The Ghost Rebellion by Tee Morris Pip Ballantine Read Free Book Online Page A

open palm on his desk. “Damn.”
    A strange silence fell over what had started as a delightful visit to the India Branch. It was, of course, protocol when Ministry agents arrived in other territories to notify head offices just to make them aware—on a “need to know” basis—that operations were underway.
    Maulik’s odd outburst, however, was far from expected.
    Wellington’s hand tightened on hers as he began to speak. “So by that rather colourful proclamation, are we to assume you are familiar with Lord Hieronymus Featherstone?”
    You are, Eliza thought, a delightfully ridiculous man sometimes, my darling.  
    Vania cleared her throat. “Lord Featherstone has been supplying us weapons for months. The Ministry, as a courtesy, has also been working with him to see what we can do to aid the Queen’s army in their peacekeeping operations.”
    That was, indeed, a surprise. “Welly, when you introduced yourself formally to Lord Featherstone, he didn’t—”
    “ Lord Featherstone acted as if he had never heard of the Ministry,” Wellington stated.
    “ Well now,” Maulik said, lightly thrumming his fingertips against the polished surface of his desk, “shall I book for your stay two separate rooms, or a single suite?”
    Eliza didn’t bother to glance at Wellington as she spoke for them both. “Single suite.”
     

Interlude
    Wherein the Ministry’s Finest Face Their Greatest Challenge for Crown and Empire
     
    Life at Whiterock was growing bloody tedious. Watching new recruits run by the back verandah in the freezing rain entertained Agent Bruce Campbell enough on the second, and even third, pass, but dining on their pain and suffering could only sate his appetites for so long. Besides, watching the anguish in their faces was laughable. They had no idea what was ahead, and God help them all when Cassandra Shillingworth got her hooks into them.
    It had only been three weeks since his last mission, and it hadn’t been an easy one by any stretch. Wales might have a reputation for being a little dull, but retrieving the wedding ring of Owain, the Lady of the Fountain, sounded easier than it had actually been. He and Brandon Hill had spent a lot of time running through the wilds of Wales chased by someone he was fairly sure had been some kind of grey lady. Usually Bruce liked ladies, but not when they wanted to rip his flesh from his bones.
    Three weeks at headquarters, though, was threatening to make Bruce go mad with boredom. At first he’d hit the training fields with other agents recuperating from assignments. Weeks of shooting, boxing, and becoming familiar with new technology had finally become dull. Even that bloody karate nonsense that Agent Killian had brought back with her from Japan had ceased to be interesting. When yesterday he walked by the library and seriously considered picking up something to read, Bruce knew this was a sign that the walls of Whiterock were closing in. He had to get out or risk starting a brawl in the dining room just for fun.
    “ Well,” Bruce muttered to himself just before taking a sip of his coffee and leaning back in his chair, “I suppose I did make a bit of a cock-up of the Queen’s Jubilee.”
    He grinned. That operation was, indeed, the best of times. In fact, it was operations like the Diamond Jubilee that reminded him exactly why he joined the Ministry. The clean-up, the investigations, and the reconstruction of the Ministry that followed had kept all of them busy. Most veteran agents were training new junior agents in the field who would take the places of the ones killed during Phantom Protocol. The missions were becoming less dangerous, or at least less dangerous than the Diamond Jubilee. Bruce stared out the window into the gloomy Yorkshire weather. He always hated the dull calm following a successful assignment in the field.
    “ Bruce!” a familiar voice called out his name from behind him.
    He knew who it was without turning, but did so anyway.