antechamber at the palace for her to arrive, he could hardly keep from pacing in anticipation.

When she finally appeared, he started to move toward her. The door shut behind her as she quickly closed the remaining distance between them. As they met in the middle of the room, their arms wound into an embrace, their mouths hungry for each other in a passionate kiss that was over entirely too soon.

"I've missed you," Harlan breathed as he parted slightly.

"And I, you," she returned in a tortured whisper.

He looked at her in concern, his focus traveling up and down her body, as if he might find something amiss. "Have you been treated well?"

She smiled. "It's the palace, Harlan. It's hardly a prison."

He exhaled heavily. "Of course." He reluctantly took a step back, but he kept hold of her hand as he led her over to a richly upholstered settee. "Have you heard anything concerning as yet?"

Leah shook her head. "Nothing. I have relatively free reign of the palace and all of the servants seem eager to please. No strange comings or goings in the middle of the night that I can attest thus far and no secret rendezvous in the corners." She reached out and ran a finger down his jawline. "Except one I'd like to plan."

"I wish I could say I'm relieved," he murmured. "But I'm quite disappointed. It has been the same for the rest of us. I have to wonder what is taking so long."

"Perhaps for the queen to leave the palace?"

"Yes," Harlan agreed grimly. "But if we allowed that, the danger would reach no limit. To dare to even tempt fate in a closed carriage would be the height of foolishness."

Leah appeared to consider his words. "It might, yes. Unless there was someone else that took her place."

He didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"

She reached out and took his other hand in hers, holding them both together. "We are waiting for the assassin to act, but what if we were to lure him out into the open? I could act as the queen and leave the palace under some urgent pretense—"

Harlan disentangled himself from her and shot to his feet. "No. Absolutely not."

She stood as well. "Don't you want this to be over with?"

"Of course!" he snapped. "But not at the expense of your life. Our target will show himself in time. We just need to be patient."

"So patient that security starts to become lax and there is the possibility that the public will learn what is going on?" She shook her head. "The longer we wait, the less secure everyone will be."

Harlan scowled. He didn't want to agree, but he had to admit that she made sense in this regard. Yet neither was he prepared to exchange Leah's life for that of the queen. He might be loyal, but he wasn't willing to lose the only thing that mattered to him. "I cannot condone this."

She released an exasperated breath. "Then I will speak with Wellington, because surely he will listen to reason."

She turned on her heel, but Harlan reacted and brought her back against his chest. "You cannot make me mad with worry like this. I will not be able to do my job properly knowing that you are daring to put yourself in such harm."

Her tone gentled as she reached out and placed her palm on his cheek. Her amber eyes were wide and unflinching. Her pulse was sure and steady at the base of her neck. "You forget that I survived years without you by my side. Although I am grateful that you care so much about me now that you are willing to go to such lengths to forbid me to do what we both know is the next move, it is time to act."

Harlan closed his eyes. "You are going to be the death of me."

"You've said that before and while that may be I pray it will not be for a long, long time. When we are both so old and decrepit that we shall pray for our own demise by that point." He opened his eyes to find hers twinkling with merriment, her lips twitching. "But for now, the only thing you need to worry about is finding a way to smuggle me out of the palace and make it look convincing.'

He snorted. "Leave it to you to make it sound like nothing more than a jolly stroll in Hyde Park."

She shrugged. "I'm not discounting Rotten Row."

He kissed her soundly on the lips. "Why can't anything in my line of work be simple? Least of all you."

She wound her arms around his neck. "Coming from you, I shall take that as the highest of compliments."

After another long embrace, Harlan reluctantly headed for the door. He didn't want to leave, but time was of the essence and they had work to do. There would be plenty of time for these stolen embraces once Mr. Bernard was in gaol.

And preferably not stolen, but perfectly legal.

The more Harlan considered the prospect of Leah becoming his wife, the more it became a sound idea. Whether or not she might be carrying his child, he was eager to have her by his side for the rest of their days. Until he became the old, decrepit curmudgeon that she had claimed. He actually smiled at the image as he made his way back to Apsley House to update Wellington.

There, Harlan's earlier contentment abruptly vanished, because the duke agreed heartily with Leah's plan. "I have long believed that a diversion would cause our friend to come out of hiding, but this is an ideal circumstance. I am sure there could be a valid reason that the queen would need to leave the palace on some matter of importance." His smile broadened further while Harlan's spirits dipped. "You were absolutely right about Miss Lindquist. She has been a formidable ally, indeed. I will request a meeting with the queen and ensure that things are set in motion as soon as possible."

