Mr. Norton is a gentleman spy for the Crown, but he broke every rule in his agency to save one woman's life. Now his superior officer has come to collect.
Norton was about to settle down to a delicious dinner prepared by his club’s cook and a bottle or two of wine when a man seemed to appear out of thin air.
“Norton,” the harsh voice said. The tall, spare man addressed him familiarly, but there was no warmth or cordiality in his grating tones.
Norton liked to play the reckless fool, for it caused men to underestimate him. In actuality, while his actions were usually very daring, most of the time he had already looked at the situation and conjured up a dozen different ways that everything could go wrong, and considered what he might do in response if any of those occurred. So he had accustomed himself to a certain level of preparedness no matter where he found himself, and he did not like being surprised.
But this man, being here and approaching Norton, was not only a surprise, but a nasty one.
“Mr. Antingham,” Norton said carefully. “I was unaware that you were a member of The Runny Knees.”
Mr. Antingham couldn’t quite suppress the curl of his upper lip as Norton mentioned the name of the club. But he attempted to paste a polite smile upon his face as he said, “Yes, I have been a member for many years, although I rarely spend time here.”
Norton gave terse nods to the two men behind Mr. Antingham. “Mr. Maghew, Mr. Golding.” They were both Antingham’s agents at the Ramparts, and Norton had worked with them a few times.
But Mr. Maghew and Mr. Golding were not members of The Runny Knees, as far as he knew, which meant that all three of them were here for Norton.
“What can I do for you, sir?” he reluctantly asked Mr. Antingham.
“I’d like to have a word with you in private, Mr. Norton. Perhaps you would be so good as to come with me?” Mr. Antingham gave a close-lipped smile.
The senior officer had a wide jaw and a wide mouth, so even his stiffest smile often fooled people into thinking that he was more congenial than he actually was. But Norton knew to look at his cold blue eyes instead to gauge his true emotional state. And he didn’t like what he saw there.
Mr. Antingham looked triumphant, the victor collecting his spoils and trampling his enemies. Norton didn’t have to guess whom he considered his enemy.
He didn’t fool himself into thinking that Mr. Antingham’s request was anything less than a direct order. And the fact that Mr. Antingham wanted to remove Norton from the very public surroundings of this club meant that he wasn’t going to like what followed.
But Norton couldn’t refuse, and Mr. Antingham knew that.
Norton sighed. He had been looking forward with great pleasure to the beefsteak with red wine and mushroom sauce, which was a specialty of the chef of the club.
Instead, he was aware that his idyllic days were over.
Norton gave a smile as false as the one on Mr. Antingham’s face. “Of course, sir. Where would you like to have this discussion?”
“My carriage is waiting outside.” Mr. Antingham turned and led the way out of the club, not even watching to see if Norton followed or not.
Then again, he had brought Mr. Maghew and Mr. Golding to ensure that his orders were obeyed.
Norton followed with every appearance of compliance. He knew that even at rest, his face had a friendly mien, and as they headed out, several of the other gentlemen in the club saw Norton and his companions and nodded farewell, unsuspecting that there was anything wrong with the situation. Norton considered stopping to speak to one of the club members, but aside from causing Mr. Antingham to grind his teeth in impatience, he couldn’t think of a way to use the delay to his advantage.
Norton collected his scarf, hat, and gloves and gave the doorman a brief nod as he exited the club.
Mr. Antingham’s carriage was indeed standing in the street outside. It was a large, finely built vehicle, high off the ground to ensure a quick, smooth ride. As Norton spotted the type of vehicle, he realized that here was his chance.
Mr. Antingham entered the carriage first. Norton was flanked by Mr. Maghew and Mr. Golding, but he hesitated before following his superior officer inside.
Mr. Antingham pulled a pistol from the depths of the carriage and pointed it at Norton. “Get inside,” he said tersely, no smile on his face any longer, his eyes hooded and dark.
“Of course, sir.” Norton’s words were respectful, but not too submissive, for that would be out of character and might raise alarms.
He still held his hat in his hands, and he pretended to fumble it. The beaver dropped onto the ground.
Shame, that. He quite liked that hat.
He bent down, ostensibly to collect his headgear, but he smoothly pulled a slim knife that had been hidden in his Hessian boots. With his other hand, he nudged aside his coat and reached for the knife in the concealed sheath at the small of his back.
Mr. Maghew was on his left and Mr. Golding on his right. Maghew was closer to him, and Norton was able to stab the knife directly above the knob of Mr. Maghew’s knee. At nearly the same moment, he plunged the other knife into the meaty part of Mr. Golding’s thigh.
Mr. Antingham, being seated inside the carriage, did not have a good angle to see what Norton did. He likely only saw the faces of Mr. Maghew and Mr. Golding contort in pain, their torsos bending as they reacted to the wounds.
Norton pulled his knives free as quickly as he had attacked with them. With his body still bent low, he sprang forward under the carriage harness even as Antingham fired the pistol. Amid sudden shouts and screams, Norton rolled neatly over his right shoulder on the dirty cobblestones, both hands still clutching his knives, and landed on one foot and one knee. He surged upward and darted away, disappearing into the crowd.
—From Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 8: Traitor
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This post relates to Camille Elliot’s Lady Wynwood’s Spies, a Christian Regency romantic suspense series set in 1811 London and featuring intrigue, espionage, botanical alchemy, slow-burn romance, and themes of faith and redemption.
• Lady Wynwood’s Spies Series Reference Page
• Reading Order: Lady Wynwood’s Spies Reader Journey Roadmap
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