Cordelia Spencer looked up from the open newspaper on her desk. She’d been marvelling at the ingenuity of a real-estate advertisement that had been placed by one of her agents. They were trialling a new form of photographic coding and it seemed to be working brilliantly. A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She glanced over at the wall of screens and was surprised to see her younger son charge through the front door. She hadn’t been expecting him – at least not this evening – and, considering he’d been off-grid for the past month or so, she was keen to find out exactly what he’d been working on. By the looks of his face, it was probably his tan more than anything. Sometimes she wondered at the wisdom of having promoted him to Agent X status. He was still prodding her to take over Ed’s Y ranking, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
She’d sent Rupert several messages about the twins, receiving a single-word response: Brilliant. Given she’d also told him that his brother and sister-in-law were missing and there were few leads at this stage, despite having deployed a huge number of resources to try to track them down, it seemed a rather odd and unsatisfying reply. But that was Rupert. Of her two children, he had always been the more difficult to read.
Cordelia opened the top drawer of her mahogany desk and pulled out two velvet jewellery cases – one long and slim, the other smaller and rectangular. They contained Maxim and Kensington’s Christmas gifts. She had all but resigned herself that this day would never come – although it was bittersweet. If only Anna and Ed had been found. She knew full well that the chances of them being properly dead this time were higher than ever, especially the longer they were gone.
There was a rap on the door. Cordelia’s two West Highland terriers, Wellington and Mackintosh, looked up from the rug in front of the fire and thumped their tails.
‘Come in,’ Cordelia called, returning the boxes to the drawer.
Fitz strode into the room and shut the door behind him. ‘I thought I’d find you hiding here. The place is a bit of a madhouse. I see the dogs have got the right idea – keeping out of everyone’s way.’
Cordelia smiled at her nephew. Having him back after all these years was wonderful. From the time he was a toddler, Fitz had been one of her favourite people in the world. ‘Did you know Rupert has arrived?’ she asked.
Fitz looked at her in surprise. ‘No, he’s one person I haven’t bumped into,’ he said, sinking into the chair opposite Cordelia. ‘Do you have any idea where he’s been?’
‘I imagine I’ll find out soon enough,’ she replied, absently fiddling with the rings on her left hand.
‘I’m afraid I need to head off first thing in the morning,’ Fitz said firmly.
Cordelia frowned. ‘But what about the children? It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow. They’ll be so disappointed. They’re going to find it hard enough, let alone with you gone too.’
Fitz rubbed his head. Ever since he came to terms with the fact he was going bald, he’d found the feel of it rather soothing. ‘They’ll understand.’
‘I doubt it.’ Cordelia stood up and smoothed her navy skirt, then strode over to the table beneath the window. She poured herself a whisky from the crystal decanter. ‘Unless the three of you know something you’re not telling me.’
She offered Fitz a drink, which he politely declined.
‘I’ve got a lead,’ he said, choosing not to add more. Over the past six weeks, he had found it difficult watching the woman suffer, and he would hate to toy with her hopes. Cordelia was, in a way, more like a second mother to him than an aunt. ‘I’ll speak with Kensy and Max tonight.’
He desperately wanted to tell her, but Anna and Ed had been very specific. If there was a mole inside Pharos, any hint that they were alive would jeopardise everything – and not only their safety, but the children’s too. It wasn’t how he preferred to play things but that was the current state of affairs. He was also tired of fending off the twins’ questions about why he and their parents had faked their deaths in the first place. It hadn’t taken them long to work out that ‘we wanted a normal life’ was little more than a flimsy excuse, particularly as their lives traversing the globe and living in a different ski resort each season was pretty far removed from most children’s experiences. Unfortunately, the ill-fated mission that preceded the three of them disappearing from the face of the earth was still classified Status Red, meaning that only Cordelia and a handful of agents knew exactly what had happened. Even Fitz’s own mother was in the dark – a fact that had eaten away at him for the past eleven years.
Cordelia tucked a stray strand of hair behind her left ear. ‘You know your mother is going to be disappointed too. It’s been years since Mim’s had you home for the holidays. I’m sure she thought you’d never be back again . . . I suppose we all make our sacrifices for the greater good, don’t we?’ She smiled sadly, wondering when exactly she had begun to sound so bitter.
