A Terrible Misunderstanding (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 6)

“Where is Claude heading?”

“Why?”

Oliver lifted his hands in a placating gesture when all his colleagues began to slam questions at him in quick succession.

“It is believed that Smidgley is going after Atticus Potter’s daughter, a young woman called Clara Potter. Miss Clara Potter. Micklemine sits about ten miles away from Serpentine, the place Atticus Potter’s daughter calls home.” Oliver tore his gaze away from his papers and levelled a dark look on his colleagues. “Miss Potter lives with her aunt. Miss Flora Potter is Atticus Potter’s sister, and guardian to Clara while Atticus is in London, which is where he is now. However, Flora is somewhat infirm, so Miss Potter tends to do what she wants when she wants.”

Niall rolled his eyes. “Clara looks after the relation while her father is in London?”

“That’s about it,” Oliver sighed. “The only other information we have is that there is one housekeeper; a villager called Rita, but she doesn’t live in the house. She lives down the road with her family and walks to work at the Potter residence. It is an unusual arrangement I agree, but it seems to work for them so who are we to judge?”

“Where does this information come from? How can we be certain that it is accurate?” Harry demanded.

“The personal information has come from Atticus Potter himself. Beverley Argent has told us that Smidgley intends to go after Potter’s daughter. Potter is the Secretary of State, don’t forget; one of the most powerful men in England.”

“Why in the Hell is the Secretary of State’s daughter living in a damned backwoods like Serpentine?” Harry demanded.

“Apparently the house Flora and Clara share belongs to Flora. Atticus Potter’s house is several miles away but Clara cannot live there by herself,” Oliver reported.

“Well, she doesn’t seem that much safer being in the damned house with her aged relation, i

s she?” Harry argued.

“She isn’t going to be safe anywhere now that Smidgley is targeting her. I don’t think that Smidgley would be put off even if she lived in Atticus’s house with Atticus in residence, do you?” Oliver retorted.

Oliver’s words made everyone motionless. They all stared at him because the ferocity of his voice was so unlike his usual calm, unflappable self that they all knew that the bad news hadn’t yet been delivered.

“Argent was arrested by Potter for spying on the Star Elite’s activities and usurping his position of authority. He had threatened Sir Hugo with losing his position in the War Office if he continued to try to investigate the Smidgleys. Potter is responsible for putting Argent behind bars. It hasn’t gone down well with a lot of people in society, I can tell you. It is inevitable that someone would try to target Potter’s daughter once word got out that Argent and the Smidgleys had been taken down.”

Harry puffed out his cheeks. “We don’t get involved in diplomatic situations.”

“This isn’t a diplomatic situation though, is it? I mean, it would be if they targeted Potter while he was in London and tried to stop him from doing his job. However, now that they have made it clear they intend to target his daughter it becomes a part of our investigation,” Niall argued.

Oliver nodded. “It involves people, not positions of authority ergo it falls to us to do what we can to protect this young woman. She is no different to any other woman we have been tasked with protecting.”

“Clara Potter isn’t the same, though, is she?” Harry retorted. “She is Atticus Potter’s daughter.”

“Well, you had better make sure that nothing happens to her or that aged aunt of hers then, hadn’t you?”

Harry threw him a horrified look. “I am not babysitting her. You can forget that, Boss. Wild sodding horses wouldn’t force me to do it.”

“You will do as you are damned well ordered to do,” Oliver snapped. “Argent has apparently told Potter that: ‘his daughter is a woman, and a woman alone is very vulnerable.”

Will’s brows shot up. “Argent actually told Potter that?”

“Where is Potter now? Why hasn’t he gone home to check on her himself?” Niall demanded.

“Because if he left London now the people in authority who are corrupt would do everything in their power to get him out of office before he could return. He cannot leave because the blackguards who have turned traitor to king and country have to be removed from their positions.”

“He has to stay in his position to stop someone else taking over it.” Harry nodded but couldn’t hide his disgust. He knew what was coming but there was nothing he could do to thwart it.

“Exactly. He is torn and has requested we do what he can’t. I am not suggesting that we move into the damned woman’s house. We will put her on watch and keep her safe. Wherever she goes, and that dotty aunt of hers, we are going to have to go to. At least until Smidgley is behind bars.”

“But longer if the upper echelons of the hierarchy in the War Office pose a threat,” Niall added.

Oliver nodded, but this time didn’t speak, not least because the tension had turned brooding and sinister. He knew that all it would take is one word, one wrong look, and the entire room would erupt into chaos.

“Right, there are a few things you need to know about our dear Clara Potter. She has shunned London’s entertainments, and prefers to live with her Aunt Flora while her father is in London. From what Simon Andrews has been able to ascertain, Atticus has practically ordered Clara to move to London, but she refuses,” Oliver growled. “At five and twenty he cannot force her. Besides, she practically lives with her aunt so there is nothing Atticus can do. Clara isn’t living unchaperoned. He cannot force her to socialise if she doesn’t want to, ergo she is living in Serpentine in her aunt’s house and intends to stay there for the foreseeable future. Atticus has to stay in London because he is facing a diplomatic crisis.”