A small tremor of excitement passed over her as she strolled slowly through the gardens, making her way north. It was a mild and sunny day, so no one had thought it strange that she should take a walk by herself to enjoy the weather. She made a point of taking her time and walking almost in circles, so as not to appear to be heading in any particular direction. And in truth, she wasn’t in any hurry. This was the best part – the anticipation, the uncertainty. It was when she felt most alive.
She had been somewhat surprised to find the note that morning, only because of the speed of the reply. The man must have been at the party the night before. She searched her memory for a hint, any small clue that might lead her in the right direction. But try as she might, she couldn’t connect any of the men she had seen last night with her mental image of the mysterious hero.
At last she located the spot indicated in the letter and took a seat in the shade. She was still a little early, so she took the opportunity to get a better view of her surroundings. The bench on which she sat was along one edge of a rectangular space bordered by tall hedges on all sides, with only the small opening through which she had entered. It gave an illusion of almost complete privacy when actually noise could carry quite easily through the greenery. There was another bench against the hedge opposite her and a small fountain in the centre. It would be a perfect place for a romantic rendez-vous, she observed almost absent-mindedly.
The sound of footsteps brought her back to the task at hand. They were slow and deliberate, and rather heavy. While her breath caught in her throat, she did her best to appear oblivious and disinterested, thumbing through the small book she had brought along for exactly that purpose.
Finally, from the corner of her eye, she saw feet appear in the entrance through the hedge. She still did not look up, waiting for him to make the first move. After a short pause he moved forward, brushing against the hedge as if on purpose. She couldn’t pretend she hadn’t heard that. The book dropped to her lap and she raised her head.
Percy shifted his weight noiselessly, listening closely to the conversation taking place on the other side of the hedge. As instructed, Dewhurst had taken his seat on the far bench, across the fountain from Gabrielle, rather that sitting beside her. Although this was an inconvenience, causing the two within the hedge to have to raise their voices slightly, it also allowed Percy to whisper through the hedge to his friend should he be in need of help.
It was, of course, a risk even to allow her to see Dewhurst, but since business at home was preventing him from going to France for a while, they felt there was no immediate danger. Besides, Dewhurst had insisted. He was as concerned as Percy was once he had seen the note.
“Thank you for coming. It means a great deal to me,” Gabrielle began after a considerable length of silence. She hadn’t wanted to be the first to speak, but it became clear that the man seated across from her wasn’t going to give anything away easily. As if to prove the point, he only nodded at this and waited for her to continue.
“Well, as I said in my letter, it is my dearest wish to be able to be of some service to you. Though I know I shall never be able to fully repay the debt I owe you for having put your life in danger to save mine, I hope that by doing the same for others, I may give you some indication of the depth of my gratitude.”
There was another silence, which she was determind not to break this time, before he finally spoke. “Your feelings do you credit, mademoiselle. Would you mind if I asked the details of your arrest?”
She had aniticipated this request and relayed the events as concisely as possible – the last job she had done, the conversation with Chauvelin, the subsequent trial and her rescue. He listened intently, nothing in his face giving any indication what his feelings might be about what she was saying. When she had finished he seemed to consider her words for some time and finally inquired how she believed she could help him?
This was a trickier question and she phrased her answer carefully.
“If I may be so bold, I believe I have many attributes which would make me a useful member of your team. First of all, I am French and familiar with Paris and would therefore be able to move easily in the city. Secondly, I’m a woman, which could also be used to my advantage. But primarily, as I have already explained, I have some experience with disguise and different methods of extracting information – qualities which I am sure are in constant demand in your operations.”
He did not look convinced, so she continued, almost against her will, “I do realize you have reason to be suspicious. But I am willing to prove myself to you if you will give me the opportunity.”
It was the offer he had been waiting for. “As a matter of face, there is something that needs to be done, a job which calls for those very attributes you mentioned. Would you be willing to try?”
She tried not to let her excitement show. “Of course. What is it?”
“We have discovered the identity of one of Chauvelin’s regular men in London. We need someone to talk to him, to try to get information about this new spy that both you and I believe will be making an appearance here soon. As a French native, you may be able to gain this man’s confidence with more ease than one of my men.”
She wanted to laugh, it was so perfect. “I agree with you completely. And I would be honoured to do this work for you.”
He gave her the necessary details and told her she could leave any communication for him in the pages of a certain novel in the Richmond library.
“But what if Sir Percy should find it?” she asked.
He smiled. “Sir Percy is one of my dearest friends, but even if he were to read it, I doubt he’d understand. He has no idea what is going on.”
She nodded her agreement, and Dewhurst took his leave. Gabrielle remained for an extra few minutes before heading back to the house herself. Only after a considerable time had passed since the sound of her footsteps had died away did Percy follow the pair out of the garden.
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