FREE! In The Arms of My Enemy (Completed!) Book 1

William's Secret

Mr. de Lacy froze, gawking at Fidelia, his cheeks flushed. The small, cream-colored letter he clenched in his hands was slightly bent, proving that he had been in the process of sliding it under her door.

"Lady Greyville!" he stuttered, brushing back the light blond strands that had fallen over his heavy brow. He opened and closed his mouth before he made to leave.

"It's good to see you, Mr. de Lacy," she said quickly. She had been barraged by the countess's cruel remarks all day and was desperate for a friendly smile.

"Why such formality, m'lady?" He turned back to her and smiled hes­itantly. "We are childhood friends, are we not? Please, call me Edmund."

"Then you must call me Fidelia and none of this 'Lady Greyville' nonsense."

Edmund's cheeks tinged even more. He stepped closer, grinning down at her despite his apparent embarrassment. "Not Fifi?"

She rolled her eyes and swatted his arm. "Ugh, never Fifi. You made me sound like a French poodle!" She grinned. When William had re­turned from his first year at Eton for the summer holiday, Edmund had come with him. Edmund had teased her constantly by pulling on her curls and calling her "little Fifi." Thankfully, her family had left for America at the end of that summer, so she thought she had forever escaped the horrid nickname.

Edmund tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, you did follow us around faithfully."

They laughed together, but his laughter died quickly. "Fidelia, are you well? I know the countess can be . . . abrasive at times, but the Greyvilles are a good family."

Unbidden tears burned Fidelia's eyes. Before she realized what she was doing, she threw her arms around Edmund and hugged him tightly.

He stiffened at first, but he slowly returned her embrace. He leaned back to brush away a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"Fidelia, what's wrong?" Edmund lifted her chin tenderly.

"Forgive me, that was foolish." Her voice cracked as she banished another tear with the back of her hand. "It is just . . . you have been so kind to me. Kindness has been hard to find the past few days. Even the maids are terrified of me now!"

He took her hand. "Fidelia, I have been meaning to speak to you for a while now, but the time never seemed quite right. . ."

She suddenly came to herself, realizing how intimate the scene would appear to anyone who stumbled upon them, such as a maid or—heaven forbid—the countess, no matter how innocent Fidelia and Edmund's friendship was.

Stepping away and tucking her hands behind her, Fidelia looked around to ensure they hadn't been seen. "Is William going to be home soon?"

Edmund's face fell slightly as he glanced at the door. "No, his du­ties usually keep him away late into the evenings. The other lords are stuffy, long-winded fools who enjoy the sounds of their own voices. I—I came to leave this for him." He held up the note.

"You didn't send it with a footman? I'm sure you did not need to come all the way here yourself." Fidelia laughed teasingly. Pink suffused Edmund's cheeks once again.

"Y-yes, I mean, no. The nature of the note is rather urgent and . . . classified."

"Classified?" Fidelia tucked her chin in surprise.

"Besides," he said as he stepped forward with a grin, "I wanted to see how you were faring."

"You are a dear friend, Edmund." With a grateful touch to his arm, Fidelia smiled. "Your kindness is a ray of warmth in this unfa­miliar place."

Edmund drew a shuddering breath, gazing down at her. His eyes softened, but then he frowned. "Fidelia, I . . ." He stepped closer.

Her heart stuttered slightly, and she suddenly felt guilty. What would William think if he came upon them at that moment? Why should I care what he thinks? Fidelia asked herself, but then she already knew the answer. Not only was he her husband, but she was begin­ning to care about him. She pulled away once again, turning toward the bedroom door.

"I must bid you good night, Mr. de Lacy," she said hastily as foot­steps sounded from the floor below. Their exchange had been perfectly innocent, simply two friends comforting each other, but it still felt inappropriate.

"Ah, yes." Edmund coughed awkwardly and retreated a few steps, straightening formally. "Oh, m'lady, would you mind delivering this to William?" He held out the letter.

"I don't mind at all." She smiled and took it.

As she retreated inside the room, she heard him whisper behind her, "Good night, Fidelia. Sleep well."

After she closed the door, she leaned against it, wondering why her heart felt so strange, like she had done something wrong. What should she have done?

Fidelia set the note on William's writing table and walked away, thoughts of her conversation with Edmund filling her mind. Had she acted improperly when she embraced him? To distract herself, she turned back to stare at the letter. Why would Edmund send something secretive to William? They considered Fidelia a friend too, did they not? What could be the harm if she just peeked . . . ? She nibbled her thumbnail, thinking.

Curiosity ate at her until she finally gave in and opened the let­ter. She didn't get very far, however, because it was written in code. Why did it seem so familiar? Fidelia narrowed her eyes and clutched the note tighter. It wasn't just any code, she realized with a start. This was the code that her brother, Charles, had shown her when they were children. Hadn't he said that he invented the code with William and Edmund as a game? Eager to share his witty brain with his easily im­pressed younger sister, Charles had taught her the secret to deciphering it. Fidelia had continued to use the code with her brother when he joined the army and was stationed near President Madison, since he feared their correspondence could be intercepted and used to find in­formation that would hinder the American war effort.

Quickly, Fidelia pulled out a quill and scrap of parchment from William's writing desk, then sat down and wrote out the translation.

Dear Mr. Adrien,

The Americans at Fort Detroit have surrendered with no losses. Ac­cording to our last correspondence, the siege on Fort Madison has been planned for the fifth of September. God willing, we will be victorious there as well. As for the European front, the Russians plan to evacuate and de­stroy Moscow before Napoleon can get there; with no way to raid the city for supplies, his forces will be caught in the coming Russian winter. Our war council is exploring options for taking France. Mr. Hughes requests that we meet with him to discuss possible deployment in the morning.

Sincerely,

Mr. Webbing

The door creaked open behind Fidelia, and she stood up sharply, blood draining from her face.

"Fidelia, I did not think you would still be awake—" she heard William begin to say, but she spun around, the note clutched in her hand.

"You're a spy."

***

GAHHH DE LACY HAS THE FEELS!! What a guy, always looking out for Fidelia even though she's married to his best friend!!  Do you guys think anything could happen between them??  I'd love to hear your thoughts below!!

Also, Fidelia knows the truth!! What do you think will happen now?

Thank you so much to those who have been reading and voting on the story so far, you guys are amazing!! I never thought anyone would want to read my work until I joined Wattpad and found this amazing community.  Thank you guys for inspiring me to keep writing!! Especially elsannalover23, bulungi, and Sierra_Gatrell!!

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