Page 30 of A Relentless Rake

“We did learn something, though.” Reed ignored a pair of ladies who sent him flirtatious looks as they strolled past. Judging from the blank expression on his face, the two misses hadn’t tempted him in the least, although as the handsome hero of the Battle of Toulouse, he could have had his pick of women. “When Clayton and I were watching the school, a lad of about thirteen delivered a message to Everett. Clayton decided we should question him.”

“Question?” Alec raised a brow.

“We threw a sack over his head, stuffed him into a carriage to frighten the daylights out of him, then asked him what he knew about Everett.”

“A typical Home Office interrogation, then,” Alec drawled dryly and took a sip of wine.

Reed ignored that except for a slight clenching of his jaw. “The boy was a runaway apprentice who was given a coin for memorizing and delivering the message. He’d never before seen the man who hired him, and he wasn’t given a name.”

“And what was the message?”

“One word—‘Midnight.’”

Alec stared into his glass as he swirled the wine. If Everett already knew the location of the meeting, all he would need to be summoned was the time. And that meant— “Everett isn’t one of the leaders.”

“No. He’s only a foot soldier.”

His eyes narrowed on Olivia as he muttered, “Whose orders is he following, then?”

Reed shook his head. “The lad claimed he knew other boys who’d been hired to deliver similar messages. I’m going to track some of them down tonight. Maybe I can put together enough of a description to identify him.”

Alec wasn’t certain Reed would learn anything. Whoever was leading Scepter clearly trusted no one, not even men like Everett who were working for them. Yet Alec said nothing to contradict Reed’s plan. After all, it was the only one they had.

“I’ll leave you to your quadrilles, then.” Reed cast a disdainful glance around the room. “Places like this aren’t for me.”

Alec eyed the man. Young and handsome, a dashing army officer, the hero of Toulouse who had single-handedly saved two dozen women and children… “You’re still in the Guards. Aren’t you required to attend functions like this to stir up good relations with the War Department?”

“I’m not part of this world.”

And don’t want to be.The words hung between them as clearly as if Reed had spoken them.

His gaze darted back to Alec—hazel eyes that eerily matched his own. “I’ll check in with Clayton to see if he’s made any progress on uncovering the Home Office mole.”

Alec nodded grimly, hoping Clayton had. Their mission was at a crucial point and not going well. If Henry Everett knew he was being followed, he might never surface again except as a dead body in the Thames.

Alec’s own plans to charm information from Olivia had also come to nothing. After that waltz, she’d never again allow herself to be alone with him so he could question her privately. Unless…

An idea struck him.

“I’ll join you and Clayton later tonight to look for Everett,” Alec assured Reed. “But there’s something I need your help with first.”

“What?”

Alec nodded across the room at Olivia. “Her.”

He explained his plan, and Reed gaped at him as if he were mad. Perhaps he was, but it was also his best chance for gaining more information from her tonight. Hisonlychance.

Yet Reed nodded his agreement to the scheme and sauntered over to the punch table.

As he walked away, Isabel Sinclair approached through the crowd. She took Alec’s elbow tightly, with her gaze fixed on Reed. “Isn’t that…Captain Reed?”

“Yes.” Alec frowned. Few things in this world rattled his mother, especially when she was in her element like tonight. Yet Reed’s unexpected appearance seemed to have done just that, right down to her shaking fingers on his arm and her sudden pallor. But then she didn’t cross paths with her late husband’s bastard son every day.

“Why is he here?”

“He had some information for me.” Not technically a lie, he supposed, but it was safer to keep his family as far away from the mission as possible. “Don’t worry. He won’t cause a scene.” Although his mere presence here was enough to do that by itself. Even now, whispers and curious stares sped like a wave through the house.

“No, of course not.” She watched Reed select a glass of punch.