"I congratulate you, Misses Bennet, for a truly stellar job." Lord Morrison leveled a firm, approving look at each sister as he offered his praise. "I am most pleased that Phillips has chosen to recruit you."
Jane and Elizabeth responded with ladylike, becoming nods.
The first time Elizabeth had walked into this very study, impressed by how such a spacious room had been so expertly tucked into a nondescript building on the brink of fashionable London, she had almost overlooked the physically unremarkable man before them. Lord Morrison - at least, that was what everyone at this place called him - was of medium build, average coloring, and otherwise completely forgettable proportions. If not for his position as a highly ranked intelligence coordinator for the Home Office, no one might even have given the man a second glance.
He was, therefore, the perfect candidate for a spy.
Elizabeth grinned dourly to herself at the thought that she and Jane might have been able to succeed in their last few assignments exactly because they were deemed as forgettable as Lord Morrison. It lent Elizabeth a great sense of purpose to be able to serve the Crown and provide for her family, for the reward money given them for each successful task had been most rewarding indeed. But it was also particularly humbling to realize that they had been able to succeed in ferreting out the appropriate information each time precisely because no one in London saw the Bennet sisters as anything noteworthy.
"I must admit I had my doubts when Phillips first mentioned the arrangement." Lord Morrison, ever frank, stated openly. "While we do, at times, require the assistance of female agents - for we would not be running the dormitory otherwise - we had yet to witness such a remarkable and consistent degree of success until now."
Jane blushed at the compliment. She blushed easily at everything. It was a quality that endeared her to nearly everyone they met, in whatever identity she assumed, and had proven most instrumental in compelling men to confide in her. It had taken a toll on Jane, at first, to play a rather duplicitous role. But once Lord Morrison had explained that the criminal whom they had helped to identify had been embezzling money from his widowed mother, sickly grandmother, and hapless sisters, neither Bennet sisters had ever wavered in confidence again.
Their assignments might be unladylike, but the goals they served could not be any nobler.
"I am glad to hear that we have been of service, my lord," said Elizabeth. "I can only hope that our identities do not become public too easily given that we have taken upon three assignments in such rapid succession."
"Not to fear. We have reasons for making your roles differ so greatly each time. People, you will find, Miss Bennet, are remarkably unable to note any similarities between characters they believe to be of entirely different spheres. When a governess resembles a schoolmistress, perhaps people might wonder. But I assure you that the more intelligent half of the ton could easily walk by a nursemaid who looked exactly like a duchess and not blink an eye. We are all truly more forgettable than we might account ourselves to be."
The thought was, once again, rather humbling.
Elizabeth nodded. "We defer to your wisdom, sir."
"Good, very good. The two of you, as individuals, have done a stellar job - and are even more formidable in partnership. If you fear for your safety, however, Miss Elizabeth, you might be happy to hear that the next task we wish to assign to you entails a trip to the countryside without having to stay in London."
"There is a problem to investigate in the country?"
"The problem, as you put it, is a person who has been smuggling weapons to the French; and it is our belief that the country house party of an earl might just be the perfect opportunity to render the suspects' guards down enough that we might discover their secrets."
"I see, my lord."
"In order to draw attention away from your previous roles, we have decided to reverse your assigned identities this time. With Miss Bennet having previously just taken upon the role of a lady and Miss Elizabeth her companion, we would like to request that Miss Elizabeth charade as the niece and heiress of a Scottish earl while Miss Bennet take upon the role of her lady's maid."
"I can style hair well," Jane offered helpfully.
"As we have been made aware by the documents submitted by your uncle," Lord Morrison agreed. "And even if you did not have such skills, Miss Bennet, we believe you would be willing to learn them quickly for the sake of your assignment."
"Of course, my lord," Jane answered readily.
Elizabeth hesitated slightly as she watched her sister. It was one thing for Elizabeth, with her outgoing ways and penchant for mischief, to take upon this unusual means of providing for their family. It was altogether different to watch Jane, who would never dream of hurting a soul, having to work against her conscience as they continued to deceive for a living.
"Are there any special skills that we ought to master for this assignment, sir?" asked Elizabeth.
Lord Morrison handed them each a few thoroughly-written sheets of paper, almost like a script for a play, for their new identities. "I do believe you are already equipped with most of the necessary knowledge and skills. Do rest well at the dormitory tonight. I shall have Mrs. Rebington see to it that you are served only the best foods and equipped with the best comforts. We can convene here at the same time tomorrow for you to meet Colonel Fitzwilliam."
"We are to work with an army officer, sir?" Elizabeth looked up in surprise.
Lord Morrison nodded.
"Is the task very dangerous then?" She could not help the hint of anxiety that crept into her tone.
To her surprise, Lord Morrison chuckled. "Dangerous? No, not at all. But you will indeed be working in collaboration with an army colonel, as he will be posing as your fiancé."
"You do not need to proceed with the task if you feel so very uneasy about it," Jane assured the next morning as Elizabeth began her third round of pacing around their modest dormitory suite.
Elizabeth stopped short, her slippers soft upon the carpet. She wrung her hands as she sighed. Perhaps it was too much to ask to conceal her true feelings from Jane. Even her best talents at guile and diversion could not deceive her dearest sister.
"I do not fret about the assignment itself." Elizabeth dropped onto the chair nearest the fireplace. "I trust the colonel to be a gentleman, if Lord Morrison swears it. The task itself also appears benign enough. It is only the complication of pretending to be betrothed - "
Elizabeth bit her lip as another sigh rolled off her chest. "I fear that a smudge upon our reputation may harm the entire family. It is bad enough that we are essentially serving as spies."
