A Cantata of Love (The Code Breakers 4) by Jacki Delecki Read Free Book Online

Henrietta would tell him everything and wouldn’t be judgmental like her husband. After all, Hen had never held his escapades against him.
    “Look on the bright side, Cord. You rescued Lady Henrietta, gaining her trust so that she was willing to marry you. I would say it all ended well.”
    Cord leaned back in his chair, his face relaxing in pleasurable memories. Michael didn’t want to see the face of a satisfied male reflecting on his sister.
    Ashworth drank from his glass. “Now that we’ve put all that behind us, please explain your disguise as nuns. I’ve been in many disguises undercover, but never anything as intriguing as a nun.”
    Brinsley effortlessly lifted a heavy mahogany chair that stood in front of the fireplace and placed it next to Ashworth. “Yes, do tell how you got the nuns to cooperate.” Brinsley ambled to the side table and poured himself a glass of brandy. Clearly he was part of the inner circle. “I wanted to go the nunnery and ask them why they assisted you, but with both Fouché’s and Napoleon’s men watching the convent, I couldn’t risk it.”
    “Fouché’s men followed Denby from our home. He escaped by hiding behind a statue of the Blessed Virgin in Notre Dame Cathedral. Mother Therese came to his rescue. In exchange for their wimples and dresses, we had to agree to escort a boy, Pierre, out of France.”
    “What happened to the lad who was with you?” Brinsley’s enormous hands held the brandy glass to his mouth.
    “It turns out that the lad wasn’t a lad, but Mademoiselle Gabrielle escaping the clutches of Napoleon.”
    “The boy was not a boy?” Brinsley took a big swallow of his brandy. “You really do get into the most interesting situations.”
    “Why is Napoleon after this young woman?” Ash asked.
    “He wants to marry her off to his brother and keep her fortune for his war coffers.”
    “Well, then, it was a good thing you got her away from France,” Brinsley said. “But what of her family?”
    “Very tragic. Her parents were guillotined during the Reign of Terror.”
    “An orphan with a large inheritance?” Brinsley asked. “I’m glad I assisted her escape.”
    “The Sisters sent Gabby to join her brother in England.”
    “Then her brother will protect her from the fortune seekers in England.” Brinsley reclined back in his chair.
    Rathbourne cleared his throat. “Unfortunately her brother was the former Comte De Valmont.”
    “Valmont’s sister?” Ash sat up straight. “This is the first we’ve heard that he had a sister.”
    “I was aware of a sister, but it was assumed she died in the Revolution,” Rathbourne said.
    “He hid his sister in a convent,” Michael added.
    “Valmont, the French spy?” Brinsley asked.
    “Yes, the one who was shot by an unidentified assassin,” Ash added.
    “Gabby knows nothing about her brother’s activities in England. She is an innocent. And I will honor my promise to Mother Therese to help her get situated in England,” Michael said.
    “How can we be sure?” Brinsley asked.
    “We cannot assume. We’ll have to keep her under surveillance,” Ashworth said.
    Michael watched all three men nod in agreement.
    “For God’s sake, she’s been in a convent. She’s not a spy.”
    “He does have a good point.” Ashworth looked at Rathbourne and shrugged his shoulders. “I think we’ve been in this spy business too long, Cord. We suspect everyone.”
    “When it comes to the secrecy of my wife’s work, I will not take any risks. Mademoiselle De Valmont can’t stay in this house.”
    Discovery of Hen and his secret work could cost British lives. Their work as code breakers needed to be carefully guarded. He took a big gulp of his brandy. What a conundrum. Rathbourne’s concerns about Gabby were legitimate. But his brother-in-law didn’t know Gabby like Michael did. She was not a mastermind spy. “She is going to be devastated to learn about her brother. She knows no one else in England.”
    “My