Page 85 of Her Tempting Traitor
A daughter of the queen, running such a ring? No one would suspect. The fact that Cassian was being allowed to know this was almost stunning. “Andshe’syer patron?”
“Aye, for many cases,” Bull agreed with a nod. “This one in particular. She couldn’t trust the service to investigate ye fully, in case the traitorous rot went deeper than just yer team, so she gave the case?—”
“My men were no’ traitors either,” Cassian growled, hackles rising. “They were good men who deserve recognition and gratitude for the sacrifice they?—”
Gabby squeezed his arm again. “We know that now, Cassian,” she murmured. She turned a hopeful glance at her uncle. “May I stay, Bull?”
The other man eyed the pair of them in amusement. “I cannae see how I could stop ye. This is yer case, and ye deserve to see it to the end. I just wish…”
When he trailed off, Gabby prodded, “Wish what?”
Bull’s smile bloomed and he pulled her into another hug. “I just need to stop losing all my best detectives to their suspects.” He sent a grin Cassian’s way. “Welcome to the family, Cass.”
Another one of Gabby’s relatives who shortened his name?Aye, but also another one who has accepted ye, merely based on her approval and love of ye. Aye, he was a lucky man indeed.
Of course, he didn’t feel so lucky when, ten minutes later, he found himself standing at severe attention before Her Royal Highness, the Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne, telling the story of what had happened in Belfast.
“When the Fenians suggested we have a few drinks, I made the decision that it was a good idea.” His chin rose, determined to accept blame. “If we had left then, our mission would have been a success.”
“Why did ye no’?” asked Bull who now leaned against the mantel, his gaze sharp.
Cassian kept his attention on the older woman who lounged on the settee, studying him. Princess Louise was still the most beautiful of the Queen’s daughters, even in her early fifties, and her gaze was sharp. Her expression gave away nothing of what she was thinking, and Cassian still couldn’t believe she might be able to help him.
Did she really have that much control over the Secret Service?
“I thought it would be a useful way to learn more about them,” he admitted. “It would have given Rudinsky more time to study their features to reproduce them later. Simonsen was nervous as hell—ah. Excuse me, Yer Highness.”
The Princess gave a lazy flick of her fingers, as if his cursing meant nothing to her. “Why was he nervous?”
“Because he was sitting on a fortune in bills, Yer Highness. He was in charge of the money, and I could tell he and Avers didn’t want to stick around.”
“It was a good thing you did,” murmured Gabby, who had poured herself a cup of tea from the service her aunt had abandoned when she’d left them to report. “Otherwise you would not be there to rescue your mystery man.”
The Princess turned her all-too-knowing gaze to Gabby. “And what do you know of this matter, Miss Lindsay?”
“Cassian has told me everything, Your Highness, save for the name of the man he saved. I suspect his identity is the crux of this matter.”
“What man, precisely?”
Cassian cleared his throat. “If I may continue, Yer Highness?” When the older woman nodded curtly, he rushed through the story of the Prince’s appearance in the brothel—without giving his name—and his drunken state.
His voice didn’t shake when he told of his friend’s deaths, one after the other, but it was only by sheer dint of effort. If he hadn’t mourned—well, begun the mourning process—with Gabby all those nights ago, Cassian rather doubted he could have spoken their names. Gabby sat there, staring at him, her eyes shining with pride.
He’d mourned Rudinsky, Avers and Simonsen already, and would continue to mourn them.
But now, perhaps, they could be seen as heroes.
Swallowing, Cassian hurried through the rest of it; how the Prince had visited him at his bedside, and how the man had forbidden him from revealing his involvement.
“He said that the Royal Family was dealing with enough scandal already. With Her Majesty’s advanced age and the excesses, forgive me, attributed to the Prince of Wales, the rumored breach between Princess Victoria Melita and her husband, and Princess Marie Louise and her husband…they couldn’t afford another scandal.” Cassian’s gaze darted to Gabby’s, then back to the Princess, who was doing an admirable job keeping her expression hidden. “He pointed out that if his involvement in this…this debacle became known, not only would his pristine military career suffer, but so would the Crown itself.”
With that hint, he thought he might have made the Prince’s identity known.
Most definitely, for the Princess’s expression suddenly fell. “Bloody hell,” she whispered, shaking her head. Then she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “Who was this mystery man, Mr. Grey?”
Cassian’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment on a silent prayer that she believe him.This was it.“Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, Yer Highness. Yer nephew.”
“Bloodyhell,” she muttered again, then thrust herself to her feet.
