Chapter 36
Thirty-Six
Jade tossed what resembled a skinny tree limb onto the road with only a minute to spare. Then she ducked under the cover of trees on the side of the road and crept back to the place where Theo waited with their own wagon, emblazoned with the seal of Southbury on its sides.
The target wagon in question rumbled down the road as Jade climbed up into the front seat of theirs.
Theo shook the reins and guided the brown horses onto the road, traveling in the opposite direction of the approaching wagon.
Jade lifted the skirt of her maid’s dress to double-check both boots for her knives before they crossed paths with their target.
The loud snap of wood cracking resounded past the curve in the road ahead, followed by a heavy groan. Jade glanced over at Theo in his pressed shirt and slacks, and he nodded.
They rounded the bend, coming upon the disabled delivery wagon for Ferryman’s Plant Nursery. Theo pulled the horses to a stop and called out to the man investigating the broken wheel.
“Need a hand?” Theo’s voice came out with a thick Brithswaitian accent, helping to cement his identity as a member of the lower middle class.
The man looked up, shading his eyes from the sun where it shone through the trees. “You don’t happen to have a spare wheel, do you?”
Theo shook his head. “We don’t, I’m afraid. But we’re on our way into town. I can send someone out here if you like.”
The man wiped the sweat building along his receding hairline.
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I’m not sure they’ll get out here quickly enough.
I’m carrying a load of rare plants for the Earl of Southbury, and they’re already wilting in this heat.
” He dropped his head and sighed. “It will cost a fortune to lose them.”
Jade glanced to Theo as if suddenly hit with an idea, continuing with Theo’s use of accent. “Surely we could take them back to the estate.”
Theo pretended to consider Jade’s suggestion, chewing on the inside of his cheek. The delivery driver angled his head toward them, as though he was listening but not trying to make it too obvious.
“What’s your name, sir?” Jade asked the man, her teeth gleaming in a disarming smile.
The man frowned in confusion before replying, “Thierry.”
“Do you have more deliveries to make today, Thierry?”
“I do,” he replied. “I have two more in the wagon, then I’m to return to Ferryman’s and reload.”
“That’s quite a few deliveries for this late in the season,” Jade pointed out, cocking her head to the side.
Thierry strode toward his horses, his gait slow and strained, and stroked one’s long neck.
“Well, we’re a bit behind. I’m the only one handling deliveries at the moment, and I hurt my back making a delivery last week.
So now I’ve got a few days to make up, but I can’t even move quickly because of my back. ”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Jade said, then sought Theo again. “Surely we can help him. He’s injured and doesn’t even have his wagon now.”
“I don’t know,” Theo said in a lower voice that the man could still hear. “It’s out of our way. We have a lot to do today.”
Jade turned sorrowful eyes onto the man. “But he needs help. Our wagon is empty. It’s the least we could do.”
“Well,” Theo said as he rubbed his chin, “I suppose you’re right.” He returned his attention to the man at the wagon wheel. “We can take your delivery to Southbury, if it would be helpful. We’ve just come from there, but we can turn back to ensure the plants arrive safely.”
Jade leaned in the direction of the man from her seat on the wagon, as if she was about to share a secret with him. “We know Lord Marchand is quite particular about his plants. I would hate to see them arrive spoiled.”
Thierry narrowed his eyes, studying the two of them, and then his gaze drifted to the wagon where the seal was painted. He sighed, and his tension released. “It would be a great help to me. I’m grateful for your kindness.”
Jade hopped down, smiling broadly at the man.
“What kind of world would we live in if we didn’t show unconditional kindness to one another?
” She went around to the back of the wagon before waiting for his response, prompting the man to follow her and open the enclosed wagon.
Theo climbed down and opened the door to their own wagon, then joined Jade and the delivery driver as they gathered plants to load.
“It’s all of these here,” the man said, circling his hand in the air over the section of the wagon’s contents as his other hand pressed against a spot on his back. Then he mumbled, half under his breath, “Of course, only his are the exotic ones that aren’t stable in our climate.”
Jade and Theo grabbed pot after pot, transferring the plants from one wagon to another. As Jade carried the plants, she chatted with Thierry, keeping his attention so he wouldn’t notice Theo pull Marchand’s order slip from the man’s records.
Once the transfer was complete, the captains climbed back onto their wagon’s seat, and Thierry waved. “I do appreciate your help. Tell the gardeners to get those plants watered as soon as possible.”
