Charming a Spy by Elizabeth Chance Page A

He wrote of a British woman he’d fallen in love with, presumably Kat’s mother.”
    “So love was strong enough to turn him against his country and the ideals he risked his life to uphold? Possibly. But more likely that was a cover story so he could infiltrate British society and attain the secrets valuable to France.”
    “It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a spy used a woman as an excuse to gain access and information,” Pennington said.
    Geoff turned to look over his shoulder, thinking he might have heard someone approach.
    “No, it would not,” Geoff said, thinking woefully about Katherine in her red dress. “So Mr. Dubois was a spy working for France. Like father like son then?”
    “Unfortunately, that looks like the case.”
    “Why unfortunately?”
    “I’ve known you a long time, my friend,” Pennington said. “I’ve never seen you so obsessed over a woman before.”
    “Obsessed? Don’t be so dramatic, Pennington. I’m hardly obsessed.”
    “When I stopped you in the hall earlier, you looked like you were running towards a burning barn. Where were you going with such urgency?”
    “To find Ms. Dubois.”
    “My point exactly.”
    “My feelings for Ms. Dubois are neither here nor there. The real question is, does she know about her brother’s deception or more importantly where he is? I suppose I’ll have to go find out. In the meantime, see what you can dig up on Rafe’s stay in Germany.”
    “I’ve already begun digging,” Pennington responded. Of course he had. Pennington was always one chess move ahead of him.
    “Right. Find me again when you have something else. In the meantime, I have a party to host.”
    When he rejoined the group in the drawing room, Geoff was taken aback to see Katherine and Rafe sitting together. He didn’t expect to see the accuser and the accused’s sister chatting like old friends. Of course, Katherine didn’t know Rafe reported her brother as the man who sold secrets to the French military.
    But Rafe knew. Geoff watched their body language for a moment, trying to interpret what they were saying to one another. They leaned in in a familiar way. Their conversation appeared serious while they spoke in low voices as if they were sharing secrets. Was she confronting him or perhaps the other way around? For a brief second, Geoff felt a pang of jealousy but pushed it away. She was the sister of his suspect, not his intended for the love of God.
    Then something Katherine said upset Rafe. He put his hand to his head and hurried away. What could she have possibly said to rattle a military man? Then a very unwelcome thought occurred to him.
    Perhaps Katherine and Rafe were in this together. Maybe they were secretly lovers and she was the one who spied for the French and got her amante to do her dirty work, sneaking into the French lines and giving away the British position. It actually started to make some sense. After all, Katherine was as French as her brother so maybe her loyalties lay with her father’s country. She was certainly smart enough to have masterminded the elaborate plot.
    Was it possible Katherine and Rafe framed Luke Dubois? He was Katherine’s own brother. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time Geoff had seen families turn on one another. Blood may be thicker than water… but not than money.
    It could also explain why Katherine was so obsessed with talking about finding her brother. While other sisters grieved their brothers’ deaths, she ran around London, asking every person remotely connected to the military for information about him. It did make a good cover-up. No one would ever suspect a woman obsessed with finding her brother as the one who framed him for treason.
    More than ever, Geoff realized he should closely watch Katherine Dubois.
    “Do you like the idea, Your Grace?” Geoff suddenly realized Jessica was standing beside him waiting for a response to a question he hadn’t even heard.
    “I’m so sorry, Ms. Grier, I was