Alix and the Spy

Chapter One

Framlingham, Suffolk, England

1825

For a good part of his life, Colin Oakley had come in second.

It started with his birth, when his brother had beat him to the first son title, by slipping into the world a mere minute and fourteen seconds before Colin, claiming the inheritance to the Tyron Dukedom.

His position as a second son meant that in his parents' eyes, and in most of the Oakley household, Colin could only ever play second string to Ralph's first, so more often than not, he found himself neglected by his father, who preferred taking long, manly strolls with Ralph and sharing secrets to running the Dukedom with him. Their nurse, a large, overbearing woman who had loved the Dukedom title as much as Colin's father, had always treated Ralph with more reverence and respect than she had with his brother, and would offer him the best books, the best seats, the best food even (the nerve of her) to Ralph, while Colin waited for the leftovers.

In all actuality, Colin had not minded so much. It irked him of course, but that was all - a mere annoyance, a fly on the shoulder. Ralph was a good brother to him; he was kind and loyal and never treated him like second-best, so Colin had long since figured life was far from terrible. He may be a second son, but he was still a second son to the Duke of Tyron, a position not taken lightly. He had a hefty allowance from the family and an assured place in society.

But there still had been a secret thrill of pleasure when both brothers attended school for the first time, and for once, Colin had found himself the absolutely centre of attention.

He succeeded where Ralph fell short - charm. The brothers did not look very much alike, with Ralph having darker hair and eyes, and Colin being of a lighter colouring, but it was the way that Colin carried himself that was so appealing to many. He knew how to talk to people, how to make friends, how to carry an interesting conversation, and as soon as he turned sixteen, how to charm women as well. Ralph was by no means unpopular - even if he had been an absolute beast, the Dukedom would have saved his reputation - but in public, at social gatherings, at Eton and Cambridge, it was always Colin that people sought out first.

And ten years later, after both of them received their degrees from Cambridge and officially became men, Colin discovered another way he could come in first (not that it was a competition with his brother): as a spy.

It had happened by chance, that he had been recruited. It started during his Cambridge years, when he befriended James Cartwright, an untitled gentleman who came from a good family. Cartwright's father, David Cartwright, had invited Colin to their country estate one summer, and while there, Colin had impressed David Cartwright with his shooting skills, discretion, personality and loyalty. A few months after his graduation from Cambridge, Mr. Cartwright - who turned out to be a spy and prominent figure in the War Office - found Colin again, and introduced him to the service.

After that there was training, a lot of it, but Colin liked it. He enjoyed physical activities and mentally challenging things, such as the endless tests they put him through. He liked to think he came out of it all as a better man, and three years after he first joined the service, he was put out in the field, and became one of the most excellent current spies England had to offer.

He had been in the field for over two years now, and his record since had been very impressive. He had had a hand in the arrests of the German spies, had been heavily involved in that French case of the loose criminal, had personally taken down the Italian crime lord who had attempted to smuggle state secrets out of England, and had been the one to track down the exact location of the English traitor. All in all, it was quite good work for two years, and Colin was content with all he had.