Chapter Three
November 2nd, 1808
London
Letty met her friend Miss Torpington at Hatchard’s bookshop at one thirty, and sent her own maid home. They browsed the books for twenty minutes, and then Miss Torpington departed. Letty assured her that her maid was in the shop. The lie clanged unpleasantly in her ears, but Miss Torpington didn’t hear it.
Letty watched her friend disappear from sight and felt ashamed of herself. She almost hurried after Miss Torpington and told her the truth—that her maid had left and she would be glad of an escort back to Hill Street—and then she thought of Mr. Reid and his three executed scouts and blew out a breath. For their sakes, for Reid’s sake, she would do this.
She waited two minutes, drew a heavy veil out of her muff and arranged it over her hat, and
