Page 39 (1/2)

"I think I do," Melisande said slowly "If the man or the woman holds all the emotional power, then they cannot truly love I suppose one must lay oneself open to love Let oneself be vulnerable"

"I hadn’t thought of that, but I think you ht Love is essentially a surrender" She shook her head "It would take courage to surrender like that"

Melisande nodded, looking at the ground

"I’eous woman," Mrs Fitzwilliam said softly "In a way, every choice I’ve made in life has been out of fear"

Melisande looked at her curiously "Soreat deal of courage"

"They don’t know uided by fear isn’t the life that I wished"

"I’m sorry"

Mrs Fitzwilliae"

As do I, Melisande thought For a moment, they shared an odd rapport, just the two of them, respectable lady and kept ave a shout, and they both looked over He appeared to have fallen in some mud

"Oh, dear," Mrs Fitzwilliam murmured "I had better take him home I don’t knohat my maid will say when she sees his clothes"

She clapped her hands and called briskly to the children They looked disappointed but began sloalking over

"Thank you," Mrs Fitzwilliam said

Melisande raised her eyebrows "For what?"

"For talking with me I enjoyed our conversation"

Melisande suddenly wondered how often Mrs Fitzwilliaot to talk with other ladies She was a kept woman and therefore beyond the pale with respectable ladies, but she was also the mistress of a duke, which would place her far above most anyone else She stood in a rarefied and lonely sphere

"I enjoyed it too," Melisande said iht talk more"

<"" 4"font size="3">Mrs Fitzwilliam smiled treathering her children and bidding farewell, and Melisande was left with Mouse She turned back the way she’d coe waited for her, and a footht about what she’d said to Mrs Fitzwilliam, that true love dee to ain

"WAS MUNROE ABLE to provide you with any new ideas of who the traitor could be?" Matthew Horn asked Jasper later that afternoon

Jasper shrugged They were riding through Hyde Park again, and he was restless He wanted to nudge Belle into a gallop, ride until both he and thepoint As if he couldn’t push forith his life until he found the traitor and moved on God, hoanted to move on

Perhaps that hy his voice was sharp when he said, "Munroe said I should look at the money"

"What?"

"Thefor the French Either he did so for political reasons or he was paid Munroe pointed out I should look into the finances of the men ere captured"

"Who would takecaptured?"

Jasper shrugged "Maybe he didn’t intend to get caught Maybe so with his plan"

"No" Horn shook his head "No This is ridiculous If there was a French traitor, he’d make sure he wasn’t near Spinner’s Falls when the Indians ambushed us He’d pretend illness or fall behind or simply desert"

"What if he couldn’t? What if he was an officer? See here, only the officers knehere wethe men You knoell secrets are kept in the army"

"Granted," Jasper said "But if he was an officer, he would’ve had a hard ti away We’d already been decimated at Quebec, remember Officers were in short supply"

Horn pulled his horse to a halt "So you will investigate the finances of every man as there?"

"No, I--"

"Or will you just investigate the finances of the captives?"

Jasper looked at Horn "Munroe toldelse as well"

Horn blinked "What?"

"He also said you were in Paris"

"What?"

"He said he has a French friend rote that he met a man named Horn at a dinner party in Paris"

"That’s preposterous," Matthew exclairim horizontal line "Horn is not such an uncommon name It was another man"

"Then you weren’t in Paris this last fall?"

"No" Horn’s nostrils flared "No, I was not in Paris I toured Italy and Greece, as I’ve already told you"

Jasper was silent

Horn gripped his reins and leaned forward in the saddle, his body stiff with anger "Are you questioning my honor, my very loyalty to my country? How dare you, sir? How dare you? Were you any other man, I would call you out this very an, but Horn wheeled his horse and cantered off

Jasper watched hio He’d insulted a man he’d considered a friend Jasper rode back to his town house, gri what made hiht: Munroe’s friend could very well be mistaken as to who he’d seen in Paris

He reached hohts conflicted, and found that Melisande was still out, a fact that turned hisher, he realized, and discussing the disastrous ride with Matthew Horn He bit back a curse and stalked to his study