26
QUINN SLIPPED INTO the girls’ empty room. There wasn’t much time. Casseck could hold off Starling’s return for only so long. The glow from the hearth cast enough light to locate a candle, and he lit it on the embers. With it he could more clearly see the two beds and trunks at their feet. He knew which trunk was hers by sight.
The lid was locked, so he set the candleholder aside and pulled out a small pick and went to work. A few seconds later it opened, and the captain took a moment to observe how everything was arranged before reaching into the contents to search. What he was seeking lay at the bottom. He leaned down to grasp the large, leather-bound book, catching a whiff of lavender and sage from the fabrics. The scent muddled his thoughts briefly, but he pulled the ledger free, closed the lid, and opened the book on top.
By the light of the flickering candle, he scanned every page of Starling’s writing: names, descriptions, property, likes, dislikes, personalities, diagrams of lineage and marriage connections. Not a word about the army or its movements, and nothing that seemed coded. A tension he hadn’t fully acknowledged began to ease.
Toward the end he came to a section on eligible men, which included his officers. Mouse had told her very little, but the insight and information she’d gained on each of them after only a few days amazed him. If Mouse could get closer to her, she would be incredibly useful around D’Amiran. His mind explored the possibilities of such a source as he flipped to the last written page.
Captain ________ Quinn, born 488, eligible 512
1st Army, 9th Cavalry
Parents: General Pendleton Quinn, Lady Castella Carey Quinn
At first he was tickled she hadn’t managed to learn his first name, but his stomach twisted as he discovered how she saw him. Arrogant. Distant. Proud. Secretive. As well as Starling read his friends, Quinn was disturbed by his own portrait. Below was an accurate summary of his career and home. He shouldn’t have been surprised when he saw his sisters listed.
Siblings: Serena 490 M, Gabriella 492 (509 C), Isabelle 493, Brenna 496, Jade 497, Amelia 499
They were all correct. She must have memorized them from her conversation with Charlie. Damn, she was smart. At the bottom was a last note.
Charlten (Charlie) Quinn, page, born ~500
Sweet, idealistic, smart, hardworking, idolizes brother. Training for commission as of 509, comm in ~518, eligible 524
Starling thought ahead.
But what about Starling herself? Quinn frowned and went back to a page he had glimpsed before.
Lord William Broadmoor, Lady Braelaura Fletcher Broadmoor
Jonathan 496, Hannah 498, Christopher 499, Aster 503 (B)
Four children, all young enough to be tutored by Starling. Charlie either had the truth or her story was a well-thought-out fiction. Quinn wouldn’t discount that his brother believed her. Lord Broadmoor’s wife had obviously been born a commoner, but Starling’s last name implied she was related on the other side. She was older than the marriage, which created the possibility she was actually Lord Broadmoor’s illegitimate daughter. Noblemen fathering children with servant girls was fairly common, especially before they settled down or after they had enough heirs—further evidenced by the listing of a bastard child among the Broadmoors. Starling could’ve been foisted off on a family she always assumed was hers and given a name that implied legitimacy. If Sagerra Broadmoor was her name—Lady Jacqueline seemed to think it was not. But Sagerra wasn’t listed with her guardians or anywhere else he could find.
So who the hell is she?
His time was almost up. Frustrated, Quinn snapped the book shut. But the ledger wasn’t dangerous in a military sense, and that had been his main concern. He replaced it in the bottom of the trunk and checked for other books, papers, or hidden compartments. Finding none, he straightened the contents to their original place. Quinn shut and relocked the trunk, then snuffed and replaced the candle before slipping out the door.
He was almost too late. Casseck’s voice echoed down the passage as Quinn ducked into the shadows. The pair of them passed his hiding place, followed by Gramwell and Lady Clare. Quinn smiled to himself. Starling may not be a spy, but he had a feeling the section in the ledger on Casseck was about to get a lot longer.
27
THE OFFICERS ESCORTED her and Clare back to their room, and Sage worried she’d talked too long with Casseck, until she saw the smile on Clare’s face when Gramwell kissed her hand. She’d not misjudged the young man.
They helped each other undress in the light of the low fire, and Clare began making them some tea while Sage pulled out her ledger. It was best to write down what she’d learned while it was still fresh. Clare was bubbling over with details of her conversation with Lieutenant Gramwell, so Sage would take advantage of that, too. It wasn’t until Clare referred to Gramwell by his first name, Luke, that Sage realized just what kind of impression he’d made on her friend.
Sage turned away to hide her smile and grabbed the candle to light it so she could start writing. The wax at the top was warm and soft.
Her smile died. Someone had been in the room.
28
QUINN TAPPED HIS fingers on the table as he waited in his workroom. He wanted her. She was better than Mouse.
But if Starling was in Mistress Rodelle’s employ, he would need the matchmaker’s permission to use her, especially given what—who—he had to hide. He also still didn’t understand who she was, and he needed to.
The words she’d written drummed in his head. Arrogant. Distant. Proud. Secretive.
She wasn’t wrong.
There was a knock on the door and Casseck entered, ushering the matchmaker inside. She was still dressed from the banquet, where the lieutenant had gone to fetch her. He helped her into the seat across from the captain and left them alone. Quinn folded his hands on the table and waited for her to recognize him.
“Thank you for coming, madam,” he said before she could speak. “I apologize for not meeting with you before.”
“I can understand why.” She arched a painted eyebrow at him. “You’re a busy man, Captain.”
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I need to ask you about Lady Sagerra.”
“Indeed. I have some questions about Ash Carter.”
He flinched. “I’ll explain what I can.”
Her blue eyes narrowed. “You can start with why you are toying with her.”
Quinn shook his head. “I had no desire to toy with her.”
“Really?” She leaned toward him over the table. “Should I bring your actions to the attention of Baron Underwood? Or perhaps your father?”
Ah, straight for the throat. Direct women were a rare breed. “You seem keen to protect her. Are you as protective of all the ladies?”
“Of course I am,” she snapped. “Their parents entrusted them to me.”
“But Sagerra is special.”