To Be a Spy

Chapter 7

It was a bit harder to get past experienced spies, but her small frame let her dart from shadow to shadow unseen. When she reached William's room she found the door open. He must be on a mission. A sound in the hall made her dart forward to hide in his room. Automatically her brain took in everything around her. The room was set-up very similar to what her room had used to look like. A bed in the corner. An open window in the wall. A desk pushed into a corner. In contrast to the neatness of the room, the desk was covered in a mess of paper. Some were covered with William's elegant handwriting, others with Edward's. Her eye caught on one piece half-hidden under the rest. The seal at the bottom. The sound of footsteps in the hallway made her throw herself out the window. Gripping the windowsill, she glanced down at the ground, sixteen or so feet below her. She gulped. Someone entered the room. There was the sound of rustling papers.

Then a call from the hallway, "William!"

The answer came near to Rowen's head. "Coming, sir." The sound of the door shutting reached Rowen's ears. With a mighty heave, she brought herself back into the room. She hurried over to the desk. Where was the paper? The paper with the seal, the Maverick seal! Gone. William had taken it with him.

He was the traitor. It felt like a flood of cold water had been dumped over her. For a moment she didn't feel anything. Then the truth came through to her. He had betrayed them all. He had betrayed her. A pain shot through her that almost brought her to her knees. Proof. Where was her proof? With a careful hand, she went through the papers on the desk, leaving everything exactly the way it had been. Then she went through the drawers. But it was taking too long. She knew that. Someone might find her here. Even if it wasn't William she couldn't explain her way out of the grave, at least not yet. For now, the best thing she could be was dead. The blame if anything was amiss couldn't be traced back to her. Hopefully, everyone else would have a legitimate reason of why it wasn't them who had been snooping through their fellow spy's things. She looked through one last drawer. There was a packet of papers wrapped with a string. She was about to overlook it when she caught a word at a corner of the folded papers. Rowen. What was this? She picked it up. But she had no more time. She had a brief debate with herself of whether she should take it or not. William was probably the only one who knew these papers existed. Right now he was on a mission, which gave her time to figure out what the papers were and return them before he noticed their disappearance. But she needed to talk to Edward. After putting an ear to the door and listening if anyone was in the hallway, she exited the room, the bundle of papers with her. With the same stealth that she showed coming into Great Hall, she made her way to Edward's room. The door was closed. She gave a knock on it.

The answer came from within the room. "Come in." She opened the door. Edward glanced at her, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "Rowen?"

"Sir." She tapped her chest with a fist and closed the door.

"Why have you come?"

"I have found something."

"What? Show me."

"Unfortunately my proof is gone."

"Rowen." There was a dangerous edge to his tone.

"I saw the seal of the Mavericks on a piece of paper in." She paused. Could she really betray Will? But he had done the same to her, hadn't he? She took a deep breath and finished, "In William's room."

"William?"

"Yes, sir."

"Rowen, you have to understand what I am hearing. A spy, suspected of treachery denies the accusation. She comes back to right the great injustice done to her. But she has no proof. So, she can merely say any name that comes to her and clear her name."

"But-" He held up a hand to stop her.

"Rowen, I do not think I have ever told you this. When you came to me as a twelve-year-old girl my heart went out to you. I tried to be a good example, a father to you. Rowen, you are like a daughter to me. I love you."

Tears sprang to Rowen's eyes as she heard this unusual declaration of love. "Oh, Edward. I am not trying to deceive you. I would not harm William if it was not true."

"Rowen, I do believe you. But I cannot tell all the spies that you, formerly dead, came back to life and that the true traitor is William with no proof except your love for him."

"My love for him? Edward, I-"

"Rowen, you love him. Do not try to deny it. I have known you for ten years; you are in love. But I need proof, not for me, but for the rest of them."

She nodded her head. "Where is William now?"

"He is on his way to Normandy."

"To investigate the death of the prince? You think it was planned, the shipwreck?"

"We have to know for sure. Besides the king wants to know for sure what happened to his son."

"When is he expected back?"

"A week and a half, two weeks, you know how it is. You cannot be sure."

"Well, until he returns I have no proof. He took that paper with him."

"Rowen?"

"Yes."

"About William, you do know that he, oh, never mind."

"What?"

"To tell you would be too cruel."

"Edward, you have aroused my curiosity what is it?"

"Go, Rowen. Find your proof. I, too, shall keep my eyes open."

Rowen turned to go then looked back at her former teacher. "Edward, why did you think it was me? Was there any proof, or was it just that I was Irish?"

Edward stared at her. "How do you know your ancestry?"

"I went to Elizabeth's a couple of days ago. I saw the dress I had been wearing, the embroidery on the hem."

"No, there was more proof. Documents. Here." He unlocked a drawer in his desk and removed a handful of papers.

She scanned them. A crease appeared on her forehead. "They mean to raise an army? To attack England? And what does this sentence mean? When the time is right a leader, long forgotten, shall arise to lead them."

"Well, Rowen, that is you. The leader long forgotten, the Lady Maverick. Orlaith Maverick. You. All of it pointed to you. I was hesitant to kill you, though. So I let you go. Now I realize you would not have even known that you were Irish. But still, you could have done it."

"But I did not."

"I know that now, Rowen. I beg your pardon about what happened. I was heartbroken over your betrayal and my senses were muddled."

"But what has William to gain from this? That I do not understand."

"I think we shall only find that out when we catch him. If he is guilty that is. But you must go before someone sees you. I shall look over these papers again. Mayhap I missed something."

"Farewell, my friend."

"Farewell, dear Rowen."