Chapter 20

Rebecca, Sir James McCollum, and agents of the Foreign Service put at their disposal spent the morning of the Embassy ball gathering up all the foreign agents they could find. They intended to remove as many as they could and question those Sir James recognized.

Phileas had watched the first ones apprehended, before leaving Rebecca to her fun. She had sent Katharine out in a carriage for a drive with Mr. Robertson. Two horsemen had joined them a block away. Sir James had given a confirmation signal to her agents, who handily snatched the spies off their horses, dragging them off to a waiting conveyance.

Those had been carried away to Whitehall for questioning. The same thing was later done outside the Earl's lodgings. Hopefully, one of these would know who the queen was, or at least could lead them to someone who did knew.

Katharine's maid at Eleanor's house was nearly done with her hair when Andrew came in and sat at her dressing table carrying a small, flat box. When the servant left, he said, "For you in honor of your new dress." Katharine took it, questioning, and then opened the box. Inside it lay a gold necklace full of diamonds with matching earrings.

"It's breathtaking."

The jewelry sparkled and fired in the lamplight like living things. Andrew put the necklace on her. "I unearthed it from the vault before leaving home," he said. "I brought this and a few other things in hopes you would accept me." He moved off his stool to kneel beside her, taking her hands to kiss each finger in turn. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's not too late. If you say so, I will tell Fogg and put an end to the whole thing."

"No, we cannot do that," Katharine said. "We must do what we can to help. I admit I am nervous, but I want this to end. It will not just go away, Andrew. I do not know how I got caught up in such a thing, but I want out of it and those responsible caught."

"Traitors are hung, my love," he said. Andrew had never called her that. It surprised both of them. "Shall we go then?"

The line of carriages heading to the French Embassy was like a centipede slowly winding its way through the streets. They had to wait over fifteen minutes to get to the coach entrance. Once out of the carriage, the Foggs, in full evening dress, greeted them at the door.

Rebecca exchanged greetings with Katharine and turned to introduce Thomas Paine, who would keep a close watch over her for the evening. He was a tall, dark man of large build. He smiled and bowed, but his face was all business.

Andrew approved of the bodyguard. That made one more.

They entered the reception room, heralded by their titles. Under the circumstances, being announced like that made Andrew very uncomfortable. He watched the room for anyone who paid special attention to them, only to find that everyone's heads had turned. His courtship with Mary Kate had become the talk of the town.

On edge, Andrew led Mary Kate through a promenade of people greeters. The agency guard kept a discreet distance, but was never less than four steps away. He accepted champagne from a roving waiter, downing it in nearly one gulp. The bubbly liquid worked its way down through his nervous system. After the second one, he relaxed.

From there, everything went like any other event they had attended. They danced, ate, toasted, and talked. At several points in the evening, Rebecca came by to check on them. This time she joined Katharine, sitting at stools set out for ladies at one end of the room to rest. Andrew had just brought them each a glass of punch. Katharine smiled and asked how he had managed the family reunion. Andrew pretended innocence.

"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked.

Katharine gave Andrew one more chance to fess up. When none came, she started calling out names to Rebecca. "Sir James is over there by that column. Mr. Robertson was sitting five seats down from me at that table. Those Army and Naval officers over there on the right are also my cousins, Phillip and Timothy. Cousin Daniel and his wife from Edinburgh are by that window over there to the left," she said, giving a gesture. "That is my oldest cousin Sir Thomas talking with the lady in lilac. Those two leaning into that column on the left," she pointed out, waving to the two gentlemen who waved back, "are cousins Julian and Michael."

Katharine and Rebecca looked askance. Rebecca, for reasons of bruised professional pride.

Andrew gave an indifferent shake of the head. "We will announce our engagement soon. I thought having some family in town would be nice for you." He had not spoken the last word when the sudden sound of cannon fire, or maybe just fireworks, bombed through the room. "If that is fireworks, they have gone off too early."

Rebecca headed for the windows to investigate.

Andrew had Katharine stay with her guard as he went to a nearby window. After he walked away, Mr. Paine came to suggest Katharine repair to a less open area. She stood and obediently followed him halfway up the stairs overlooking the dance floor before a sudden uncomfortable doubt stopped her steps.

"Sir, should we not stay where we can be seen so the others can find us?"

"Not necessarily," Mr. Paine answered. The agent took her by the arm and led her farther up the stairs. When she protested again, she felt something sharp pushed against her ribs. "Just keep going," the guard ordered. Katharine looked around wildly. She saw two of her cousins notice her on the stairs, but they did not seem to see a problem.