Harlan could do little more than agree, as he left to find Lucas and get him up to date. With Benjamin spending most of his time in the seedier areas in London and Hugh in Dudley to keep an eye on the vicarage, Lucas was the easiest one to contact.

When Harlan arrived at his residence on Pall Mall, the fine hairs on the back of his neck started to prickle when he noticed the door was slightly ajar. Taking care that he was armed, he withdrew his pistol and held it at the ready as he slowly opened the door and aimed it on anything that might be moving about inside.

"Hold your fire. It's me."

Harlan tucked the gun out of sight when he heard Lucas's voice, but that didn't ease his mind as he looked about at the chaos around him. Papers were strewn about, porcelain vases, plates, and anything else that could be shattered were littered across the floor.

He would like to say his furniture was spared, but the wood was either splintered or the cushions ripped, as if someone with a grudge had taken their knife and enjoyed emptying the contents. Possibly pretending that they were skewering Harlan instead.

"We were notified of a disturbance about an hour ago," came a voice from the bedchamber as one of the uniformed Peelers walked into the open. "We got here too late, as you might have guessed." Lucas looked at him in consideration. "I'm starting to wonder if there isn't a grudge against you, as well as the queen. This place is an absolute mess. It's one thing to try to search for something, but this is blatant aggression."

Harlan was thinking the same thing. "I'm sure if it was Mr. Bernard, he didn't take too kind to our dealings in Gravesend and Birmingham. But as to any deeper loathing…" He shrugged. "That could just be due to my overwhelming charm as an agent."

Lucas looked hard at Harlan. "If Bernard is responsible for this, you should watch your back closely."

Harlan clenched his jaw. "You seem to forget that Mr. Bernard does not yet know what I'm capable of."

Leah enteredthe queen's sitting room the following afternoon when she was invited to tea with her and Wellington. Once the formalities had been observed, the duke addressed the sovereign. "Mr. Mathis and I have devised a plan that we intend to enact at the earliest opportunity. By the end of the week, if possible."

As he explained what was to be done, Leah's mouth curved upward. She was glad that Harlan trusted her enough to accomplish the task.

Once Wellington had explained everything to the monarch's satisfaction, he stood and bowed to the queen, and then turned to Leah. "I shall be in touch soon."

Once he was gone, Victoria eyed her with a touch more respect in her gaze. "You are loyal to the Crown and I greatly appreciate your willingness to act on our behalf."

Leah bowed her head. "The honor is mine, Your Majesty. I intend to rejoice at a woman's stern hand upon the throne for many years to come."

The queen's mouth lifted slightly at the corners. "I have the same hope."

As Leah departed the chamber, she pressed a hand to her pounding heart.

The end of the week… She prayed she hadn't just signed her own death warrant, but if so, at least she would have done it in service to her country. She was grateful to be back on her home soil and perhaps this was the sacrifice she had to make in order to atone for such a lengthy absence. She knew Harlan would protect her, with his own life if necessary, and if she had to make a choice, she wouldn't hesitate to do the same.

It was useless to pretend that she hadn't fallen completely in love with him. She had certainly been infatuated since the first moment they'd met on that desolate stretch of road from Dover to Gravesend. Although she had been a bit disorientated from her injury, the sight of Harlan's hazel eyes peering at her through that dark, highwayman mask had swept into her very soul, stealing the breath from her lungs and sneaking into her heart. But it was when he'd caught her trying to pry the lock open at the cottage that had secured her to him for all time. She might not have accepted it then, had definitely fought against the attraction, but the night they had lain together everything had been as it was meant to be.

Perfection.

She knew that her place was by his side, but he'd needed a bit more persuasion to see the same. It wasn't until he'd saved her from Mr. Bernard that she had felt his true devotion to her. The possession in Harlan's remarkable eyes had proven what words failed. She had no doubt that he would speak them in time, when he was ready, and had been sure he'd been close to confessing them the night before she'd gone to the palace. It was understandable that he didn't want to make any romantic overtures about the future when they were so uncertain of the present. Until the queen was safe, neither of them were free to pursue their deepest desires.

But afterward…

Entering her bedchamber, Leah undressed for the evening with the help of her maid. She tried to tell herself not to become accustomed to such luxuries. She didn't know what sort of income Harlan retained, but she didn't care. She would gladly be poor, struggling to make ends meet, if they were happy. She wasn't a member of the gentry, so she had learned not to expect any more than what limited means would allow. The only reason her father had been able to travel as extensively as he had was because he had been a successful shipping merchant. By the time of his death, the money had run out, leaving Leah completely dependent on her relation.

She hadn't been bitter or resentful of her circumstances. Instead, she'd always tried to make the best of them. She had done the same with Harlan when she wasn't sure if he was someone she could trust. Now, she had no doubt of it.

