"I'm glad he and Merryn will be dividing their time between London and Cornwall. We want to see them as often as possible."
Cade took another sip of the excellent brandy. "Did Cameron make it here in time for the wedding? I thought I saw him earlier, but not since."
"Cam arrived from London just in time to slip into the back of the church for the ceremony. He was glad he hadn't missed it, but he was rather travel stained so, when last seen, he was heading into the house to clean himself up properly. He said a wedding would surely include pretty young ladies, and he wanted to look presentable."
Cade smiled. Cameron was the next youngest Tremayne son after Cade and Bran, and he had wavy brown hair, an outgoing personality, and an infectious smile. Any pretty young ladies would be equally interested in meeting him. "I assume he was held up in London so he could bring an important message to you?"
"Exactly. I'm sure you can guess what that message was."
"The renewal of war we've been expecting has arrived," Cade said flatly. "And in the blink of an eye, my father has transformed into my superior in the Home Office."
Rhys nodded. "Exactly. We'll be kept busy for a long time to come." The Home Office was charged with the safety and security of Britain, and Rhys was chief of a department that recruited gifted agents for that work. Many members of the Tribe of Tremayne worked for him in a variety of ways.
"What's the latest news?"
"Britain will officially declare war within a matter of days," his father said quietly. "Ambassador Whitworth is preparing to leave Paris with the entire British delegation, which in itself is an announcement that the fighting is about to resume."
It was a relief to have the waiting over. "What do you need me to do?" "Ensure that Lord Whitworth and his wife reach England safely," Rhys said. "You may recall that several months ago, Napoleon attacked Britain and Ambassador Whitworth in a screaming tirade in front of the entire French court."
"It was quite the scandal," Cade said. "Whitworth apparently endured it all with great British calm, which surely infuriated the First Consul even more. Is there reason to believe that Napoleon might try to have Whitworth killed before he can leave France?"
"Napoleon's rage was real, but he is too canny to murder a foreign ambassador." Rhys frowned. "My fear is that one or more of his courtiers might think that killing Whitworth would be a way of winning favor with his master."
"Rather like when Henry II raged against Archbishop Thomas Becket and several of his knights went to Canterbury and murdered him in his own cathedral," Cade observed.
"Exactly, and that's an outcome we want to avoid. Whitworth is one of Britain's finest diplomats. He is needed."
"Do you have evidence that his life is in danger?"
Rhys shook his head. "No, just intuition."
But Rhys's intuition was very, very good. "So you want me to go to Paris and very discreetly guard Lord Whitworth and the rest of the delegation until they're all safely back in England."
"Yes. Tamsyn will go with you."
No! Cade's gaze involuntarily snapped to Tamsyn. She must have sensed his look because she glanced up at him with a sweet, intimate smile. Tam, who was all warmth and light and love.
He felt a wrench in his heart. He could not possibly work with her on a dangerous secret mission. "Why Tam? Better to send Cameron or one of your other agents."
"It needs to be a woman, and Tamsyn is the best I have."
Cade frowned. "Is it really necessary to send her into an enemy country that is collapsing into war?"
"She may look like a spun sugar angel, but she's a first-class agent, intelligent and very skilled. I feel she's the best choice to go with you."
"How can you bear to send your daughter into danger?" Cade said, his voice tight.
Rhys caught Cade's gaze, his eyes bleak. "It's hell every single time I send any one of my children or other agents into danger. I do it because I must."
"And we go because duty requires us to do so," Cade said quietly.