Agent Paine made a pointed warning, sending his knife further into her side, and then pulled her into a long hallway. They turned down a dark servant's stairway, leaking to a hidden staging area with empty tables. He opened a door, taking her outside onto a lawn not being used for guests. A woman in a dove gray silk dress met them outside. Katharine was sure she had met her before, but couldn't remember where.

The woman nodded a greeting but looked at Mr. Paine. "Do it quickly. The fireworks won't last long."

"I know you," Katharine said. "You offered to tell Mr. Fogg where we were waiting for him."

The blonde woman gave her a nod but didn't speak. She headed around a corner and disappeared.

Agent Paine kept the knifepoint trained on her side. He pushed in forward. Katharine tripped. The agent caught her, pulling her in close to stop her fall. "Blasted dresses. Be careful. Can't have you turning an ankle."

"Thomas," a voice called from behind them. They turned to see the woman returned with Mr. Robertson pushing her along.

Robertson had followed the guard and his duchess up the stairs at a distance. He saw her hesitate and then her guard pushed something shiny into her side. He followed, careful to not be seen. As they went out onto the grounds, he watched, waited for a chance.

Then the chance came when the blonde woman gave the agent an order and head his way. He waited in the dark hall. When the woman walked in, he met her, clamping her mouth shut to stop her cries, and pinning her hard against the wall and gave her a good view of the gun he was carrying. Properly subdued, he turned her back around.

"Let the lady go or this one will not live to be hung!" Mr. Robertson demanded.

Paine looked up in surprise. Mr. Robertson cocked his pistol for further effect. Mary took the warning more to heart and ordered Katharine set free. As Paine complied, Mr. Robertson added an order for him to give the knife up to the lady as well. The agent did as he was bid.

Katharine moved away immediately to stand beside her rescuer. Robertson then bid the agent to sit on the ground. When he had, Robertson let his captive loose, ordering her to sit beside her cohort. The woman walked slowly to her henchmen's side and then turned back to face Robertson.

They heard a sharp bark that could have been the fireworks. Sparks and smoke appeared in front of her in the dark, and then Robertson doubled over beside Katharine. Before the smoke cleared, Paine jumped back up to his feet to recover her. Katharine, holding his knife, saw the agent coming. She turned the knife in her hand and threw it, as Robertson had taught her, watching it head for the agent. With a swift move too fast to follow, Agent Paine caught it out of the air. In the time it took her to turn and take four steps, he had her captured again with the knife coming up on her throat.

Not here!" Mary shouted. "Deal with her and get away from here as fast as you can."

Mary looked down at Robertson with more annoyance than satisfaction. This was going to be one more inconvenience. Returning her gun to its pocket in her dress, she lifted her skirts away from the fallen man and headed back to the door.

Agent Paine forced Katharine around the corner of the building to an area under a stand of trees near the perimeter wall. Katharine went cold, her limbs trembled so hard it was hard to walk or breathe. She had known Mr. Robertson all her life and now he lay behind her, shot for trying to protect her.

Under the cover of the trees, her guard spun her around to face him, backing her into a tree trunk. Paine raised the knife he had been pressing into her side so she could see it gleam. "It is a shame to ruin such a pretty dress. Should I cut your throat instead or stab you above the bodice?" Paine smiled when she didn't answer. He pinned her to the tree at the shoulder. His knife arched…

Katharine watched, frozen in place, as the knife was aimed at her heart. Then, like an answer to her prayers, two hands grabbed the knife arm, pulling backward. The agent was pulled away from her. Seconds later, a strong warm hand jerked her away from the tree and two combatants, three or four combatants maybe, wrestled Paine to the ground. She only caught a brief view of the struggle before being spun into a hard wall of male muscle. Andrew drew her further away, keeping her turned away from the action.

Out of her view, several men encircled her attacker. One came in from behind, taking his head in his hands. One swift twist and he dropped to the ground.

Some minutes later, a voice asked if she was all right. It was Phileas's. Katharine turned her head and nodded.

"Did you catch her?" she asked.

"Catch whom," Phileas said, and knew in an instant whom she was referring to. "Where?" He demanded.

"The other side of the building. There is a door leading to a servant's stairs. Robertson… Robertson… tried to…" She could not get it out. Phileas ran in the direction she pointed, followed by three others.

At that point, the party was over. As a group, they surround her and headed to the coach entrance. A carriage was waiting. Andrew picked her up to put her inside and followed close behind. Timothy and Phillip were ordered to follow in another. Katharine saw Julian. She gathered her wits enough to call him. "Find Rebecca Fogg. She needs to know who she is looking for." Katharine gave Julian a description of the woman and where she had seen her in Rebecca's presence before allowing the carriage door to be closed.