Leah blew out her lamp and was about to climb under the covers when she heard the sound of hushed footsteps in the hall. She stopped, a shiver of apprehension traveling up her spine. It might be one of the servants doing a sweep of the palace, but she had never ignored her instincts before, so she wasn't going to start now.

Padding to the door, she opened it just enough for her to peer out. She was grateful that the hinges didn't make any noise, because she spied two shadows standing together some distance away. She couldn't quite make out what was being said, or who it was, but something told her they weren't discussing polishing the silver.

They ended their brief conversation and headed in two separate directions. The taller one was a footman, the other a woman wearing the uniform of a maid. Debating on which one to follow, Leah quickly grabbed her robe and belted it around her waist as she set off with bare feet in pursuit of the maid .

Her quarry turned a corner at the end of the hall just as Leah rushed to catch up to her. Thankfully, her eyes had adjusted to the dim light of the moon shining through the windows, offering the slightest illumination, but enough where she caught sight of the moving shadow ahead.

Leah continued crossing room after room, some of which were part of the servant's wing that she'd never been to before. Her steps led her to a winding staircase that led to the back entrance of the palace.

Leah ended up in the kitchen, but when she would have turned a corner to find out where the maid had taken off to next, a knife was set against her throat. "Why are you following me?"

She didn't recognize the voice, but it was no surprise as the palace was filled with so many servants she would never hope to know. "Why are you sneaking about in the middle of the night?" Leah countered.

Rather than reply, the girl gave an unladylike snort. "You think you're so clever, don't you?" The tip of the metal set into her neck and actually started to hurt. "I could slit your throat right now and no one would have any idea it was me who ended your life. Quick and clean."

"Except for the mess," Leah noted calmly. "Or are you not aware that cutting a main artery can result in spewing blood? You would be covered in it."

Leah waited, and then she felt the slight tension, the hesitation in the woman's arm. It was enough for her to act.

She used a defensive attack that she'd been taught during her tenure in India where she had learned the combat art of Kalaripayattu, She didn't have a weapon at hand, but she had learned the discipline of mental stability and how to move to throw an attacker off guard. Shoving back her elbow, it caught the maid in the stomach and the woman bent over, temporarily robbed of breath. The knife was still in her grasp, but not after Leah flung her arm around and shoved her knee in the maid's back. Keeping her pinned against the wall, Leah took the knife and kept it secured in her other hand.

It took a moment for the servant to respond to the exchange in power. "What—?"

"You didn't know I was actually useful here, did you?" Leah said evenly.

An annoyed grunt was her only response.

"Who are you working for?" she demanded. "Bernard?"

The maid tossed her dark head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is that so?" Giving her knee a bit of pressure, as well as a twist of her arm against the woman's back, the maid cried out an obscenity that would have probably made Hugh proud. "Then how about you tell me what you were doing here instead? And don't claim it was nothing, because you wouldn't have attacked me."

The maid seemed to realize that the odds weren't currently in her favor. "I had no choice," she whined.

Leah laughed. "You really expect me to believe that? I think that you would have killed me where I stood had I not gained the upper hand. I want answers. Now."

With a huff, the maid hissed, "The footman is who you want. He is the one who convinced me to lead you away. He said he would pay me enough so that I wouldn't have to work for a child on the throne any longer, that I could live in Paris and want for nothing."

Leah had stopped listening after she learned she had been lured away—on purpose. Uttering her own curse, she dragged the woman over to the butler's pantry and shoved her inside once she had ensured that there were no windows in which she could escape. Holding up the knife, she warned, "Make one misstep and I will use this."

She slammed the door in the maid's face and quickly snatched one of the servant's dining chairs and wedged it underneath the doorknob. After making sure that it was secure, she ran to get help. Blast it all. How had they managed to ignore an attack like this? Were there no warning signs until now? Or had they just missed them all?

Harlan had claimed that Mr. Bernard was a criminal like no other he'd witnessed before, so it made sense that he would be capable of doing something this daring. But if the servant was to be believed, she didn't know Bernard. Could it be they had been chasing the wrong criminal all this time?

On the way to the queen's chamber, Leah pulled every bellpull that she came across in her mad dash through the hallways.

Thankfully, fortune was on her side when she encountered one of the queen's personal guards coming toward her at a clipped pace. "Help! The queen is in danger!"

The man reached out and grabbed her around the throat. Shock kept her immobile and when she glanced into the familiar face, the blood promptly receded from her face. "We meet again, Miss Lindquist."

She clawed at the hand squeezing about her windpipe, but that was all she remembered before her lungs collapsed and her world went dark.