Pryde And The Infernal Device

"Although he has no experience, Matthew Pryde takes a new position as a mine engineer in Kent so he can establish himself and offer marriage to Kate Denton. Matthew?s employer, Mr. Lamballe, a recent émigré from Napoléon?s France, piques Kate?s curiosity. She finds it unusual that Lamballe, unlike other émigrés, has an unending supply of money, and that he decides to build a coal mine in Kent, which is not known for coal, only for its proximity to the coast. So she coaxes Matthew to spy on his employer, which causes the unlikely pair to team up with the seasoned spy Mr. Black as they travel to France. Somehow Matthew, Kate, and the British equivalent of homeland security in 1805 are led to believe that Napoléon has the means to build a tunnel to the English coast for an invasion. However, nothing Matthew and Kate find in France conforms to their expectations"--Booklist.