"Oh, Lizzy." Jane rushed over to embrace her sister. "You know it is all for a noble calling. And I will be permitted to accompany, won't I?"
"As my lady's maid, yes." Elizabeth murmured against Jane's sleeve. She shot her sister a slightly more mischievous look. "Do you think you can take the degradation?"
Jane laughed gently before kneeling down on the rug beside Elizabeth's chair. "If you can take the horror of being engaged, I do suppose I shan't mind the terror of being thought of as a servant."
The sisters chuckled together, and Elizabeth spent the next half hour steeling herself for the task before her. Lord Morrison had instructed her to convene with the colonel alone, and Elizabeth could only hope that he would prove a partner worth having.
Determined to do whatever she could to provide for her family, Elizabeth walked up the steps of the nondescript building. She had spent the night steeped in research, learning everything she could about the role she was about to take upon. It relieved her greatly to be assured that the charade would be limited to the earl's house party rather than bandied about in London, thus offering a layer of protection for her family's reputation. It relieved her further to know that while she would be tasked to assume the identity of a relation to a Scottish earl, there was no indication that the part she played needed to be that of a Scottish woman. Elizabeth had had her share of pageants and plays at home where she had wielded a Scottish accent. She was quite certain she had never been remotely convincing.
Permitted to enter after she had uttered the requisite answers to the guard at the door, Elizabeth waited at the assigned sitting room. As with every other room in the peculiarly-designed building, this particular sitting room felt as luxurious as it was unmemorable. One could easily feel persuaded about anything in a room as comfortable as this, without remembering ever having been here at all.
Determined to ease her nerves, Elizabeth alternated between pacing and sitting. And it was when she had just ended a round in the room that the man she was expected to meet marched in.
"Ah, Miss Bennet!" A man of medium height and build smiled at her. He took a few steps into the room, leaving the door ajar behind him, before bowing over her hand. His face looked affable and open, nothing at all like how Elizabeth would have imagined an army colonel to appear. "I must apologize to have kept you waiting. Morrison wanted to dispense a few more reminders before we convened."
Elizabeth nodded. The fact that the person in front of her looked kindly and plainspoken did not deter her from noticing how casually her had referred to Lord Morrison. She dropped her customary curtsy. "Colonel Fitzwilliam, I believe."
"Yes, yes." The man smiled. He gestured to the chairs nearby and guided them over. "I have heard great things said of your contributions, Miss Bennet, and I look forward to having your assistance for this upcoming assignment."
Elizabeth nodded as she arranged herself as gracefully as she could on the chair. She might as well begin practicing her airs as an heiress early. "I believe it is your family's house that we are to visit?"
"Yes, I see you are already informed." He smiled at her again. The man dearly liked to smile. "After some discussion, it was determined that harnessing a pre-arranged house party would be the best way to set our suspects at ease, thus lowering their defenses in the process."
"Yes, that makes excellent sense."
"Is that all you wish to say, Miss Bennet?" Intelligent eyes twinkled at her. Elizabeth drew a subtle breath. "I had been under the impression that I would be working in tangent with a woman of the more, shall we say, outspoken variety."
Elizabeth winced slightly at the description, though she could not in good conscience refute it. She allowed herself her first smile of the day. "I suppose I shall confess to such a habit - but only if it would prove helpful to our investigation."
Now, the colonel laughed heartily. "Never fear, Miss Bennet. I know you shall prove very helpful. There are many things that a man might not wish to tell another man and yet would readily declare to a woman he wished to impress."
Elizabeth frowned slightly. "Am I to attempt to show these suspects favor then?"
"Not in the flirtatious sense, no. The reason for our ruse of an engagement is to protect you from such possible advances, as well as to fulfill the terms set by my brother's ridiculous future wife. Rarely would a tradesman or a lower member of the peerage dare to offend even the second son of an earl by engaging the attentions of his fiancée. I refer more to conversations and verbal encouragements, as even the most quiet men cannot be immune to perceived admiration."
"That, I understand. If providing engaging conversation is all that is expected of me, then I promise to fulfill the purpose well."
The colonel nodded, as if satisfied. "Morrison has chosen well. We shall have three primary suspects to scrutinize. I am not thoroughly familiar with Sir Tyler, although I am acquainted with the baronet. I have also had the misfortune of having previously made the acquaintance of Mr. Culham. It is only Mr. Onervan that we are both meeting for the first time at Stratsbury Hall. One might need to be rather creative to be able to engage well with all three men."
"And the crime we are investigating is the smuggling of weapons to the French, is it not?"
"I do not believe the documents stated things so openly, Miss Bennet."
"Then that is one other thing you must learn about me, Colonel Fitzwilliam, for I always speak as openly as I am permitted to."
He smiled, friendly and open-mannered. "That is a helpful trait to have when one needs to earn the trust of one's suspects."
Elizabeth nodded, acknowledging the compliment.
"But be that we are to pretend to be betrothed, shall you not call me Richard?"
The knot in Elizabeth's stomach that had disappeared over the last few minutes rapidly reappeared. Her following smile was tight. "Of course, and I am Elizabeth."
"I am aware." He smiled. "Miss Elizabeth Merivale, my heiress and future."
Elizabeth hoped her smile did not look too much like a grimace. She would have to sport it for many days to come.
A/N: Richard is not in love with Elizabeth. I repeat, Richard is not in love with Elizabeth. We shall not have hurt feelings on that front. No need to worry!
And thank you all for such an overwhelming and encouraging response to the first chapter! I hope you will enjoy the rest of the story. I worked very hard on this one!