Page 19 of The Shadow Code (Heroes of War #3)

T he Albermarle Club was an exclusive and long-established gentlemen’s club, one that required membership – which in turn required nomination by a member – and one that was only available to a particular social class. Ellie stepped inside.

Polished mahogany panelling lined the walls, dark and seamless as a gentleman’s waistcoat.

Brass chandeliers hung like upside-down crowns, casting warm light over velvet drapes and silk damask upholstery.

The scent of beeswax mixed with old leather and expensive tobacco lingered beneath the hush of low conversation.

Ellie paused in the foyer, already out of place. She had never liked this club. It smelled too much like history written by other people. But there was her father’s umbrella in the stand by the door, so she didn’t wait to be announced.

Crystal glasses caught the light as she moved through the main room; amber whisky and dark brandy held loosely in the hands of well-fed men sunk deep into wingback chairs. Newspapers rustled as readers turned pages with casual authority.

Pa was in the reading room by the window, newspaper in hand and a glass of whisky at his elbow, his tie loosened just enough to suggest he was among his own kind.

‘Eleanor,’ he said without looking up. ‘To what do I owe the pleasure?’

She sat opposite him. ‘I need to ask you something. And I’d rather not do it at home.’

He looked up from The Telegraph , then folded it with deliberate calm. ‘I see.’

‘I saw the schematic,’ she said. ‘In your study. It had the word magnetron written on it.’

His face turned scarlet in an instant, eyes flashing with alarm. He dropped the paper onto the table and leaned forward.

‘For heaven’s sake, keep your voice down.’ His whisper was sharp and furious. ‘No need to say the bally word out loud.’

Ellie blinked, startled by the sudden shift.

He lowered his voice even further, jaw clenched. ‘Walls, Eleanor. Walls. ’

She glanced around. A few of the nearby chaps had looked up at the outburst. One raised a brow, another sipped his brandy a little too slowly then, just as quickly, they returned to their papers and mutterings.

Walls? she thought. He might as well have said chairs.

There were dozens of those: plush, high-backed and filled with well-groomed men pretending not to listen.

But the Albermarle Club had ears. And her father knew it.

She leaned forward. ‘What are you working on, Pa?’

‘I can’t discuss that with you.’

She held his gaze. ‘You’re not just consulting, are you? This is Air Ministry work. Defence. You’re involved in sensitive work.’

His fingers tapped once against the side of the glass. ‘And you’re not?’

That gave her pause.

‘I know more than you think,’ she said quietly. ‘People are being followed. Messages intercepted. There are sinister goings-on beneath the surface of this city, and I think you’re part of it.’

His jaw tightened. ‘The less you know, the better.’

‘That’s not how it works anymore,’ she snapped. ‘Not after Templeton. Not after what I’ve seen.’

He studied her for a long moment. Then, softer: ‘Do you think I don’t worry? That I haven’t noticed how much weight you’ve lost? And that you barely sleep? I see it all. I’m your father.’

‘Then trust me,’ she said. ‘Don’t shut me out.’

He looked down at the whisky in his hand, the ice melting slowly into pale gold. ‘There are things I can’t tell you,’ he said. ‘But if you’re asking whether I’m in danger …’ He met her eyes. ‘You already know the answer.’ He set down his crystal glass.

Ellie swallowed. ‘So they’re watching you?’

‘They’ve been watching all of us,’ he said. ‘For months. Maybe longer.’ His fingertips brushed his cufflink as he fidgeted.

Her pulse fluttered. ‘Is it because of what you’ve built?’

He didn’t answer. But the silence said enough.

‘I won’t let anything happen to you,’ she whispered.

‘Then don’t draw attention,’ he replied. ‘Do your job. Keep your head down. And for God’s sake, Eleanor, be careful who you trust.’

She stood slowly, her coat rustling in the hush of the reading room.

‘I’m good at noticing things,’ she said.

His mouth twitched, almost a smile. ‘You always were.’

As she turned to leave, he spoke again in a hushed tone, his voice wavering.

‘Eleanor.’

She paused, hand on the doorknob.

‘If anything should happen to me …’ He trailed off, the words left hanging there like smoke. And when she turned back to look at him, she saw it; the stiffness in his posture, the flicker of fear in his eyes.

Then he said, ‘You’ll know where to look.’

She nodded, dread knotting in her stomach.

Her father turned away then, staring out the window, knuckles white on the arm of his chair, as if bracing himself against some invisible tide.

The fine hairs rose at the back of her neck.

She wanted to ask what he meant, but didn’t dare.

The weight in his voice made the air feel charged and if she asked, he wouldn’t answer. Or worse, he’d lie.

So she gave a small, tight nod, a quiet understanding passing between them like static.

Then she stepped into the corridor, the sound of the door clicking shut behind her louder than it should have been.

She’d barely taken a step when she heard a man’s voice drifting through the door, low and measured, greeting her father from inside the room.

Richard, old boy. I trust you’re keeping well?

The voice was refined, dripping with the casual authority of the establishment.

She didn’t recognise it, but her father clearly did. Whoever he was, he carried weight.

Ellie’s pulse hammered as she crossed the foyer.

Pa was harbouring dangerous secrets. And for the first time in years, she could feel not just the wall between them, but a presence behind it.

Quiet, hidden, and watching. She slipped out into the night, glancing around as she left the club, wary of the shadows.

You’ll know where to look. She couldn’t think, not with so many loose threads spinning in her mind.

And if the worst were to happen—heaven forbid.

.. She had to find answers before it was too late.