You Only Love Once by Caroline Linden Read Free Book Online Page B

attempt to recover as much of the money as possible, and bring Dixon back for trial so that at least Ben’s name would be cleared. Nate, who wouldn’t have even been born if Ben hadn’t saved his father’s life at the battle of Brandywine, refused to go home without Jacob Dixon—with or without the money—and he’d work with Lucifer’s spies if that’s what it took. If he failed, Ben would lose everything, not only his lands and modest fortune but his good name as well.
    And Nate was determined not to fail, no matter what was required of him. President Monroe hadsent him along with an introduction to the Foreign Office to smooth the way. Lord Selwyn had been appropriately shocked by the account of Dixon’s crime, but also disinclined to simply hand over a British citizen to American justice. He was sympathetic enough to send Nate on to John Stafford, indicating that Stafford was the man to see in cases of such political delicacy. Now Nate had Stafford’s cooperation—or interference—and a Frenchwoman to watch his every move. As long as he ended up in possession of at least some of the stolen funds, and Jacob Dixon’s person, he was fine with all that.
    But if either Stafford or Madame Martand got in his way…he was just as willing to take matters into his own hands.
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    A note arrived early the next day from Stafford that he would need two days to make arrangements, and to expect further word within that time. Madame Martand must have accepted after all, Nate thought, since the note made no mention of a change in plans. For some reason this didn’t annoy him at all; quite the contrary.
    â€œI’m going to have another look at Madame Martand,” he said, pulling on a long gray coat and taking up a plain black hat. It was a cool, cloudy day, so he also grabbed an umbrella for extra concealment. Prince gave him a long, speaking look, a wicked grin curling his mouth, but went back to his experiments without a word. Nate ignored the look and left.
    He found his way back to her house in good time. Retracing a path through a city, with so many more fixed landmarks to note, was always easier than retracing a path through the forest, and Nate wasrather good at doing that. Fortunately for him, she lived in a quiet area opposite a small park, where he could linger out of sight for hours, if necessary. Not that he hoped to; staring at her house wouldn’t give him much idea of what kind of person she was or what she would be like to work with. He tied up his horse at a nearby shop and went to scout the area.
    But she helped him out by leaving the house. Nate had barely taken a turn around the street when a hired carriage rattled up and stopped in front of her house. Almost at once the front door opened, and the lady herself walked down the steps, demure and prim in a gray traveling dress and black bonnet. She stepped lightly into the carriage, pausing only to speak to the sturdy-looking maid who followed her out to the street. The maid nodded, the carriage started off, and on impulse Nate slipped quickly back to his horse and followed.
    He didn’t know what he expected to gain by doing so. He’d been too far away to hear what she told the driver. Perhaps she was going to have tea with a friend or going shopping for new gloves, and he would waste an entire day that could be better spent tracking Jacob Dixon’s movements. But too much depended on his knowing her, this odd French spy who worked for the English and seemed perfectly at ease offering to cut his throat. His entire enterprise now rested on how well he could manage her, and she was a complete enigma. He had rather be safe than sorry, he told himself as he drifted into the swelling stream of traffic and kept one eye on her carriage.
    They headed out of the city, around the wide expanse of Hyde Park and then west on the turnpike.With his rudimentary knowledge of London geography, Nate was