Page 28 of Sands of Sirocco
“And if I’m unable to accomplish what you want?I may learn nothing about the concession—or be able to find the paperwork.”
Lord Helton turned his profile.“Then you’ll get a safe passage to England and a good day.”
The man was awful.If he hadn’t done so much to help her family in the spring, she’d be tempted to treat him with equal contempt.“Can you give me a starting point, at least?Surely you must know something more about the matter.Or send an envoy to Ibn Saud?He’d certainly know about it.”
“Ibn Saud’s Ikhwan army is currently at odds with Sherif Hussein, which makes our situation with him tenuous.He’s also at war with Ibn Rashid.Sending a diplomatic mission to him right now could be a waste of men and extremely dangerous, especially when we need our best men in Palestine now.”Lord Helton’s tone was clipped, but at least he did her the favor of assuming she understood.Perhaps she’d proven she could keep up earlier.
Osborne’s grey eyes were warmer.“To answer your other question—no, we know little.However, we have a name that you might find useful: Freddy Mortimer.Apparently, the man was connected to the concession.How, we don’t know.And I would caution you that asking about him isn’t likely to help.We’ve tried to find more about the man, without results.But it’s a start, I suppose.”
She had never heard the name before, but it was better than nothing.She was completely inadequate for this job.
Lord Helton rose from his seat.“We appreciate your willingness to help, Lady Virginia, and we’ll apprise you with further information as we have it.Mr.Osborne will meet with you tomorrow at the hospital and give you any further instructions we might have.”
His posture indicated the conversation was over.Ginger stood and gathered her things.“Mr.Osborne, give me a moment to speak to Lady Virginia.”
Osborne’s brow furrowed.He looked apologetically toward Ginger as he left the office, closing the door behind him.
Lord Helton clasped his hands behind his back.“I feel the need to make myself clear.Nothing has changed regarding my wishes with Colonel Benson.Hopefully, your emotional attachment has ended, but if not, let me remind you of your promises.”
She sucked her cheeks in.Lord Helton wasn’t the sort of man to trifle with.“Our arrangement wasn’t that I’m not allowed to be in love with him, Lord Helton.It was that I would cease contact with him until the end of the war.I’ve done as you asked.”
“I know what our arrangement was.”Lord Helton’s face was stern.“I also know what I’ve commanded of Colonel Benson.I can’t keep the man from seeking you out, but I will not have you distracting him once again, is that clear?Unless you’d like the newspapers filled with the sordid crimes of your father.”
Her jaw set.Lord Helton had protected her family from complete ruin by keeping her father’s crimes concealed.As far as Ginger knew, only a handful of people were aware of her father’s misdeeds.
“Are you suggesting that—even now—you’d be willing to allow my father’s name to be besmirched and my family ruined simply to punish me?”Ginger stared at him, appalled.
“We had an arrangement, Lady Virginia.I can’t help it if the true nature of your father’s crimes sees the light of day.They deserved to be and I spared you from that as a reward for your service to our country.Don’t forget that.And do remind Colonel Benson of the fact when he seeks you out again.”
She stood unnaturally still, her spine rigid.He knew Noah had found her in Palestine.She didn’t meet his gaze, afraid of what he’d see there.Would he be furious at her for breaking her promise?
He set both hands on the desk and leaned forward.“You are to keep your distance, understood?I don’t care what means you employ to convince Colonel Benson that you are not available to him.Just do it.”
Swallowing hard, she took her leave of Lord Helton, allowing Osborne to escort her back toward the entrance of the Savoy.
“I apologize about Lord Helton,” Osborne said as they walked toward the lobby.“The man is an insufferable snob.But he’s an excellent spymaster.Perhaps the two go hand in hand.”A smile lit his eyes.“Fortunately for us, I’ll be handling most of the work with you.Lord Helton is just overseeing occasionally.I’m very much looking forward to working with you, Lady Virginia.”
Ginger said good-bye, then left him in the lobby.Thank goodness she’d be working with Osborne instead of Lord Helton.
Lord Helton’s threats to release information about her father unnerved her.Even now, her family enjoyed relative acceptance in society, despite their lack of funds.But if her father’s crimes were exposed, her family would never be admitted to polite society again.
Diving into the world her father had been so deeply involved in before his death worried her.She shivered.
Who knew what skeletons she might uncover?
ChapterTen
Ginger had just arrived home from her meeting at the Savoy and stood in the foyer of the Braddocks’ home in Cairo, removing her hat.A servant had helped her inside, but it didn’t appear anyone other than the servants were here.
Her eyes drifted to the closed door of her father’s study.She had avoided it.The whole house felt rather haunted.She half-expected her father to come to the doorway, pipe in hand.Or Henry.
Their ghosts crept around this place, reminding her of their last minutes together and the shocking violence.
She swallowed, then crossed toward the staircase.Though her own bedroom held its own set of frightening memories, she would rather be in there.Especially when no one else was home.
Bounding up the stairs, she rushed to her room, then closed the door.She set her back to the wall, panting, the wooden box containing the pistol tucked under her arm, her hat in her hand.Her trunk remained at the foot of her bed, closed and unpacked, as she’d requested.She opened it and pushed some of her nursing uniforms to the side, then plunked the pistol case inside it.
Sitting on the floor, she set her elbow on the edge of the open trunk and covered her eyes with her hands.She’d thought she could come back here.That she was stronger now.
