"Visitors for you, my lord," the clerk announced.
A distracted voice inside the office said, "Yes?"
Taking that as permission, Cade ushered Tamsyn inside. Lord Whitworth was about fifty and as handsome as his reputation promised. He had been signing papers but laid his quill aside. "Should I know you, sir?"
"We've not met, my lord, but we were sent here by the Home Office," Cade replied. "I'm Cade Tremayne and this is Lady Tamsyn Tremayne."
The ambassador collected several documents and handed them to the young clerk. "That's enough passport signing for now, Murray. Take them downstairs and distribute them to the men waiting. I'll do the rest shortly."
After the clerk accepted the passports and left, Whitworth said, "I know Lord Tremayne, of course, and the work his people do." He studied them both. "The reputation of the Tribe of Tremayne is excellent, but why are you here?"
"To protect you and your lady wife, my lord," Tamsyn replied.
Whitworth's brows arched. "Is that necessary?"
"We hope not," Cade said, "but you are too important to England to take any chances."
Whitworth waved them to seats. "Granted, we're on the verge of declaring war, but as diplomats, my people and I should enjoy a safe passage home. Is there reason to believe otherwise?"
Cade took one of the two guest chairs while Tamsyn sat in the other. "Not reason, precisely, but intuition inspired by the screaming tirade that Bonaparte directed against you and Britain just two months ago."
"The First Consul displayed a complete lack of propriety and decency that one would not expect from the leader of a great nation." A faint smile touched the ambassador's lips. "Not even of France. But surely Lord Tremayne doesn't think that Bonaparte will try to assassinate me because of that one intemperate scene!"
"He doesn't think that," Cade said, "but he fears that one of the First Consul's men might hope to earn favor by killing you on his master's behalf."
The ambassador frowned and leaned back in his chair as he considered. "I can't say that is impossible," he said slowly. "Some of Bonaparte's revolutionary followers are rather rough men."
"It might not happen," Tamsyn said in her soft voice. "But those of us who are gifted have learned not to ignore our intuition, and far better to be too careful than not careful enough. An attack on you would be a potential danger to all of your delegation."
Whitworth sucked in his breath. "Arabella..."
He stopped, then continued, "You're here to protect my wife, Lady Tamsyn? She has had much to endure these last months."
"She and I have met briefly in the past. I'll look out for her until you're all on your way home." Tam smiled. "I'm much more dangerous than I look."
"It's the truth, sir," Cade said with a hint of a smile. "We are not here to interfere with your activities, only to quietly watch for possible trouble."
"Very well. If you are to guard us, it's best you stay here in the embassy so you can travel with us when we leave. You met my private secretary, Mr. Holland, downstairs. He'll assign quarters to you." The ambassador's gaze shifted to Tamsyn. "If you wish to meet with my wife and tell her of your mission, she should be in her rooms on the floor above this one. I think she will welcome the companionship of another woman of rank. Now if you'll excuse me, there is much to be done before we depart."
Cade and Tamsyn thanked him for his time and quietly left the room. "Thank heaven for reasonable men!" Tam said. "I think Lord Whitworth may be somewhat gifted himself."
"That might explain how well he's done in Russia and Denmark and his other posts," Cade agreed. "While you speak to Lady Whitworth, I'll get our luggage from Moreau and tell him he can leave."
Tamsyn shook her head. "Not Lady Whitworth. Since her first husband was the Duke of Dorset, she continues to use the title of duchess as it's much grander than being a mere baroness."
Cade snorted. "As a bastard, I have trouble taking such things seriously, but if anyone can handle a proud duchess, it's you."
"Let us hope." Tamsyn hesitated. "As we drove up to the embassy, I had a feeling that it might be a good idea to commandeer a couple of the soldiers on guard duty to search around the walls of the embassy. The shrubbery is overgrown and could be a good place for explosives to be concealed."
