“Silesia,” White Haven said shortly, eyes hard as Janacek kept him standing in front of his desk like some junior officer who’d been called on the carpet. The earl considered sitting down anyway and daring Janacek to respond, but instead he reminded himself yet again that one of them had to at least pretend to be an adult.

“Ah, yes, Silesia.” Janacek smiled nastily. “Admiral Harrington’s command.”

His implication was crystal clear, and White Haven felt a fresh, white-hot spurt of anger. It was harder to strangle this one at birth, but he managed—barely—and simply stood there, cold eyes boring into the First Lord.

“Well,” Janacek said finally, his tone irritable under the icy weight of the fabled Alexander glare, “what about Silesia?”

“I’m concerned about what the Republic may be up to out there,” White Haven said flatly, and Janacek’s face darkened in fury.

“And what, if I may ask, My Lord,” he grated, “leads you to believe that the Republic is up to anything in Silesia?”

“Private correspondence,” White Haven said briefly.

“ ‘Private correspondence’ from Admiral Harrington, I presume.” Janacek’s eyes were hard as flint. “Correspondence divulging sensitive information to an officer who not only had no compelling security need to know but isn’t even currently on active duty!”

“Security considerations don’t come into it,” White Haven retorted. “The information Duchess Harrington shared with me isn’t classified and never has been. Even if it were, My Lord, I believe you would discover that all of my security clearances are still in effect. And that as a member of the Naval Affairs Committee of the House of Lords, I have a ‘need to know’ which transcends the normal uniformed structure of Her Majesty’s Navy.”

“Don’t you split technical hairs with me, ‘My Lord’!” Janacek glared.

“I’m not splitting hairs with you. Nor, as we’re both well aware, does it really matter at this point whether or not the Duchess technically violated any security regulation. If you believe she did, the appropriate thing for you to do would be to file charges against her. I wouldn’t recommend it, because you and I both know how that would end, but that decision is up to you. What matters right this instant, however, is what response you intend to make to her report.”

“That’s not your affair, My Lord,” Janacek replied.

“You’re in error,” White Haven said flatly. “I realize you report to the Prime Minister, not directly to the Queen. But Her Majesty is also in possession of this information.” Janacek’s eyes went wide, and the earl continued in that same flat, almost robotic tone. “I’m here at her behest, as well as my own. If you doubt that, My Lord, I invite you to com Mount Royal Palace and ask her about it.”

“How dare you?” Janacek rose at last, planting both knuckled fists on his desk and leaning over it. “How dare you attempt to blackmail me?!”

“Who said anything about blackmail?” White Haven demanded. “I simply informed you that the Queen also wishes to know what her Admiralty is prepared to do about the situation in Silesia.”