Chapter 87
So what was Nathaniel Ashford’s most fiercely guarded secret?
Ruth would prove useful in that regard.
Servants in wealthy households were trained to move through the daily lives of their employers without drawing attention to themselves. They were expected to be efficient and observant, noticing what needed to be done while otherwise remaining in the background.
Their presence quickly became so ordinary that members of the household often forgot they were there at all.
That made servants particularly useful when it came to gathering information.
Fortunately for Cassandra, Ashford House was perpetually in need of new workers. Finding Ruth a position there would not be difficult.
"But there is a difference between being a keen observer and being reckless." Cassandra added. "If you are caught deliberately searching through your employer’s private belongings, there may be consequences."
"I understand." Ruth replied solemnly, still undeterred.
Cassandra found herself increasingly satisfied with the woman in front of her.
The assignment was dangerous. She knew that better than anyone. If her suspicions about her father were unfounded, Ruth would merely be performing the duties of a maid while reporting things that amounted to nothing.
But if Cassandra was right—if Nathaniel Ashford had been concealing something far more sinister—then placing a spy inside Ashford House might finally give her access to indisputable evidence.
Ruth did not ask why Cassandra wanted such information. That was another point in her favour.
"Do you have any questions?"
"Only one, my lady." Ruth hesitated briefly. "If I find something that concerns you, how am I to report it?"
Cassandra’s mouth curved faintly. "You will be given a means of contacting someone who will bring the information to me. You will not attempt to seek me out yourself unless instructed."
Ruth nodded in understanding. "I will adhere to every rule you set for me."
There was something reassuring about the woman’s practicality. A perfect fit for the role. Everything Cassandra wanted.
"I believe that will be all." She said finally, concluding the interview. "Should anything go awry, you may rely on my support and that of His Highness. I do not forget those who remain loyal to me."
Ruth rose to her feet gracefully and sketched a bow. "Thank you, my lady."
She turned towards the door just as it opened, revealing Adrian on the other side. He entered the room and stepped aside to allow Ruth through. She paused to give him a respectful bow before continuing down the corridor, his gaze following her until she vanished from sight.
"Well?" He prompted, heading straight for Cassandra.
Cassandra considered the question with a thoughtful hum.
"I quite like her." She answered and it was the truth.
She had observed Ruth closely and found no reason to doubt her abilities.
Adrian smiled at this, looking pleased. "I was hoping you would. I made certain she was fit for the task before I recommended her."
Cassandra never took her eyes off him, tracking his movements even as she continued the conversation. "You never mentioned how you found her."
Adrian had proven himself an invaluable ally in her schemes. He might have been young, but his position as a prince gave him a degree of influence that could not be dismissed. He possessed connections and resources most people could scarcely imagine, and he had never hesitated to put them at Cassandra’s disposal. When she had told him she needed an informant who could slip into Ashford House without attracting notice, he had found her Ms. Collins.
Only now did Cassandra realize that Adrian had never actually told her how he came to know the woman, nor had he explained where she was from.
During their first meeting, Cassandra had noticed a faint northern lilt in Ruth’s speech. When she commented on it, the woman had explained that she was partly northern, her family being from Kestral. It was a detail that would have been easy to miss. There was little else about Ruth to suggest it, for the rest of her were so thoroughly southern.
"Through an old acquaintance of mine." Adrian admitted as he walked across the room and settled into the chair Ruth had just vacated. "The man served the Crown during my grandfather’s reign and spent a good portion of his younger years involved in intelligence work as one of the king’s spy masters. He knows people who know people. Ruth came recommended through him."
"She has experience with this sort of thing?"
That explained why Ruth hadn’t batted an eye at this sort of work.
"Enough to understand the value of keeping her eyes open and her mouth shut."
Cassandra nodded. From what she had seen, the woman appeared more than capable of doing precisely that.
Adrian was silent for a moment, appearing to ponder something before adding, "Your watch officer is here."
Cassandra’s attention was immediately piqued.
Sebastian had promised to keep her informed of his progress in the investigation and she had been waiting for his report. She had no doubt that whatever he had discovered, he would have taken care to verify it before bringing it to her.
Adrian scowled when he noticed the sudden interest in her face, not even bothering to hide his displeasure.
"I see I have lost your attention already."
Cassandra gave him an unimpressed look. "You will survive."
"I am less concerned about myself than I am about you." He groused.
She sighed softly. Adrian’s disapproval of Sebastian was hardly new.
He believed that she was courting danger by fraternizing with a watch officer and he had told as much. But stubborn as she was, she had brushed his warnings aside.
"I have known Sebastian long enough to know that he is perfectly capable of conducting himself with propriety." She explained, not for the first time.
"I know what watch officers are capable of." That was why he would rather have Mr. Reaver smuggled into the palace than permit her to meet him elsewhere.
The thought of Cassandra meeting the man in some obscure location alone made him shutter.
His face darkened as she continued to stare him down, utterly unmoved. They were evenly matched in stubbornness, and she had no intention of letting him browbeat her into changing her mind.
There was little point in arguing any further. He cast her one last stern glance before rising to his feet and going to fetch Sebastian, unwilling to let the discussion deteriorate any further.