The Counterfeit Lady

“Where were you? Calcutta? In how much danger are we of meeting someone who would have known my father or me?”

“Yes, Calcutta will do nicely. I don’t know of anyone involved in this who’s been to India. And where did you and Phyllida decide you moved after your wedding?”

“Singapore. She had a Monthalf cousin, Edgar, who was in business there. He never married and died a few years ago. Are we in any danger of being discovered from that choice?”

“Not that I know of.”

The duke still held my face in his bare hand, skin touching skin. I didn’t move, not wanting the moment to end.

His expression turned grim. “You’ve been against playing the role of a widow since we began pla

I jerked backward, the mood between us broken. “No. As a single woman, I’m against leaving my shop, my source of income, in the hands of others while we search for Clara Gattenger’s killer.”

“And the blueprints to the greatest warship ever designed.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I took a full step backward and blinked away my tears. “Are you worried I can’t play my role convincingly because he died before we reached the altar?”

“No. I’m worried you won’t be able to play your part convincingly because it will hurt too much.”

I was surprised at the kindness I heard in his voice. “This role has nothing to do with my real life.”

“Nevertheless, you’d be less than human if it didn’t bother you.”

I looked into his eyes, letting him see into my deepest being. His genuine concern demanded complete honesty. “Your Grace, if there were any man today I’d let into my bed, it would be you.”

He took my hand and raised it to his lips. The skin of his lips was slightly rough against my flesh. Would they feel as rough if I kissed him? “I’m honored.” He lowered my hand. “What happened to your lover?”

“We had had a long, cold winter. Just as we entered spring and began to plan our wedding day, he came down with a fever. It quickly grew worse and traveled to his brain. He died the day before they read the ba

“I’m sorry. And I’m flattered you’re letting me follow him, if only as a pretend lover.”

I held his gaze for a long time as I wrapped his startling consideration around me. Then I shook my head and said, “How do we want to begin our affair tonight?”

“Before the musical performance begins at the Francises’, we’ll meet and exclaim over how long it’s been. That will give me an opening to sit with you and we can begin our flirtation.” He strode away from me, ru

A breeze fluttered through the window, cooling my heated skin. I closed my eyes and drank in the refreshing air, nearly missing his next words.

“Baron von Steubfeld will be in attendance tonight. We need to keep him aware that his every move is being scrutinized.”

I opened my eyes and stared at him. “Why do you think the drawings haven’t already been passed to him and then sent by diplomatic pouch to Berlin?”

With perfect timing, Phyllida reentered the room. I suspected she had eavesdropped. My cheeks grew warm despite my suspicion that Phyllida already knew my fiancé had been my lover.

“We know the baron hasn’t received them yet,” Blackford said.

“How?”

The duke waved me closer and lowered his voice as he stood between Phyllida and me. “We’ve been reading privileged diplomatic messages between von Steubfeld and Berlin. The baron complained in a telegram this morning that he’s been watched too closely to take possession of the plans yet.”

I was shocked. Such things were not done. I didn’t even think they were possible. “You can’t do that,” I said, my voice rising. “That was a private message from an embassy to its government.”

His dark look made me clamp my mouth shut. “That it was in code made our task even more difficult. We aren’t supposed to read other nations’ messages. Neither is Germany or any other country. However, on those few occasions when we gain access to dispatches, we do. So does everyone else.”

“It would start a war if anyone found out,” I whispered.

“That’s why I must trust you and Lady Phyllida with complete discretion.”

We both nodded. Then I had to ask, “Why are you trusting us with this? You didn’t have to tell us anything.”

“You are risking not only social embarrassment but physical danger by taking part in our efforts to stop the transfer of those plans. Someone has already killed to obtain them. They won’t shy away from another murder.”

He looked at Phyllida. “I shouldn’t be asking you to do this.”

“Clara died trying to prevent those warship plans from falling into the wrong hands. The least I can do is see that her death is avenged.” Phyllida crossed her arms over her chest and looked from the duke to me as if she thought someone would try to stop her.

My mind was working furiously. “If Baron von Steubfeld hasn’t been able to get the drawings because he’s too closely watched, he’ll have to change his situation so his movements aren’t so easily observed. Or use someone else to handle them.”

“We know. We have our ears open for word on how he plans to change the circumstances.”

“Was that the royal ‘we,’ Your Grace?”

The tiniest hint of a smirk crossed his mouth. “You didn’t think it was only the Archivist Society working on a problem of national importance, did you?”

Once again, his attitude a

“I suspect Sir Henry Stanford. He’s been watched closely, but he’s not been to the embassy. He did dine with Baron von Steubfeld two nights ago in a restaurant, but no packages passed between them.”

There was danger in focusing too closely on only a few people. “What about someone else in the German embassy?”

“Most of the staff at the embassy went home for the summer before the theft. No one has left the country since the burglary, and Scotland Yard has been watching all those still here.”

“There are three shipbuilders who’ve seen the design to bid on it. Why are you only focusing on Stanford?”

“The other two weren’t in the Admiralty when Gattenger took out a copy of the plans. They’ve never met von Steubfeld and they aren’t mired in debt. They’re being observed, but there’s no sign either of them is involved.”

I moved closer to the duke and looked him in the eye. “What has caused this bitterness between yourself and Stanford?”

“Stanford owes a great deal of money from the expansion of his shipyard. One of the people he owes is me. He’s in arrears in his payments and he and I have had nasty words in public.”

That might be the only public reason anyone knew of for their argument, but such animosity over a business loan seemed out of character for the duke. “I don’t believe you.”

“Sorry, Georgina, but sometimes men fall out over investments. It’s really that simple.”

I didn’t believe him. No, that wasn’t entirely true. I’d put my faith in Blackford before and been rewarded. I trusted him to deliver on his promises. I’d also learned that not everything he said was the truth. “I need to know more about Stanford before I can approach him.”

Blackford shrugged. “He’s a widower with a full head of dark hair heavily mixed with gray, although he’s only in his early forties. He knows how to attract the attention of women, but he doesn’t have any long-standing relationships, if you get my drift.”

He meant lovers or mistresses. That helped if I were to attract his attention and find out his co