Theo nodded. “We will. Happy to be of assistance. Good day to you.”
“Good day, Thierry!” Jade said, beaming. The moment Theo turned the horses around and they faced away from the other wagon, Jade’s smile fell. “You got the order slip?”
Theo tugged a small piece of paper from his trouser pocket. “Right here.”
“Perfect. I’ll change first. You get the sign.”
They drove off in the direction of Southbury Estate, putting a good amount of distance between themselves and the delivery wagon before Theo pulled over at a curve in the road.
The limited view down the road in both directions allowed them a hiding spot in plain sight.
Both espionage agents dropped from the bench and went to the back of the wagon.
Theo retrieved two pieces of wood connected by two long ropes, turning them over to reveal signage for the plant nursery where Marchand had ordered his latest additions.
While he took the signs out to hang over the wagon and cover the Southbury seal, Jade slipped out of her maid’s outfit in the back of the wagon.
She changed into a plain pink cotton dress, listening intently for the sound of any other wagons coming up the road.
She returned to the front bench, and Theo took his turn to change just as a carriage rumbled toward them.
Jade inclined her head in greeting to the driver before catching sight of the carriage’s occupants.
Lord Marchand and his wife, Elodie, both met Jade’s eyes. Jade plastered a tight smile across her face as her pulse pounded in her ears. She dipped her head toward the earl and countess, thankful she and Theo had already covered Marchand’s seal on the side of their wagon.
Keep going, nothing to see here.
Marchand’s hand raised to hit the ceiling of the carriage, and the driver brought them to a halt.
Jade’s heart leaped to her throat. She tried to swallow it back down, but to no avail. She’d hoped to be invisible to Marchand; the less impression she made on him, the better. Any interaction with him would only make it easier for him to remember and identify her.
Marchand pushed open the window beside him. His eyebrows knitted together low over his eyes, his slicked-back dark hair and angular face making him appear menacing. “You’re from Ferryman’s?”
“Uh—yes, sir,” Jade answered, her mind buzzing to spin an explanation. “By extension. Ferryman’s delivery man had trouble with his wagon today, so he employed us to make his deliveries.”
Marchand eyed the wagon, his mouth in a hard line. “My most recent order has extremely rare and delicate plants. I’ll expect you to handle them with care, and I will personally inspect them when I return home to ensure everything is satisfactory.”
“Of course, sir.” The weight of integrity filled Jade’s voice.
Marchand’s mouth opened as if to speak again, but Elodie laid a hand on his arm and drew his attention. “I don’t want to be late,” she said, her tone cold as steel.
Jade hadn’t seen Elodie next to him before, and side by side, the twenty years between them were stark.
He could easily have been her father. It was no wonder Elodie acted harsh.
She was youthful and beautiful and clearly miserable.
Based on what Jade had heard, she’d had no say in her husband.
Marchand was an arguably attractive man, with a muscular build, blue eyes, and brown hair that curled at the ends, but attraction wasn’t everything. Not to Elodie, it seemed.
Marchand’s mouth snapped shut as he pushed an irritated exhale through his nose. He rolled his neck and hit the ceiling again, and the carriage drove off.
Theirs was a loveless union indeed.
As soon as they passed, Jade banged on the wagon’s wall. Theo appeared moments later in a white linen shirt, brown vest, and brown pants—attire more associated with a laborer.
“Was that Marchand?” he asked, climbing up beside her and starting the horses again.
“Yes. We have to hurry,” Jade murmured. “He’ll pass the other wagon soon and likely realize something is wrong. We’ll only get minutes on his estate.”
“Got it.” Theo pushed the horses as fast as he dared allow until they neared the estate’s gate, and he slowed to a normal pace toward the gatekeeper.
“Do you have business with Southbury?” the gatekeeper asked without preamble, marching up to their wagon.
“Yes, sir,” Theo answered. “We have a delivery from Ferryman’s Plant Nursery for the Earl of Southbury.”
The gatekeeper scrutinized Theo and Jade, then the side of the wagon where the temporary sign hung. “You’re not who usually makes the Ferryman’s deliveries.”
“Thierry is struggling with a back injury and is behind on deliveries,” Theo replied easily. “We’ve been hired to help out on a temporary basis.”
Theo displayed the order slip, and the gatekeeper stepped forward to peruse it.