Reckless Rules (Brambridge Novel 4) by Pearl Darling Read Free Book Online

seventy year old?” Bill repeated.
    Lord Anglethorpe’s embarrassment was palpable. Without answering, he strode through the open front door of his house and straight into his study. He gestured to a chair opposite the desk. Bill looked it over carefully. It was of solid design and large enough to accommodate him. He sank into it thankfully.
    “I’m not proud of the way I behaved when Agatha left. I took my sister’s marriage at face value. Even now I’m not sure that anything was really wrong.”
    “But you suspect—”
    “Yes. She changes the subject when I refer to Colchester. But she’s hung their marriage portrait in the hallway where everyone can see it. I’ve caught her looking at it. I think I’ve even caught her talking to it”
    “Has she had any other…” Bill coughed. “Interests since?”
    Lord Anglethorpe frowned. “Not that I know of. Not that she would admit to. She seems obsessed with maintaining her reputation. God knows why. She does nothing all day. It’s a waste.”
    Bill nodded. It certainly was a waste.
    “Anyway Bill, why did you want to see me? It can’t be about my sister if she is refusing to see you. And she definitely won’t want to see you after your little display with Celine. I mean, good god, man, don’t you ever have a break from the ladies?”
    Involuntarily, the muscles along Bill’s shoulders tensed, threatening to break the fine cotton that encased them. “I wanted to ask you about how you would go about catching a spy,” he said baldly. It was enough to distract Henry.
    “Go about catching a spy?”
    “Yes. I am looking to hone my skills and thought I could do with a bit of advice.” Bill swallowed. “You know, as in continuous learning and all that.”
    “I am flattered,” Henry said with obvious surprise. “And as it is you, I will share some of my secrets. You see, I don’t really know where everyone is all of the time, contrary to what you have heard.”
    Bill caught Henry’s twinkling gaze. He laughed awkwardly. “Of course not!” He didn’t believe him, however. Henry was uncanny in his ability to find anyone and anything.
    “No! What you need is a very good network of other people who will do your hard work for you.”
    “You mean as in keep watch and spy for you?”
    Henry nodded. “Yes of course. That way your prey is constantly surprised when you turn up, as you do not reveal yourself until the end.”
    It made sense. Henry was a notorious spymaster, running many professional spies into Europe. Why wouldn’t he have an army of other less obvious confidantes all reporting back to him as well?
    Bill’s lips were dry. “How do you go about choosing your spies?”
    “Oh, something always comes up,” Henry said airily. “You generally use what you have.”
    Oh dear.
     

CHAPTER 5
     
    Victoria sighed as the gentleman sat opposite her droned on. She understood that what Mr. Robertson was saying was entirely worth listening to. After all, she and her clients were the main benefactors to Mr. Robertson’s very worthy cause—his Pauper establishment in Hoxton—however, who said that worthy meant boring ?
    “With your money we have been able to give each of the two hundred and eighty one paupers, from each of the forty different parishes, a bar of soap each and new shoes.” Mr. Robertson smiled and looked up from the piece of paper that he clutched in his hand. He had obviously prepared well for the meeting with Lady Colchester. Victoria felt at times that perhaps he had even been reading from the paper as if it were a prepared speech.
    “Very good.” She nodded.
    Mr. Robertson beamed, his corpulent figure perched precariously on one of the sparse chairs that were put out for visitors. He obviously thought that providing little comfort to those who came to inspect where their funds were going would indicate that he was ploughing all the money he received into his own business of looking after paupers for other parishes, rather than