The King's Code (The Lady Spies Series #3): A Regency Historical Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

requires more than half of my mind,” the lady said.
    Seamus hid his amusement behind a polite smile and offered to his unexpected guests, “Please, do have a seat.”
    The lady sat in Seamus’s chair while the old man found a wooden bench tucked in the corner of the spacious office.
    Falcon looked up at Seamus, who remained standing. “Lady Juliet will be assisting the Foreign Office with our inquiries and I have determined that the best use of her skills would be in this department.”
    The thought of a woman running underfoot stiffened his smile, and Seamus stared at Falcon and then glanced at Lady Juliet. A knock at the door broke the awkward moment, and when James Habernathy entered the room with his coffee, Seamus could have embraced the man.
    “That is a very generous offer, my lady. However, I already have a secretary. Thank you, James,” Seamus said, overly appreciative as he took his warm cup of coffee from the man’s dutiful hands.
    Seamus took a long sip to prove his assistant’s usefulness. Lady Juliet raised a brow and then turned, irritated, toward Falcon.
    The old man rose, saying, “You may go, Mister Habernathy.” When the door had closed, Falcon’s brandy-colored eyes met his. “I’m afraid you are misunderstanding the situation entirely, Mister McCurren. Lady Juliet will not be your subordinate. She will be your colleague.”
    Seamus waited for the end of the jest, and when none came, he laughed. “Pardon me?”
    “I will be moving a second desk into this office and you will be working hand in hand to decipher French communiqués intercepted in Britain.”
    Seamus glanced at the woman glaring back at him and then turned to Falcon. “Perhaps, my lord, it might be more appropriate if we discuss this matter at another time.”
    “This matter is not up for discussion, Mister McCurren. You have done excellent work thus far, but you need help and Lady Juliet is eminently qualified to provide you that much-needed assistance.”
    “Or guidance.” The lady smiled caustically, eliciting a turn of the head from the old man as he looked directly at her.
    “Or guidance”—Falcon nodded—“in untangling this latest code. Lady Juliet has been briefed and her clearance is of equal status to your own.”
    It was an intellectual slap in the face and Seamus was set back on his heels. The petite woman made a great show of evaluating him from the tips of his boots to the top of his less than academically adequate head.
    “Well,” she said to Falcon as if Seamus were not standing in the middle of the bloody room. “It appears as though it will take a day or two for the man to adjust. I can certainly see why his intransigence of thinking might prove ineffectual in decoding French communications.”
    “Thankfully, we were fortunate enough to acquire your services, Lady Juliet,” Falcon said with a nod of respect. “I shall have your desk ready by tomorrow morning and all pertinent papers will be awaiting you.”
    “Thank you, my lord.” Lady Juliet rose and the two small people walked around Seamus as if he were a lamppost. “I look forward to working with you.”
    Falcon opened the door and the woman left without once glancing in Seamus’s direction. No sooner had the door closed than he voiced his protest.
    “My lord, you cannot be serious?”
    “Oh, but I am, my boy. Lady Juliet will be working with you as of tomorrow.”
    “The lady is unqualified, not to mention impolite.”
    “The woman is brilliant and you deserved every barb she gave you.” Falcon’s tone brooked no opposition. “My decision is final.”
    “Then put the lady in her own office.”
    “It is more beneficial for the Foreign Office if two scholarly heads are put together.” Falcon opened the door and smiled. “Besides, I don’t have another office to put the lady in. Good day, Mister McCurren.”
    ≈
    Juliet was still fuming from her encounter with Mister McCurren by the time she returned to her uncle’s town