Fitz shifted in his seat. There it was again – a glimmer of the pain Cordelia had been trying so hard to hide. ‘Mim’s fine. She already knows and she’s promised to focus all her energy on the children for me.’ He stood up and walked over to his aunt. ‘I just wanted to say goodbye. I’ll be gone before dawn and there will be so many people here that you won’t even miss me.’
Cordelia arched an eyebrow and took a sip of her drink. ‘Don’t remind me. Mrs Thornthwaite is positively apoplectic down in the kitchen – I wanted to stop by and see how my puddings had turned out, but I don’t dare for fear of being roped into hours of turkey-stuffing.’
‘I’ll be back as soon as I can,’ Fitz said, laughing.
‘Thank you, darling.’ Cordelia put down her glass and clasped her nephew’s hands. ‘You’ve done a brilliant job with those children – they’re even more magnificent than I could ever have imagined.’
Fitz flushed. It didn’t matter how old he was; every word of praise from Cordelia transported him back to his ten-year-old self seeking her approval. ‘I certainly didn’t raise them on my own. Anna and Ed are wonderful parents, Cordelia. If only we can get them back here in one piece, you could see so for yourself.’
Cordelia’s eyes glistened as Fitz kissed her cheek. Then he turned and walked from the room. For several minutes after he’d left, she stood there staring into the firelight. She’d gone over things in her mind more times than she cared to remember. Ed and Anna were far too clever to have been caught in a rebel uprising. Anyway, recent intelligence suggested there was no evidence of them having been in Africa at all. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense – there was only one reason they would have broken their cover and left the children.
Cordelia crossed her hands over her pounding heart. If anyone could find them, it would be Fitz, and if he knew more than he was prepared to admit, then she needed to butt out and let him get on with it.
As the children burst through the front doors, there was much chatter and conjecture about Rupert’s arrival. Song was pleased to see them, having wondered where on earth they’d all disappeared to. Their supper was waiting for them in the conservatory.
‘Why would he do it?’ Inez mused. She tightened the band that was holding back her copper curls. ‘I mean, it’s not ideal to skydive in cloudy weather – unless he was testing some top-secret new technology.’
The children agreed that seemed the most rational scenario and were keen to find out what sort of aircraft had provided such stealth-like means. They followed their noses and charged down the hall towards the conservatory while Kensy and Max hung back.
‘Song, do you know where our uncle is?’ Max asked.
‘I suspect he has gone upstairs to change,’ the man replied. Song was momentarily distracted by a patch of dust on a side table and made a mental note to do another round with the feather duster when everyone had retired for the evening.
‘He didn’t even have a bag with him,’ Max said.
‘Your uncle still has a bedroom upstairs – just down the hall from you two,’ Song said. ‘His wardrobe is fully stocked so it does not matter if he arrives without so much as a pair of underpants. I hope he likes the superhero ones I ordered the other day.’
The twins laughed.
‘He didn’t even say hello,’ Kensy said stroppily. She looked at Song from beneath knitted eyebrows. ‘Are you sure he knows we even exist? Or cares?’
The butler nodded. ‘I am certain of it, but don’t expect too much of him. He can be . . .’ The man grasped for the right words. ‘Confucius says that only the wisest and stupidest men never change.’
‘And which category would you place me in, old man?’ a voice said from behind them.
Song and the twins spun around to see Rupert standing on the staircase. How long he’d been there was anyone’s guess. Kensy couldn’t help but giggle nervously.
‘Good evening, sir,’ Song said, without missing a beat. He bowed – but not as deeply as he usually would, Max noted. ‘It is good to see you again. I hear that you made quite the entrance.’
Rupert sauntered down the stairs, smiling at them. He was now casually dressed in a pair of jeans with a light pink shirt and a grey sweater slung around his shoulders. ‘In answer to your question, my dear Kensington, yes, I am very much aware of you and your brother. In fact, I have been dying to meet you both ever since I found out you were here. I’ve been away on assignment – these things do have a tendency to get in the way of even the best-laid plans. I suppose you’ll understand that soon enough.’
He considered the children carefully.
‘Your parents must be so proud,’ he continued, and Kensy was moved to see his eyes begin to water. She was starting to feel quite guilty for accusing her uncle of being disinterested. ‘Sorry, it’s just that you’re both so much like Eddie.’ Rupert pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his eyes.
Max hesitated for a moment before pushing his shoulders back and walking towards the man with his hand outstretched. Rupert shook it, then wrapped his muscular arms around the boy. ‘It’s good to meet you, Uncle Rupert,’ Max said, realising immediately that there was something uncomfortable about the man’s embrace. Max didn’t know what it was – perhaps it felt forced.
