“You singled her out, not me.”
“Yes, I did.” Quinn sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I need her. She has a unique position.”
The matchmaker emphasized every word as she said, “And what would that be?”
“She moves easily between the ranks of nobles and commoners.”
“Which apparently is not unique in our party.” Mistress Rodelle smirked a little when he winced.
“She’s also very observant.” He laced his fingers and rubbed his thumbs together, choosing his next words carefully. “I heard a rumor Sagerra is not a titled lady; is that truth?”
“It’s … complicated,” she said, avoiding his eyes.
“Illegitimate?”
“No, a noble’s ward. Common by blood.” The matchmaker paused to watch him, but he kept his face blank. “She works for me as an apprentice, but as you’ve noticed, she can gather quite a bit of information if she plays a lady. Most of the brides resent her inclusion, but they also know she has the power to make or break their matches, so they tread a fine line in how they treat her.”
Everything about Starling finally made sense. It was a relief to know she’d never truly lied. He tapped his lip, his mind racing. “I think I can work with that. I need information she can acquire.”
“You want her for a spy?”
His mouth tightened. “That’s not my preferred term, but yes.”
She sat up straight. “I’ll not have her used in your soldiers’ games.”
“This is not a game.” Quinn shook his head. “This is deadly serious.” He waited for that to sink in, watching her anger dissolve into fear as he sat unmoving. “I need to know if I can trust you.”
Some of the anger returned to her face. “Trust is a two-way road, Captain.”
“Point taken,” he said. “I will be as honest as I can, but I must keep some secrets.” He paused. “Do I have your silence? What I would tell you cannot go beyond this room.”
The matchmaker scowled. “You have my word on silence, but my own trust I reserve.”
“Fair enough,” Quinn said. “Part of my mission during this escort was to look for signs the D’Amiran family was communicating with Kimisara.”
Her eyes widened. “And you’ve found evidence of this?”
Quinn shook his head. He didn’t understand what the squads his pickets had found meant, and there was no sense in bringing it up until he did. “Worse. The D’Amirans are gathering an army. One strong enough to move against the crown.”
“While half the nation’s nobility is in Tennegol,” she whispered.
“Yes. And we’re the only ones who know.”
“But … your father, the general, the army to the south—”
“Is spread out chasing dozens of Kimisar squads crossing the border.” At least that’s what they were doing the last time he heard from them. “They don’t expect an attack to come from behind. I’d warn them if I could, but I think we’ve been cut off.”
“So we will head back to Crescera, where it’s safe?” the matchmaker asked.
“No. We need to continue on, observing what we can and pretending we know nothing. We’re the only ones who can warn the king.”
She flushed with anger. “You endanger us all by playing hero.”
“What do you think happens if we turn around?” he asked calmly.
The color drained from her face. “They’ll realize we know.”
“And?”
“We become casualties.”
“The first of many. I’m glad you understand this,” he said.
Mistress Rodelle closed her eyes for several seconds, breathing deeply; then she opened them and looked straight at him. “How can I help?”
“I want the ladies blissfully ignorant. Anyone who knows is at risk, and that includes you now. If the duke thinks we’re onto him, everything will be lost.” He took a deep breath. “But I need Sagerra. As a lady, she can observe things we can’t. With your help, I can exploit that.”
Realization dawned on the matchmaker’s face. “You don’t intend to tell her what’s going on.”
“I wish I could, but for her safety and that of others, she must be kept in the dark for now.” Observant as Mistress Rodelle was, she might already suspect Robert was with them. She did not ask, however, and it was better if she didn’t know for sure.
“The less she knows the safer she is,” he insisted. “I can only promise she will know what she must. I’ve no wish to see her hurt.”
She gave him a steady look. “If you continue lying to her, that is unavoidable.”
He looked down at his hands. “Yes, I know. I’ve accepted that. My job isn’t always easy or straightforward. Neither is yours.”
When he raised his eyes again, he found sympathy in her gaze. She sighed. “How do you intend to use her? From where you are, I don’t see that happening.”
“I want to accelerate her friendship with Ash Carter. She needs to trust him and follow his lead.”
Mistress Rodelle shook her head. “She’s too far above him. It already borders on inappropriate and will look suspicious.”
“Exactly,” Quinn agreed. “Every alternative I have draws too much attention to her. No one notices Ash’s movements, which is why he’s so useful to me. They’re already familiar, so if I elevate his status, it will be easier for them to become friends. Effective tomorrow, he’ll be a sergeant, and he’ll no longer drive wagons.”
The matchmaker crossed her arms. “Isn’t Ash Carter the name of the king’s illegitimate son?”
He focused back on her. “So it is. You’re well-informed.”
“Because I know the name of an eligible young man with royal blood? You insult me,” she said.
The woman had been onto him from the start. “I assume that’s why you allowed her to associate with him at all. Does Sagerra know?”
She shook her head. “Her name is just Sage, by the way, and no, she doesn’t. I actually hoped to see if he was a suitable match for her. Had she known, she would’ve ruined the possibility with her own stubbornness.”
Quinn rubbed his face to hide the heat spreading across his cheeks. He had a feeling the woman still wanted to make the match. “I think the sooner she stumbles onto that information, the better. Except for the matching part, of course.” He leaned forward. “But now I need you to tell me as much as you can about her so we can handle her better.”
Mistress Rodelle raised her eyebrows. “How much time do you have?”
29
SAGE WOKE EARLY the next morning, still itching to hit something. She’d gone through her belongings after Clare went to bed, trying to determine if anything had been disturbed. Nothing was precisely out of place, but it felt wrong. She combed through her ledger for signs it had been tampered with, finding two dots of candle wax on pages and a smudge she knew hadn’t been there before. The book was what the intruder had been after.