Sebastian to evaluate his children’s progress. It was then the elder Danforth had extracted a promise from twenty-three-year-old Sebastian to watch over his children should something happen to him. Three weeks later, Danforth and his wife were brutally murdered by a French assassin and Sebastian became the guardian of two grieving children, Cora ten and Ethan fourteen.
Although he had little experience with children, he had been overseeing his vast estates since the age of twelve—which made him a perfect guardian for Ethan. He understood the young man’s grief and fear and lack of confidence. His resentment and his restlessness. For it was Sebastian’s restlessness and determination that had caught the attention of Roland deBeau, the former chief of the Nexus.
So Sebastian followed his mentor’s wishes and became Ethan and Cora’s guardian. To take their minds off their terrible loss, he continued their father’s unique training, shaping them into instruments of the Crown.
“Shall I pay Mrs. Ashcroft a visit?” Danforth asked in a low, silky tone, a voice he’d used to great effect in boudoirs across two continents.
“No.”
The viscount raised a dark brow, sharing a glance with Helsford.
Sebastian understood their confusion; he was rather surprised by his quick response, too. Any other time, he would have ordered Danforth to employ his special skills. Women loved him. They happily revealed their husbands’ or lovers’ secrets for a few hours in his bed, where he made them feel special and desirable.
A vision of the widow surrendering to the agent’s well-honed touch tightened around Sebastian’s chest. Mrs. Ashcroft’s gentle beauty had always drawn his eye, and for that reason alone, he had kept her at a distance. He never dallied with his agents’ women. So the sharp swell of jealousy he suffered in reaction to Danforth’s query both surprised and confused him.
He shoved the ribbon into his coat pocket and discarded the disturbing image of Danforth and the widow. The task of removing the image from his mind took far longer than it should. He forced his thoughts toward a conversation he’d had earlier that morning with the Superintendent of Aliens. “According to Reeves, the Alien Office is investigating my part in Latymer’s deception.”
Danforth shot up from his chair and Helsford turned his back on the window.
“Are they mad?” Danforth demanded.
“What’s this?” Helsford asked.
Sebastian rose to refill his glass from the sideboard. He took a healthy, fortifying swallow of the brandy. “It is nothing I would not do if I were in his place.”
“That’s absurd and you know it, Chief,” Danforth said. “You nearly lost your life because of Latymer’s scheme. Besides, no one is more loyal to our mission than you.”
Sebastian stared into his now empty glass, debating whether to replenish it or not. “Ah, but it was my friend and my watch.”
“Latymer was also your superior. You can’t be expected to know his every move.” Danforth strode the length of the library. “Bloody nonsense, if you ask me.”
“What now?” Helsford’s calm question was a stark contrast to the viscount’s fierceness.
“Now I retire to Bellamere Park while the office determines the extent of my commitment.”
The viscount stopped pacing. “They’re exiling you?”
Sebastian resumed his spot at the sideboard. “Reeves suggested a holiday away from the city.”
“Who the hell does Reeves think he is banishing the chief of the Nexus?” Danforth continued his defense. “The man’s been in charge of the Alien Office scarcely a year.”
“Precisely,” Sebastian said. “Reeves has not been in his position long enough to develop a solid opinion of me one way or another. And who knows what nonsense Latymer might have been spewing in his ear.” He had intended to stop pouring at the two-finger mark, but the amber liquid kept rising. “I am inclined to follow his suggestion. It’s long past time I visit my country estate.”
“By removing you, he’s putting England at risk.”
Sebastian studied Danforth, growing more worried for the viscount’s peace of mind by the day. In the last year or so, his temper and volatility had grown. “I will not be gone so long as that.” He kept his voice calm and even. To Helsford, he said, “Did Ashcroft divulge anything else besides whispers of a faction seeking to destroy the Nexus?”
“Only a personal message to you, sir.”
Dread stirred in Sebastian’s gut. “Go on.”
“He asked that you look after his family.”
Anything but that. Sebastian tossed back half the glass’s contents.
“Doesn’t Ashcroft’s property abut Bellamere?” asked the ever-sensible Earl of Helsford.
“Yes.”
A new light entered Danforth’s eyes. “Brilliant,” he said, oblivious to Sebastian’s mental turmoil.