Deep Cover

The gilded carriage came to a halt, the horses neighing as the reins were pulled. As soon as the conveyance stopped rolling, one of the doors popped open and Lord Zackery Falconoak leaned out, moving the retractable steps on the side of the carriage into position before climbing down.

Once upon the ground, he turned and held out a hand to Rosellina, a smile on his face as he helped her down the stairs in the ornate gown she was wearing. She couldn't see her shoes through the seemingly endless fabric of her garments and was grateful for the assistance to solid ground. She smiled at him as they stood in the moonlight before Lightston Estate, simply staring into his eyes.

Lord Falconoak had treated her to a whirlwind romance over the past three days, wining and dining her both at his estate and at very exclusive and expensive eating establishments throughout the city. He'd taken her on a horseback ride through Elwynn, and even brought her to see the exotic hot air balloon the Pandaren had brought to the city from far away lands. In all of her life, Rosellina had never been treated so well, and despite her initial misgivings about Lord Falconoak's rather less than bolstered fortitude and the ten year age difference between them, she had truly enjoyed her time with him.

As they stood there staring at one another, Lord Falconoak's smile widened and he leaned forward. Before Rosellina knew what was happening, he was kissing her passionately, and her body responded in kind, the return kiss as equally full of passion. Despite herself and her mission, she could feel her heart racing in her chest, the emotion surprising her given her training and the double life she was currently leading. As soon as the thought crossed her mind a stabbing feeling of guilt assailed her, filling her with doubt. Although it was her duty and her chosen profession, misleading him simply felt wrong all of a sudden. She opened her mouth to tell him, to clear the air and her conscience before the guilt built any further.

Before she could speak, he leaned forward, a finger pressed to her painted lips, “Shhh, there will be ample time to talk in the future my lovely. After tomorrow night we won't have any more worries and my wife will no longer present a threat to us. Then, why then my dear Bernice we will have our entire lives ahead of us to share with one another. I dearly look forward to it.”

He caressed her cheek, the touch sending a shiver up her spine before he removed his hand. The nagging guilt continued to ache inside, but she merely nodded and smiled, “Tomorrow night then Zack. And then it'll all be over.”

He nodded, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips before letting go, “I will let you get some rest now. I know you are unused to the adventure that the morrow will bring so try to get some sleep. The eastern gate will be unlocked, just as we've discussed.”

With that he turned, climbing back into the carriage and tapping on the roof to signal his driver. The carriage driver snapped the reins and the carriage began to roll, quickly pulling out of sight and leaving Rosellina standing alone in front of Lightston manner.

As soon as the carriage was out of sight, she turned to begin walking inside when a shadow detached itself from the nearby bushes, materializing into the form of Lord Warten, “You're playing a dangerous game here Rose.”

Rosellina paused, taken aback by his sudden appearance. She shook her head, sighing, “I'm doing exactly what you've ordered me to do; getting inside. Not only have I succeeded in that, but I have unraveled the scheme behind the weapons. Tomorrow night at midnight I will take a small team of operatives disguised as House Lightston soldiers to the Falconoak Estate. There we will capture Lord Falconoak's wife in the act of preparing another, more dangerous shipment of weapons. We'll have culprit and evidence all in one neat bundle.”

Lord Warten stepped closer, giving Rose a hard stare, “And then? Lord Falconoak will come to understand you are not the Lady Bernice Lightston. You understand that once the mission is over, it's over, don't you?”

Rosellina paused, swallowing hard and nodding, “Yes sir. I know my duty. I know where my loyalty is. I will see this through until the end.”

Lord Warten nodded, his expression softening, “I believe you will Rose. You've done a wonderful job so far. Go and do as Lord Falconoak suggested and get some rest. I've a feeling tomorrow night will be quite eventful either way.”

Rosellina nodded, turning and heading into the estate, the door closing behind her. Lord Gregory Warten watched her go, standing alone in the front of the Lightston Estate. After a few moments, a second shadow detached itself from the bushes, walking towards him and saluting.

“Sir, my operatives are in place to set up the surveillance post as you've ordered,” the man said.

Lord Warten nodded, his face grim, “Good. See to it that no one comes or goes from Falconoak Estate without our knowledge. I trust Agent Cooke to do a good job, but I will never trust that a situation is as stable as she'd like to believe.”

The operative nodded and then walked off, blending with the shadows only a second later and leaving Lord Warten alone with his thoughts. He nodded grimly to himself, strolling casually away from the lights of the estate behind him. Rosellina Cooke was a well trained professional, but he had seen the way her breath caught in her chest when Lord Falconoak touched her. He had been in the game for far too long to trust that she would be completely impartial when it came time to draw blade.

In his many years as an operative and later as a handler, Lord Warten had come to see many missions succeed and fail. He was far too experienced to leave such things to chance, and a second group of operatives working independently would ensure that when the last piece was played on the game-board, it would mean the end of the game for the enemies of the Crown.

If Lord Warten was anything, it was thorough in carrying out his assigned duties. He hummed an old tune to himself as he walked away, disappearing into the night.