No Stopping Your Heart

5

Alex took off after her. He found her under the tree he found her under the first day of the party. He was at a loss for what to do she was crying. In the two years he had known her he had never seen her cry. He did what his heart wanted him to. He pulled her to him and held her.

It wasn't long before Alex mother joined them.

"I'll take care of her dear. You go along with your business."

He smiled at his mother. He knew she was trying to save Cordy's reputation, but he was trying to save her life.

"I appreciate your help, but I can not leave her. It is my duty to protect her!"

She nodded and put her arm around Cordy and walked her into the parlor where she poured her a cup of tea. Never asking what was between the couple knowing it was both personal and just budding. After tea the Duchess and her son escorted her to her room. Alex left her with instructions.

"Cordy do not leave your room. My mother and I will be back to escort you to lunch in a couple of hours."

She did not look at him, but she acknowledged what he was saying by the shake of her head. She would rest for a little while and then slip off to see if she could find anything in the vacant rooms that to soon would no longer be vacant when the other agents arrived.

She had a copy of the guest list they had given the original one to the Duchess of Chester evidently, she was a master at breaking codes and puzzles. They were hoping she could crack the connection and figure out what other guest might be at risk. She started to go over the hundred names on the list she crossed off everyone she had seen in the meeting. She then crossed off any one related to them Like the Duke and Duchess of Weston and the Viscount of Newton. It did not make sense if their family member was an adherent of the government that most they would know if their family was on the wrong side but that was only a summation on her part since her uncle had run the home office and Howell was bad.

She made another list and placed on it all the people she knew were acquaintances of Howell. Then she made a list of people who had gossiped about him. Her final list was the people who were apart of the gossip. Once she had those lists compiled she figured she had given herself enough time to slip Addie's supervision, so she could go through the vacant rooms. When she checked outside her door there was a couple passing but no signs of the duke or his mother. She went to the first room she knew to be vacant and began to search it. She found nothing out of the ordinary, so she made her regular notes to cover her real reason for being in the room and moved on to the next. She went to the next room on her level and checked that one thoroughly but again nothing seemed to be amiss. She took notes of things she thought needed maintenance and moved on to the last room on this level. The one next to Howells.

He had never hidden anything in this room before because well what fun would that have been for her. The thing was he wouldn't think he was hiding anything from her so why not hide it close by? She even reasoned he could have kept it in his room, but as brave as she was she wasn't going to go in there. She first made her notes about maintenance and then started to inspect the furnishings.

He heard noises in the next room his parents had assured him they would not place anyone in the room next to his. He thought he better go and check out what was going on in there. He walked in unannounced and startled someone. When the head came popping up over the side of the bed he knew it was Cordy doing her stupid little inspections of the house. But this could be his last time to get what he wanted from her before he got even with her.