Page 127 of A Dangerous Lord (Regency Spies & Secrets 3)

He huffed. “That doesn’t surprise me. Corbyn has always been very secretive about himself,” he said. “Has he told you the pathetic lie that he works at the Home Office?”

She shook her head. “He hasn’t.”

“So how do you think he spends his time?”

“I’m not sure,” she reluctantly admitted. “But I must assume that he pursues the usual pursuits for gentlemen.”

Kerley chuckled. “He hasn’t told you,” he said with amusement in his voice.

“Told me what?”

“Corbyn runs an agency that is responsible for all the agents of the Crown.”

“He does?”

Kerley nodded. “Corbyn is a spy, and I must admit that he is not entirely terrible at his job.”

“That seems entirely unlikely.”

“You are so naïve, my dear,” he said. “Then I must assume that you don’t realize your brothers are spies, as well.”

Jane knitted her brows together. “That’s impossible.”

“According to my source, Baldwin has retired, but Oliver is still in the game.”

“Oliver?” Jane repeated. “But he just spends his nights gambling and drinking.”

“That’s just a cover,” Kerley informed her.

“A cover?”

Kerley gave her an understanding smile. “Most likely, he is trying to infiltrate a radical group to see if they pose a threat to the Crown.”

Jane stared at Kerley for a long moment. “I believe you are mistaken.”

“I’m afraid not.”

“How do you know this to be true?”

Kerley came to crouch down in front of her. “Because I used to work with them,” he admitted, his eyes roaming her face. “At least until they left me behind in France.”

“Why did they leave you behind?”

“They thought I was dead, though they didn’t bother checking, and left me bleeding on the street.”

“But you survived,” she pointed out. “Why didn’t you come home?”

Kerley laughed loudly. “You are a delight, Lady Jane,” he said. “If I could have just come home, I would have, but the French weren’t as hospitable as they should have been. They tortured me for two years before I finally escaped.”

Her hand flew up to her mouth. “How terrible.”

“I prayed for death every day for two years,” Kerley shared, “but I was not so fortunate as to succumb to my injuries.”

“I can’t even imagine the pain that you must have endured.”

Kerley gave her a weak smile. “Thank you for that,” he said, “but during that time, I plotted my revenge against the man who had ultimately deserted me.”

“Who was that?”

---