Page 9 of The Swan Syndicate
“Uh-huh.”
He didn’t respond because they both knew he’d gloss over what they were both thinking. Hensley didn’t get involved in weekend party arrangements. That would be Mary’s task. While Beckworth led them deeper into the manor, stopping to say hello to any staff they ran into, she glanced in the rooms, wondering exactly where Hensley’s wife was.
Beckworth stopped in front of his study door, which was closed. He chuckled. “I’m not sure whether to knock. Being gone for almost nine months, and with Hensley here, it feels odd.”
She rubbed his arm. “It’s like we walked onto the set of theTwilight Zone.” He preferred the old black-and-white episodes to the newer versions. “You should probably knock, wait a heartbeat, and then walk in. This is still your manor, but the knock is polite.”
He stared into her eyes. Maybe they should both go upstairs and unpack. Whatever waited for them behind the study door would still be there after they tested out the bed. His gaze warmed, and she knew he was thinking the same thing. His kiss was thorough, heated with passion, and ended far too soon.
“I can’t tell you how much it meant that you came home with me.”
She pushed a strand of loose hair back into his queue. How most of it stayed intact through the fog was anyone’s guess. Her hair had to be a mess. She ignored his comment about coming home. This would always be his home. To her, it was more like a vacation home. But a little kernel settled in the back of her brain, refusing to budge. What would happen after the hunting party was over and it was time to go back to Baywood?
Before she could give it another thought, Beckworth gave a sharp rap on the door with his knuckles, waited a beat, then opened the door.
Five faces turned in their direction. It was obvious they hadn’t expected them, or at least not at that moment. They looked like the cat who ate the proverbial canary, and it seemed to catch Beckworth off guard.
So, Stella did what she always did and took the first step in breaking the ice.
“Hello, boys. Did you miss me?”
4
“We’ve been expecting you but weren’t sure how well the incantations worked. And, of course, you’ve been greatly missed.” Barrington, the Waverly butler, was a long-time friend of Beckworth’s from their early days running with a London crew—Beckworth’s term for a gang.
Stella was overcome with emotion when the aloof butler bent and kissed her cheek. She was saved from displaying what his affection meant to her when Jamie and Lando gave her welcomed bear hugs.
“We weren’t sure if Beckworth could remember how to use the stones.” Jamie gave Beckworth a good-natured punch on his shoulder before shaking hands. “It’s good to see you home.”
Hensley, the steadfast leader of a network of spies working for the Crown, wasn’t willing to let go of his English stuffiness, but she managed to give him a kiss on each cheek, forcing a blush. He waited patiently for Beckworth to make his way to the desk and then held out his hand.
“When I asked Barrington to invite you and Mary to the hunting party, it was meant as a restful weekend without any business.” Beckworth held the handshake a bit longer thannormal, and Stella caught the meaningful look that passed between them.
There was definitely a mission being planned.
Her curiosity only grew deeper when she noted Thomas—she never caught his last name—lounging in a far corner chair. She hadn’t spent much time around him when he’d helped with the mission to take down Gemini. So, it was surprising when he smiled and nodded at her. It was more than she expected.
Thomas had worked as Sergeant of Arms for the Earl of Hereford. A job previously held by Ethan. After the earl succumbed to age-related maladies, Stella assumed Thomas would hold the same position for the earl’s nephew, the new lord of Brun Manor. Maybe the mission involved the nephew.
She glanced at the men, settling her gaze on Hensley. Would he update Beckworth on the conversation they’d interrupted while she was in the room? This wasn’t the twenty-first century, and while she’d previously been included in the mission meetings, it was only because she’d been a victim with insight into Gemini. AJ and Maire always had a role to play, but they were typically included for the skills they brought to the team.
Beckworth’s eyes gleamed as he chatted with his friends. Would this still be the holiday they’d planned? She glanced around for an available seat. The west study was similar to the one at Hensley’s manor and larger than Beckworth’s personal study in the east wing. A massive desk took a prominent stage surrounded by stuffed bookcases, a floor globe, and a cart containing a stocked bar.
Beckworth’s fascination with books extended to the east study and a stunning library filled with chairs and sofas for reading and dozens of bookcases. Beckworth’s favorite hobbies besides gardening were chess and collecting books. In Baywood, he’d managed to stuff books into any open space he could find.He joked about adding an extension to the house for a library, though she wasn’t positive he was kidding.
A small seating area with a sofa and two stuffed chairs surrounded the hearth, where low flames licked at the remaining embers. She took a seat on the sofa and turned to face the desk, making herself at home rather than waiting to see if she’d be invited.
They might want her to leave, but they’d have to kick her out.
While the men chatted about the new foal, Hensley returned to his seat behind the desk. And though it was obvious he was listening to what they said, since he had his own collection of stallions, his eyes kept darting to her.
What made her take note of it wasn’t glares or looks meant to remind her she was in the men’s study. He didn’t do either of those things. No. If she had to put a name to it, his gaze was one of curiosity.
Hensley was older than the others. Perhaps in his fifties. Age wasn’t easy to discern in this time period with a lack of proper diets and occasions to drink enough alcohol that made her look like a teetotaler. He was an aristocrat, though she never heard him called by a title other than lord, which was the proper way to address most men with titles. But he’d been in Parliament and hobnobbed in the King’s court.
Yet, for all his propriety, he worked well with people in all social classes, which made him excellent in his role as spymaster. He was impossible to beat at chess, though she’d come close a couple of times. Somewhere along the way, the two of them had developed a bond that gave her a certain latitude, but she’d be an idiot to ever cross a line with him.
She tucked her musings away as Hensley cleared his throat. “Now that we have the lord of the manor back, it’s time to return to our discussion. He can share his new life in the future during dinner when Mary returns.”
