Elizabeth Thornton Read Online Free PDF Page B

you too much already.”
    Hugh should have known that there was no such thing as one last question, not to a former intelligence agent. “I’m curious, Alex, but not that curious,” he said. “If we were at war with the French, my answer might be different. But I have a different life now, and I won’t give it up.”
    “You’re a hard man to persuade, Hugh.”
    “I’m impossible to persuade.”
    “We always worked well together. There’s no one I trust more than you.”
    “I’m sorry, Alex, but the answer is still no.”
    For a while, they said nothing as Hugh sipped his drink and Ballard studied the map on the wall. Finally, Ballard said, “I thought Oxford was your home. I thought you liked being close to the university. Weren’t you a fellow there at one time?”
    “Classics has always been my hobby,” said Hugh. He spoke casually, but he was watchful. He wondered what Alex was getting at. “And yes, I was a fellow, but that was before I went off to war. Now I divide my time between Oxfordshire and Bath.”
    Ballard gestured to the map. “What’s that for, Hugh?”
    Hugh rose and joined his friend. “It’s a map of Bathand those marks are where we suspect we’ll find Roman remains if we’re ever allowed to excavate.” He fished in his pocket, found his spectacles, and put them on. “Look here,” he said, pointing. “We believe that there are Roman baths under the foundations of the present Pump Room, and a Roman temple nearby, possibly under the abbey.” He looked at Ballard and grinned. “Am I boring you, Alex?”
    “On the contrary, I’m fascinated.”
    Hugh might have been amused if he weren’t so wary of where this was leading.
    Ballard said, “Who’s we?”
    “What?”
    “You said that ‘we’ suspect we’ll find Roman remains here. So who is ‘we’?”
    He wasn’t going to mention Abbie’s name. “Oh, I meant the Antiquarians’ Society here in Bath.” He turned from the map and returned to his chair. “We’re all very respectable, Alex, all very boring. Not a foreign agent among the lot of us.”
    Ballard treated his remark as a joke. “Was I asking too many questions? Sorry, bad habit.” He took a chair close to Hugh’s. “All right, I’ll be frank.” He grinned. “I have another reason for being here. Mary heard something and asked me to verify it.”
    “Verify what?”
    “That you’re engaged to be married to Miss Abigail Vayle.”
    Hugh stiffened. He was conscious of Ballard’s veiled scrutiny, his sensing, his watchful silence. “Engaged to Miss Vayle?” said Hugh. “What gave you that idea?”
    “You were with her in Paris in December, weren’t you? Bets were being laid at the embassy. It was commonknowledge, of course, that you’d terminated your liaison with Miss Munro.”
    There was a moment of silence, then Hugh said softly, “What the hell is going on, Alex? Why the interest in Miss Vayle? What are you really after? Tell me and I may be able to help you.”
    Ballard’s eyes opened wide. “Hugh, you’ve got the wrong idea! This is just a friendly conversation. I told you, Mary heard some gossip and—”
    He stopped abruptly when Hugh reached across the space that separated them and grabbed him by the lapels. “Listen to yourself! I was wrong about you. You’re no longer an amateur. You’ve become one of them. I thought we were friends, for God’s sake.”
    When Hugh released him, Ballard slowly got up.
    “Alex,” said Hugh, and pressed his fingers to his temples. “I’m sorry I let my temper get the better of me. I suppose you were only doing your job.”
    “No, I wasn’t,” said Ballard stiffly. “If I’d been doing my job, I wouldn’t be here.” He walked to the door, hesitated, and turned back. “I’m speaking to you as a friend now, Hugh. Remember what I said about Maitland. Remember that you have a poor record with women. And remember to watch your back.”
    When he heard the front door close, Hugh rose and began to