‘Uncle Rupert,’ the man repeated. ‘I like the sound of that.’ He looked at Kensy and grinned. ‘Do you have a hug for your favourite uncle too?’
Kensy smiled and embraced him. She’d been thinking about the uncanny similarities between Rupert and their father – and Max too. ‘You look a lot like Dad,’ she said, stepping back.
‘God, no. I’m far more handsome than Ed,’ the man scoffed. He laughed and added, ‘Only because I’m younger and have much better dress sense.’
Song pressed his lips together to avoid the risk of opening his mouth.
Encouraged by her uncle’s candour, Kensy decided that now was as good a time as any to put him on the spot. ‘Do you know what really happened to Mum and Dad and why they left Pharos in the first place?’ she asked. ‘Fitz says that they all wanted a normal life, but we think there’s more to it – our lives were hardly normal.’
Max glared at his sister, wishing she’d waited until they knew the man a little better before giving him the third degree.
Song cleared his throat. ‘Miss Kensington, perhaps you should allow your uncle to tell you all that he knows in due time.’
Rupert smirked. ‘There’s nothing to tell, really. I don’t know any more than you do. Your mother was pregnant – she had cold feet about bringing up her children inside Pharos, so they staged their own deaths and we all went along with it – except that for quite a long time I was led to believe they were dead, the same as everybody else. Bit of a shock to discover that I’d been hoodwinked. Old Confucius here would know the real story – he outranked me for years until recently, but Mummy’s probably sworn him to secrecy. It’s like that around here.’
Song shifted from one foot to the other, causing the floorboards to groan.
Rupert raised his eyebrows at the butler. ‘Isn’t there somewhere you should be? Tables to wait? Drinks to pour? The children and I have a lot of catching up to do. We’ll be in the library – rustle us up something to eat and I’d like a glass of ’86 Grange. I’m quite partial to an Australian drop – must be because Mummy came from convict stock, although I suppose we can forgive her that.’
Song puffed out his chest. ‘Master Maxim and Miss Kensington are having supper in the conservatory with their classmates. Afterwards, they are required to attend a debriefing led by Mr Nutting and Miss Witherbee on this evening’s training exercise.’
Rupert cocked his head to one side. ‘I didn’t realise Willow was here. I’ll pop by and say hello. She won’t mind if I commandeer the children. After all, they are my long-lost niece and nephew.’
Max bit down on his thumbnail. ‘Um, Uncle Rupert, if you don’t mind, I think we should go,’ he said, sounding less certain than he felt. He didn’t want the other kids to think he and Kensy got any special treatment. ‘Kensy and I are so new at this spy business that we really need to learn everything we can.’
Kensy rolled her eyes. Trust Max to spoil the fun. The last thing she felt like doing after dinner was going over Nutter’s and Busybee’s boring notes on a scenario her team had won. Although the fact that she had bragging rights appealed to her, so there was that at least.
‘Well, I can see which of you is the fun twin.’ Rupert gave Kensy a wink.
The girl giggled then, remembering herself, chastened. ‘Max is probably right,’ she said grudgingly. ‘Especially after what happened in London.’
Max caught his sister’s eye and touched his left ear. It was so quick and natural that no one would have guessed it was their special signal. Thankfully, Kensy noticed and closed her mouth. He didn’t want her discussing all that with Uncle Rupert. It just didn’t seem like the right time to regale him with the story of how they had evaded being kidnapped – twice – when they still had no idea who had been after them. Kensy was positive it was one of the gardeners from Alexandria called Shugs, but Max and Fitz didn’t share her conviction.
Rupert shrugged. ‘Suit yourself, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be here later on. I’m sure there’s a party somewhere with my name on it.’
‘We’ll do our best to get away early,’ Kensy promised. She desperately wanted to spend some time with her uncle. He reminded her so much of their father and she had a hunch that he would tell them things no one else would. Besides, he was clearly very adventurous and didn’t take himself too seriously – no doubt he could teach them loads of things too.
But Max wasn’t so eager. For someone who had just shed a tear for them a few minutes ago, their Uncle Rupert seemed almost disinterested now. Fitz had mentioned on more than a couple of occasions how difficult the man was to pin down, and right at the moment Max thought that was a pretty fair assessment.