Chapter 1
Finnegan looked over the references with raised eyebrows. "Well, Miss McGregor. You seem to have worked as a housekeeper for a couple of distinguished families. Albeit in Scotland. But we work after English standards. Mr. Newton expects everything to be perfect. Do you think you are up to the task?" The woman nodded. It was hard to guess her age, mid-twenties, maybe. Her huge, green eyes stood in a stark contrast to the Puritanical dress. Her hair was completely hidden under a hood. Very prim, very proper. For a Scotswoman. "I can assure you, I am fully equipped to handle every kind of situation." Despite her attempts to conceal it, her Scottish accent was still clearly audible. "Very well." Finnegan finally said. "You will be on probation for the time being. Prove yourself to be as capable as your references make you out to be." Anne McGregor nodded. "I take my duties seriously, wherever I am employed. If everything is settled, would you be so kind as to show me around?"
After Finnegan had given her the tour and introduced her to the servants, he left her to unpack her belongings in the housekeeper´s room. And wait for the man she had actually come here for. It was past midnight when Omar Khaled finally snuck into her room. "Annie!" She had missed the velvety sound of his voice. Omar was dressed unusually fancy. "Look at you, mingling with the glitterati of London. What has the world come to." She handed him a cup of tea. The beverage was cold by now. "I had expected you earlier." Anne explained. Omar chuckled. He put the cup down and pulled her into a brief embrace. "I am glad you are here." Both sat down on Anne´s narrow, hard bed. Omar cocked his head. "So, Miss McGregor. We are Puritan now? A new fashion after Istanbul?" His mock-seriousness made Anne laugh. "Nobody likes a Puritan as a person, but they make perfect housekeepers. Yes, Istanbul was a success. They built quite an impressive community of Assassins there. I have to show you one day. Mr. Lowndes wrote that you might appreciate assistance on your assignment with Mr. Newton. He is supposed to be… quite a handful." Omar gave her a fond smile. "He is… very much his own person." He became serious again. "I may have found a recruit. She has eagle vision." "Eagle vision?" Anne repeated. "Who is she?" Omar hesitated for an oddly long period of time. "I have told you about her. I don´t know if you remember. Rose Galloway." Omar briefly recounted the events of the evening. How he had accompanied Mr. Newton to a ball to flush out a counterfeiter, bumped into his old friend and discovered her talents. Anne said nothing, while her mind processed this particular bit of information. "Well, your connection can only be an advantage. This way we know that we can trust her with the secrets of the brotherhood. And she is perfectly placed in society. We really need that. Eagle vision… You will have a much easier time training her than training me." Omar heard the tinge of regret in her voice. "I will have an easier time training her because we are going to do it together, witch." It was an old joke between them, almost something of an endearment. Even though Anne didn´t possess eagle vision by birth, she had what her people back home commonly called the Sight. Over the years, she had trained herself to channel it in a similar way as the Assassins´ most prized talent. It wasn´t as effective, though. Anne was an accomplished Assassin, but she had trained twice as hard as any other recruit to reach their level.
Anne didn´t have to wait long to meet the fabled Rose Galloway. It was every bit as devastating as she had feared. Omar had written to Rose and directed her to the crypt of a little church whose priest was loyal to the Brotherhood. Rose was a couple of years younger than Anne and one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, with a porcelain complexion, elegant figure and rich, dark hair. Anne felt the sharp sting of envy. Life was not fair. This perfect, doll-like creature had every advantage a woman would ever need: she had beauty, education, money and a secret gift that made her valuable for the brotherhood. Even more, she had Omar´s affection. That much was plain by his whole conduct towards her. Anne took a deep breath. Don´t go there. Don´t. Rose stared at her in amazement. "The life you must have led. So many adventures. How is it? Being a lady assassin?" Anne laughed. "A lady assassin? I have been called a lot of names, but never that. I like it. Yes, it was never boring. When we have more time, I will tell you about it. But first things first." Anne left it to Omar to explain the finer details. Rose was eager – of course she was. Especially when Omar declared that it was time to start their training. Anne had brought a pair of breeches and a men´s shirt for her to change into. Even in clothes that were too wide for her, Rose looked ravishing. Omar gave Anne a smile. "Ready?" It was time to show Rose the fighting skills she would soon learn. Their fight was almost some kind of dance. Omar and Anne knew each other intimately. Not just their strengths, their weaknesses, secrets, dreams and fears, also their way of fighting. They had sparred against each other more times than Anne could count. Omar never went easy on her. In fact, he was harder with her than with anyone else he had ever trained. Anne took as good as she gave. She enjoyed the way their bodies moved in perfect harmony, each giving way when the other pressed forth, blocking attacks and feigning weaknesses in their defence to draw the other out. When Omar finally pinned her against the wall, both were out of breath. Omar chuckled. "Good. Very good." "I will be able to do that?" Rose asked incredulously. Omar nodded. "In time, yes." They started out slowly, with the most basic punches and blocks. Anne watched Rose closely. Omar was right, she was gifted. She moved well and her eagle vision was already developed enough to be used in a fight. She would be an asset to the Brotherhood. After an hour or so, Father James interrupted their training. "Mr. Khaled, Mr. Newton is looking for you." Omar lost no time. He left Anne some instructions for the rest of Rose´s training and hurried away. Both women stared after him.
