ceremony and the matter of Letty’s dowry.” James held his hat under one arm and nodded brusquely at Adam.
Adam nodded back and watched the pair leave the retiring room. Once he was alone, he searched the chamberuntil hespottedthe small hole in the wall wherethe bullet had struck. He retrieved his dagger and dug the bullet from the wall. He chipped at the hole, scratching it until it looked like the damage to the wall had been done by something else.
He searched the room until he found a chair about the right height, and then he pushed the tip of the chair into the hole. Now it looked as if someone had simply shoved the chair into the wall at an angle, causing the damage.The last thing he needed was proof of what had happened in this room. He needed London society to think that he simply had been lost in passion with Letty, not thwarting a French assassin.
He slipped the bullet into the tiny pocket of his waistcoat and left the retiring room.
Given the tight crowd now at the front door, Adam surmised that there had been a mad dash upon the poor grooms to fetch coaches and horses. Lord and Lady Allerton were attempting to oversee the mass exodus from their home.
“I don’t understand it, Henry,” Lady Allerton murmured to her husband. “A pistol?Why would anyone . . .” She trailed off and wrung her hands in her red satin skirts.
Adam slipped between pacing gentlemen and packs of gossiping ladies until he made it to the front of the line. The next groom who rushed up the steps of the Allerton house was breathing hard and caught Adam’s summoning wave.
“Bring around my coach. The one with the Morrey crest.” He knew all the servants of great households like the Allertons were trained to recognize the crests of the noble houses for occasions such as these.
“Yes, my lord.”
Adam moved out of the hot crush of the crowd and waited outside for his coach to be brought forward. He donned his cloak and climbed inside the vehicle once it was in front of the Allerton house. Then he sat back in the darkness for an instant before he realized something was wrong.
He lunged forward, his dagger pressed against the man’s throat. He would have laughed in triumph at discovering this hidden man, but he felt a second blade pressed against his own throat.
“Easy, Morrey,” a familiar voice chuckled. Adam relaxed, and the weapons were lowered.
“Russell, what the bloody hell are you thinking, sneaking into my coach?” He sat back in his seat and tucked the knife in his waistcoat. Avery Russell did the same. Adam pulled one of the curtains away from the window so that he could better see the spymaster.“Did you find Lady Edwards?”
Avery nodded. “Barely.I saw her escaping from the window after the gunshot. I feared I was too late. We had but a moment to speak in the garden, and I received the message.”
“You almost were too late.” Adam leaned his head back against the cushioned wall of the coach. “Tonight was a disaster.”
“No one was hurt, and Lady Edwards gave me her message,” Avery mused.
“No one is hurt, but I’m now to be married.”
Avery’s eyes widened.“What?”
Adam explained how he’d attacked Letty, and how he’d seen to it that Lady Edwards had the chance to escape safely. Then, to keep suspicion off himself, he’d kissed Letty publicly, making it look as though they’d met for a secret romantic assignation.
Avery fought off a grin. “You’re to marry Pembroke’s sister?”
“Go ahead and laugh,” Adam grumbled.
“I’m not laughing at you, or her. Just the ludicrousness of the situation. Letty is a sweet girl, very intelligent, but not suited to a life of danger,” Avery said with more seriousness.
“I know, but what can I do? The spywho fired upon me tonight had a good look at Letty’s face. They’ll assume she’s working with me or Lady Edwards. Pembroke won’t be able to guard her as well as I can. She’ll be safer being married to me.”
Avery was studying him now. “Marriage won’t be enough. She’ll need you as a protective shadowuntil we can discover who attacked you at the Allerton ball.”
“I plan to be that shadow,” Adam agreed. “I only dread knowing Letty will hate me for it.”
“I believe Letty is due more credit than you would give her.” Avery tapped the roof of the coachwith a fist, and it rolled to a stop.
Adam glanced at the darkened street.“You’re leaving here?”
“Like