When she only stared at his shadowed face, he continued, “I will take care of it. You have my payment?”
She handed him the parchment that was worth a thousand pounds. A small fortune. All of her savings, as it happened. But then, it was a trifling amount for her continued safety. “It’s hard to imagine one can put a price on someone’s life, yet, to me his life is not worth a penny.”
“His life may mean the world to someone else.”
Belle snorted. “His life means the death of many.”
“The world is a cruel place, my lady, but I suspect you are already aware of that, even though you were born into a life of privilege. It will suit you well to remember that your life can be taken away, too, with the passing of a few coins.”
Belle held back the retort on her tongue. “Well, I must thank you for the reminder.”
He melted into the shadows but paused in his act of retreat. “Have you informed anyone of this meeting?”
“Of course not.”
“Keep it that way. The moment I learn you told anyone, I will back off and you won’t get your silver back.”
“I understand,” Belle bit out. “When will it be done?”
“Before the week ends.”
Five days then. She hoped this man’s confidence wasn’t misplaced. But then again, he did make a livelihood as a mercenary. She supposed he knew what he was doing.
“You look worried. Is something amiss?”
Five days might be too long. “I had hoped it to be done with this sooner.”
“By your own admission, he is a spy. If this were your normal drunkard, swaggering around and beating his wife, I would have it done by morning. But your man will have changed his name and be in hiding. It will take time to find him. But I will.”
Belle gave a curt nod. Another secret to keep, then.
“If you tell your friends, I will know and our arrangement will be done.”
She flinched. It was as if he had read her thoughts. “I understand.”
“Good.”
Then he hesitated. “I have to ask, are you certain this it what you want? This is not something you can come back from. I owe no one any loyalty.”
So if he got caught, he would rat her out.
“If he discovers I am alive, if he hasn’t already, not only is my life in danger but so are the lives of my family and friends. This man will go after all I love and he will enjoy my suffering. And I will be powerless to stop him. Only once he believes he’s broken me, will he kill me. That is not something you can come back from either.”
Her certainty rang true in her voice. The man she remembered would do all that and more. The best she could hope for if this mission failed and the truth became known was that her friends would shun her. The mere notion was too horrid to bear, but at least they would be safer that way.
“You’ve sealed his fate then.”
She watched as the cloaked man disappeared into the shadows, leaving her to stand in the cold with nothing but her own conscience.
“And mine,” she whispered into the darkness.
