Page 75 of The Moonstone Pirate
“Feeling any better, Imogen?” Draco asked.
I am not making any declarations to your niece, Burness.
How was she supposed to feel after hearing that statement?
She sniffled again. “Yes, I am fine. Just give me another moment.”
Her uncle sighed. “Take all the time you need to hide those feelings of yours, or everyone will start asking questions.”
“I’m trying my best, Uncle Cormac.” She turned to Draco. “I am not going to give you or your mission away. I appreciate how important this work you are doing is. And might I suggest that if you have more information to provide to the Home Office, you allow me to include it in a letter to my sister?”
“And why should I do this?”
Doubt was written all over his face, so she pressed on before he had the chance to dismiss her idea. “I write to Ella several times a week. No suspicions will be raised if I drop my correspondence off with Thaddius, as I have done almost daily since my arrival in Moonstone Landing. Ella’s husband is very well connected and will take your information that is secretly included in my letter directly to the top men in government, the Duke of Wooton, Earl Grey, and even Viscount Palmerston, if necessary. Wellington, too. He is that well connected. In fact,these very men begged Ella’s husband to serve with them in the highest echelons. He is quite high up now in the Foreign Office. For this reason, he has immediate access to all of them and can provide anything you need upon a mere command. Everyone in the top ranks will jump to do his bidding.”
She turned to her uncle. “Is this not a better solution than requiring Thaddius to hide Lord Woodley’s letters? This way, not even Thaddius will know what is being sent and when. It is as much for his safety as anything else.”
“I don’t know, Imogen,” her uncle said, shaking his head as he considered her words. “It is a lot to ask of Ella and Caden.”
She was now on the edge of her seat. “They will gladly do it. You know they will.”
Draco laughed softly. “Gad, you are the most irritating girl. Thanks to that unexpected murder, I already have more people involved than I ever wanted. And now to bring in your sister and her husband?”
“They can be trusted,” Imogen insisted.
“I haven’t a doubt.”
She realized what was troubling him. “You needn’t worry about Ella. She is nothing like me. She knows how to be discreet. I know I am terrible at hiding my feelings, but she is quite the opposite. She is logical and thoughtful, and will give nothing away. It is an excellent idea, and you know it is far less dangerous than your communicating directly with anyone in the Home Office. They can write back to you in this same manner. No one will be the wiser. Isn’t this better than worrying that someone will see correspondence between you?”
Her uncle was smiling. Imogen knew she was winning him over.
“Thaddius knows to be careful, but he is not always at his desk and cannot control who sees what is in the mail pouch. Besides, he really is not all that good at keeping secrets. If I cancajole information out of him—which I am able to do at will—then someone dangerous might be able to do the same.”
Draco turned to her uncle. “Burness? I’ll leave the decision about involving her sister and Lord Mersey up to you. As for me, I think Imogen is infuriating, unmanageable, and completely not cut out for this intrigue, and I am worried to death that she will come to harm. But she is also brilliant, and I would be nowhere in my assignment if it weren’t for her.”
Imogen gasped. “Was that a compliment?”
“A grudging one,” he said with a nod. “However, I would rather be nowhere in the murder investigation and my Crown assignment than ever see you hurt. Have I not made this clear enough to you?”
“And I would rather be helpful than sit idly by and watchyouget hurt.”
He rose and began to pace around her. “You aren’t trained for this. Don’t get ideas.”
“I am only offering to help solve puzzles and deliver letters. I have been doing this all my life to pass the time of day.”
Draco did not immediately give her an answer, but she knew he would accept. Despite all his concerns, this was an excellent solution that he could not pass up.
He paced.
He stared at her.
He arched an eyebrow and turned to her uncle, awaiting his confirmation.
At Uncle Cormac’s nod, Draco turned back to her with an affectionate smile that melted her insides. “Yes, I like that idea.”
So did she. It meant she would have the chance to see him and perhaps pry more information out of him. She really wanted to help and knew she could do it from a safe perch.
They all returned to the terrace a few minutes later, each of them with false smiles on their faces. Fortunately, Deandracompletely misunderstood the reason her uncle had called her into his study. She squealed and then smiled broadly. “What did Draco say to you? Did he ask your uncle for permission? What did your uncle say? Oh, Imogen! What were you and Draco discussing in your uncle’s study for so long?”