Rose still couldn´t believe her luck. Just yesterday she had dreaded another boring party in a restricting corset with stifling conversation. And here she was, a future assassin, to be trained by the only man she had ever truly respected (well, fancied). Omar had grown into a handsome man, and this might just be the only way for them to be together. Except… Annabelle McGregor. Or Annie, as Omar called her. They shared a strong bond, that much was clear to Rose after seeing them together. But what exactly were they for each other? They didn´t treat each other like lovers. No courteous words, no tender touches. If Anne had been a man, Rose would have believed them to be close comrades, brothers in arms. But she was a woman. Anne didn´t have the petite, delicate beauty that polite society prized, but she was nevertheless an attractive woman. She was about as tall as Omar and slim, but not in the way women usually were. Her good figure was the result of hard training. Anne´s most interesting features were her deep, green eyes. Rose didn´t know what to expect from her female instructor, but Anne proved to be a hard taskmaster and unlike Omar, who had frequently complimented her for her good instincts, Anne only praised sparingly. It wasn´t long until Rose was completely spent. Anne wasn´t even out of breath. They quickly washed with the bucket of water Father James had brought them and changed back into their dresses. "Rose…" Anne began. She seemed unsure how to proceed. "There are a couple of things I would like to go over with you. I think… it is better that we keep that between us." Rose was intrigued. What was it that Anne wanted to keep from Omar? She nodded and sat down beside Anne on the stone bench in the corner. Anne took a deep breath. "You will have an exciting life, yes. There will be many adventures, foreign countries… But there is more to being an Assassin. Our Brotherhood has rules too, strict ones. If you crave freedom and a life on your own terms, you won´t find it with us. But what we do… we can make a difference. It is a hard life, but a meaningful one. Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?" There was no malice in Anne´s eyes, no hint of jealousy. Anne wasn´t trying to scare her off, that much was clear. Rose shook her head. Anne paused, as if preparing herself for something awkward. "I need you to take it seriously. Joining the Brotherhood is not a commitment to be taken lightly." Rose nodded. "I understand." she said solemnly – and somewhat disappointed. More rules? As if her family wasn´t strict enough. Anne exhaled and gave her a small smile. It seemed that the hardest part was over for her. "Good. There is something else… Omar is right. We might be called Assassins, but we only kill if we have to. Never innocents. But… Us women, we will have to kill more often than the men. You will become a fearsome fighter – you are showing a lot of promise, but even then, men will see you as weak. Prey. A toy. They may not be the enemies of our Brotherhood, they may not try to topple empires or acquire world domination. They might just come after you for their own amusement. That makes them your enemy and you will be right to kill them. The men of our order tend not to see it like that. For them, it´s part of being a woman. It is not – and that is the most important thing you will ever hear from me. You have every right to defend yourself and other women. If you fend off a rapist, you will have saved yourself, but he will look for an easier victim. Don´t let him get away. We owe it to the women who can´t defend themselves." Rose stared at her. She had never heard a woman talk like that. Rose was sure that Omar had a cold-blooded side, but he acted like a gentleman. Anne wasn´t trying to hide the killer inside her. "What does Omar think about that?" Rose asked. Anne was silent for some time. "In his heart, he understands it. But… a couple of years ago, something happened. I am leaving it to Omar to give you the details, but… it changed him. His outlook on the value of human life. He´d rather spare a monster than kill an innocent. As a man, he can do that. We are women. That´s a luxury we don´t have." Rose couldn´t help herself, the question burst out. "You love him, don´t you? Omar?" Anne blinked. "That´s your most pressing question now?" Somehow, she seemed disappointed. Rose blushed. "I didn´t mean to pry. Just… it is obvious that the two of you are close." "Do I love Omar?" Anne repeated, more to herself than to her student. "He… is the person I trust the most in this world. I would… I did… follow him into any kind of danger. If that is love, then yes." She smiled at Rose´s confused expression. "I don´t know much about the kind of love you mean. The kind of love polite society writes about. Receiving poems, flowers, being courted by a gentleman caller… I am not sure if that´s for the likes of me. The Brotherhood…" She paused, as if she was listening for a sound Rose couldn´t hear. Anne jumped up and grabbed her bundle. "He needs me. I have to go." Her voice sounded somewhat dazed, but her movements were precise. When she turned to Rose, her voice was normal again. "Will you be fine to get back home on your own?" Rose nodded. "Yes, that´s no…" Anne didn´t let her finish her sentence and hurried out of the crypt.