Behind the Mask (House of Lords)

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Author: Meg Brooke
watching them as they progressed beneath the chestnut trees.
     
    They were being carefully monitored, of course. For all that he was not officially a spy, Colin had a good enough instincts to know when he was being watched, and he could feel the eyes of Lady Sidney upon them from the windows overlooking the commons. He tried to keep a respectful distance from Miss Chesney as she inquired politely about his life in Brussels.
    “How long have you been there?” she asked.
    “I was in Vienna for three years and then in Brussels the last year and a half.”
    They had exhausted the topic of the diplomatic set in Brussels last night, so she asked, “What is King Leopold like?”
    He shrugged. “I am not much in his company. I mostly see his chief aide, Baron Stockmar, who is a decent fellow. The king is still rather young, though, and most people think him handsome.”
    “I meant as a ruler. He has not been on the throne long,” Miss Chesney said quickly, and Colin realized that she had probably been offended by his assumption that she had only wished to know whether the king was handsome or not. Had he completely lost his touch with women?
    He chuckled at his own foolishness. “No, he has not. But he cares deeply about the people of Belgium and their welfare. He has been working behind the scenes almost since his ascension to find some way to regulate the labor rules for women and children. He is often seen abroad in Brussels, though the death of his son in May was a terrible blow, I think.”
    “Of course. He has endured so much loss, with the death of Princess Charlotte and their son as well.”
    Colin nodded. He had been a boy when the princess, who had been second in line to the throne, had died in childbirth seventeen years ago, but he had still felt the aura of national mourning that had descended. Now that he had spent more than a year in Brussels, however, he had learned that it was widely believed there that Leopold had not cared much for the Princess Charlotte, though he had, of course, been troubled by her death, and had waited more than ten years before taking another bride. Now, however, King Leopold had a family he loved, and he included amongst its members the heir presumptive to the throne of England and her mother, his sister the Duchess of Kent. It was fortunate that Leopold took a keen interest in the affairs of his niece; otherwise they might not have received the intelligence of the threat to her life until it was too late. But since his ascension King Leopold—or, rather, Baron Stockmar —had monitored not only the intelligence pertaining to Belgian interests but also those of nearly every other country on the Continent and England as well. It was in his interests, after all, that Victoria lived and ascended to the throne, where he could influence the young monarch.
    Somehow, Colin got the feeling that Miss Chesney knew most of this. She was more intelligent than he had given her credit for, he saw now. “Queen Louise is young. There will be more children.”
    “Let us hope so,” she said quietly. Then, seeming to brighten, she said, “What was Leo like at Cambridge?”
    He grinned. “If you want tales of his unsavory exploits, I’m afraid I have very little to offer. Your brother is...well...”
    “A paragon,” she said wryly. “Yes, you are right. He very rarely puts a toe out of line. That is Maris’s job.”
    He nodded thoughtfully, but said nothing. He could hardly agree with her that her sister was a determined flirt, even if it appeared to be the truth.
    She laughed. “You don’t have to say anything. We all know it’s true, though we hope fervently that she will mellow with age.”
    “I take your meaning,” he said, feeling grateful for the implied warning in her words. It would be foolish indeed if he allowed himself to become entangled with an eager young miss when he was supposed to be protecting the future queen.
    What Miss Chesney did not realize, Colin thought as he
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