He tilted his head: Maybe, but this is a little too close for comfort.

True. But Evan could hardly absent himself from the table without causing unwanted attention.

“What kind of trouble do you anticipate, Captain?” Evan asked politely. A seemingly innocuous question, but he was probing. “Has there been some activity?”

“We have agents in the area, Mr. Talbot. They have infiltrated some of the groups and report back to us. At present, all is quiet, so we do not anticipate immediate action.”

“And you are here, too, for our protection,” Miss Grant said, smiling across the table. “Do you intend to stay for long?” Her demeanor was almost flirtatious, an unexpected direction.

“Indeed we do, Miss Dashwood, and in good number.”

On that reassurance, and the arrival of more sweet dishes, the general conversation broke up into more private discussions.

“When you say agents, do you mean agents provocateurs?” I asked the captain.

“A provocative question in itself, Lady Augusta,” he said.

For all the threat of him, I rather liked Captain Morland.

“I have heard that the government has employed such creatures,” I said.

“From whom? I would not wish to think such matters are the subject of idle gossip.” Although asked in a nonchalant way, it was a pointed question. A sword drawn.

“At a salon where Lord Sidmouth was speaking about such matters,” I said. Not entirely the truth, but close enough.

He smiled, knowing I had parried his sword. “Not idle gossip, then?”

“No, although there would be those who would consider the new prime minister idle,” I returned. “But what do you think of such a possibility? Is it right that people of little means and less hope are incited into breaking the law?”

He gave a small bow. “As we have already established, Lady Augusta, I have no opinions.” He picked up a plate of dessert. “May I offer you some flummery?”

I bit back a laugh but could not hide my smile of appreciation. “I believe I have had my fill, Captain.”

The captain returned the smile and helped himself to the dessert.

How easy it would be to dismiss such a young man as a product of nepotism rather than skill and talent. A mistake that, no doubt, many had made to their disadvantage. Captain Morland had the self- possession of a man twice his age, and I suspected his mind was as keen as his wit. And more often than not, wit and intuition traveled hand in hand.