Page 56 of A Lady's Past
Footfalls on the stairs were followed by the butler poking his head in. “Miss MacLeod has come down, sir.”
Alex stood. “Please ask her to meet me in the study, Bates.”
It took sheer will to remain in his seat. Jacques watched Alex walk to the door.
At the threshold, Alex stopped and turned back toward the table. “Mr. Laurent, I assume you would like to be present at this meeting.”
Jacques shot up from his seat. “Yes.”
“Very well then.” Alex nodded.
The study spanned half the depth of the castle. Jacques imagined it had once been a ballroom, but if so, it had been converted to its current life long ago. A spiral staircase filled the center near a long span of windows and led up to a cat walk with cases of books that wrapped the entire room. “I think you have more books than Preston, and that’s quite a feat.”
“They don’t belong to me. They are part of the school, but this section has been dedicated to the Buckrose Horsemen for almost ten years. Under normal circumstances, students are allowed to come and borrow books. We have suspended those privileges while there is danger, of course.” Alex sat in one of four wingback chairs in the front of the study. The windows there were not as large as the ones under the stairs and they faced the front garden near the drive.
Diana cleared her throat.
Alex rose. “Please come in, Miss MacLeod.”
“I apologize. I overheard your conversation.” She joined them, and when Alex offered her a chair, she sat.
Waving off the apology, Alex said, “No need. We were discussing the study and the school. None of it is a secret.”
She watched him, eyes filled with curiosity. His Diana was always seeking knowledge. “Why do the Buckrose Horsemen reside here? If I may say, it seems an odd pairing with a school.”
“I suppose it is, but Oliver, Nathaniel, Sebastian and I went to school here. We formed the Horsemen at the request of the Prince Regent shortly after we left school, to help with French spies. At almost the same time, the Buckrose School was struggling to stay afloat. It might not be as prestigious as Eton, but it’s a fine school, and there are young people who need a place less regimented and stuffy.”
Jacques sat. “So you bought the school and saved it, and put the Horsemen’s headquarters here to protect it?”
With a shrug, Alex smiled. “I like to keep an eye on things here, and it’s out of the way. Most people don’t know of our existence, and that is for the best most of the time.”
“You are nicer than you let on.” Diana kept her gaze level with Alex’s.
When Alex laughed, the sound was out of character. “I suppose that’s true. And with that thought still on your mind, I would like to make a proposal.”
The hair on the back of Jacques’s neck stood up. “I am not going to like this.”
“No. Probably not,” Alex agreed.
Diana kept a mild expression plastered on her face. It was how she looked whenever she wanted to keep her emotions in check. “Tell me what you want of me.”
“We plan to do a thorough search of the area. Mr. Laurent and His Grace are reasonably certain Victor Caron has come in search of you. That means he already knew about us, and it could mean that the French government also knows about us. The Horsemen will keep you safe, but our first priority is to capture Victor and find out exactly what he’s told Napoleon.”
“What does that have to do with me.”
Perched on the edge of his seat, Jacques wondered the same thing, but he had a suspicion that it would not be safe.
“If we cannot find Caron within a reasonable period of time, we will have to draw him out. As you yourself have admitted, he has an unusual obsession with you. It might be the only flaw in his ability to hide.”
Jacques leaped from his chair. “You cannot mean to use Miss MacLeod as bait!”
Diana’s voice was soft and shot to his heart. “Jacques, please. Let’s hear Mr. Lynds out. The danger of French spies in England is very real. I can attest to that. If learning the information carried by Victor Caron will save another family from the horror I’ve lived through, I will do what I can.”
Eyes bright with surprise, Alex leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “You would be willing to help us?”
Sitting back, she rolled her eyes. “Mr. Lynds, you forget that I am English. I have always wanted what is best for England. My parents died protecting their country, no matter what you may think.”
“Diana, you could be killed. It is not acceptable to use you to lure Caron into the open. Victor hates me with a specific passion. I will be adequate bait.”
