One fine afternoon.

Alice and her friends were lazing about in Rosalyn's old room. She was finally back from Derbyshire and had deigned to meet them.

"How is Lady Fortescue?" Sarah asked Rosa, referring to her mother-in-law.

"She's better now," Rosalyn smiled.

"Don't you have something to tell us?" Alice smiled sweetly at her friend.

"Uh..."

"Tell us what?" Vanessa sat up straighter.

"That she's pregnant," Sarah smiled.

"You are?!" Vanessa squealed.

"You should've been surprised if she wasn't, considering the way Lord Fortescue behaves," Alice rolled her eyes and Sarah chuckled.

"I am, I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure yet," Rosalyn grinned, deciding to ignore Alice.

"Congratulations, I'm so happy for you!" Vanessa hugged her.

"So am I," Sarah smiled a wobbly smile.

"This is just perfect," Alice whispered, her eyes suspiciously moist.

"Oh don't cry! It's a happy occasion," Rosalyn groaned and hugged her friends.

"I'm hungry," Vanessa whined, uncomfortable with the emotional display.

"So am I," Alice said.

"I'll go ask Cook to prepare a fresh batch of her biscuits," Rosalyn made to get up.

"Don't bother, I'll go," Alice offered and stood up.

She chuckled when Rosalyn said, "I love being pregnant," and lied back down.

Alice skipped down the stairs. She was in good spirits today. Meeting her friends was always refreshing, but the news of Rosalyn's pregnancy had her grinning from ear to ear.

She was going to be an aunt!

Alice had known something was up because Rosalyn had stopped riding all of a sudden, even before she'd gone off to Derbyshire.

"Lady Alice! What are you doing down in the kitchens?" Cook asked, appalled.

"I was wondering if you could prepare a batch of your legendary almond biscuits..." Alice said, offering Cook her most disarming smile.

"You should've just rung for a maid," Cook blushed, the way she always did when someone praised her biscuits.

"So you'll make them?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Has anyone ever said no to you, my dear girl?" Cook grinned, already bustling about.

"You're the best!" Alice giggled and exited the warm kitchens.

She was anticipating putting those warm, freshly out of the oven almond biscuits in her mouth as she was on her way to Rosalyn's rooms when she heard hushed sounds coming from Ralph's study.

She didn't even feel guilty when she moved towards the slightly open door to eavesdrop.

"No one can know where I've gone. I should be back before dusk. If I don't return, don't bother looking for me. Keep the girls safe, Johnson," Ralph was saying as he opened a drawer and took something out.

Alice gulped as the silver metal of a pistol glinted dangerously from within the darkened room.

"I might have to use this," Ralph murmured absently, pocketing the pistol.

Use that pistol? Why?

"Yes, my lord," was all Johnson said.

Good god, who was Ralph? Alice knew he was a womaniser, but a murderer too?

It was too much for her to digest.

But she had to know, she had to stop him from doing something he would regret. It couldn't possibly be right for her to stay back eating biscuits when she should do everything to stop Ralph.

In no time, Alice was out of the house, following Ralph in a hackney. He was on horseback and Alice had to trust the driver to keep track of Ralph. She'd quickly penned down a note to her friends saying her mother needed her presence, so she hoped they wouldn't worry on her account.

It seemed like she'd been travelling forever when the hackney slowed down and stopped.

"He went in there," the man signalled to a deserted church a few meters away.

"Thank you," she murmured, opening her reticule.

"I can't take you further, the crowded streets end here. So he'll know he's being followed..." the man said.

"Yes, that's fine," she said, tipping him.

"Will you be alright, miss?" the man asked finally, his wrinkled face pulled up in a frown.

Alice merely nodded, unsure herself.

She walked towards the direction of the church purposefully.

She was about to enter through the broken side entrance when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Yer early."

"I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible," she heard Ralph say.

The other man laughed. What was so amusing? Ralph was probably gonna shoot the poor man.

"You really thought he'd come 'ere himself?"

"Yes, but he clearly lacks the bollocks to face me," Ralph grunted.

"I'm not a huge fan of him myself," the man said almost jovially.

Him? Who were they talking about?

"But it's my job to kill you," the man added as an after thought.

"What if I kill you before that?" This from Ralph.

"You're too nice for that, you English spies always are," the man laughed.

Spy?!

"Look Bender, I don't want anything to do with you, it's Bates who's the criminal and it's him I want."

"I'm afraid you'll have to go through me to reach him," Bender shrugged.

"Then you leave me no choice but to shoot you," Ralph said, sounding calm.

He was a spy? So Ralph wasn't the bad guy? And Sir Bates was a criminal?

Alice's head was spinning.

But she'd clearly made a mistake. She'd misunderstood Ralph. She had to get out of here before he saw her or he'd have her head.

She turned around, only to find two burly men staring at her.

Uh oh.

Ralph thought he was living the worst of his nightmares when he saw Alice being dragged into the church. She was struggling against two other men. He wanted to go to her, he really did. To have her drawn and quartered if not to save her from those men.

What the bloody hell was she thinking? How did she even find him here?

"What do we have 'ere?" Bender murmured, taking in the sight of Alice being held hostage by his men.

"I'm sorry," Alice mouthed, but Ralph chose to ignore her. He didn't particularly feel charitable towards her just now.

"Release her," Ralph said to man.

"Not so fast," Bender replied, putting a knife to her throat .

Ralph felt his own throat tighten with fear. Despair. He'd never experienced either of these in his ten years of espionage.

He steeled himself against what was to come.