It was a sign of how rattled Dalton was that only now was he asking about the documents. Nathaniel lifted the briefcase he had brought and opened it, retrieving several papers, a small notebook and a few letters.
Dalton took the documents and perused them. Looking up, he pinned Nathaniel with a look. “Have you looked through these?”
Nathaniel nodded. “I have. Most of them are coded. I will need some time to figure out the cipher, but one name that keeps coming up is Lord A. The Russians mentioned it, and the widow did as well. She said he was her husband’s superior. Some higher up in the government. Possibly even in the Foreign Office. Any idea who Lord A could be?”
Dalton sat back, resting his elbows on the arms of the chairs and steepling his fingers in front of his face. “I will have to investigate. Go through all the names and titles of everyone involved with the government who could possibly be involved.”
“I think we need more information. The first thing we need to find out is whether Lord A is the initial of a real title, or an alias, which honestly, the latter seems more likely. I doubt a real lord would risk it,” Alice said.
“Or it could be his real name, and he thinks he’s being clever enough just by using the initial.”
“At this point, it’s all speculation. Alice is right. We need more information. Hopefully, the documents will shed some light on the identity of the mysterious Lord A.”
“I have a theory,” Nathaniel said.
“Do tell,” Dalton replied.
“Have you considered Lord Ardmore?” He dropped the suggestion casually, watching Alice from the corner of his eye, waiting for her reaction.
She scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
Her immediate dismissal nettled him. “Is it? The name checks out. So does the fact that the Russians mentioned ourmysterious Lord A was away but was due to return. He is high enough in the Foreign Office to have access to sensitive information. Is it really so outlandish?”
“Yes, it is! You are accusing Lord Ardmore without a shred of evidence. That is not how we do things.”
“True,” he conceded. “I didn’t say I had proof, only that I had a theory. One that is worth pursuing.”
“We don’t even know if Lord A is based on our traitor’s real name. Do your due diligence and decode the documents before you go around flinging accusations at people.”
Her growing outrage on behalf of Lord Ardmore, and her passionate defense of the man ignited his own fury. “Oh, I will. Never doubt that. But in the meantime, you would do well to be cautious around your former partner.”
Alice’s face turned red. From outrage or embarrassment? She opened her mouth, no doubt to give him a scathing setdown, but Dalton interrupted her.
“Alice, there’s some merit to Nathaniel’s conjecture. Of course, it needs further investigation, but we can’t dismiss it out of hand.”
She turned to Dalton, her eyes wide with disbelief and something that looked like betrayal. “You too? What has John done to deserve this suspicion upon him? He’s always served faithfully. I know him, Dalton. He wouldn’t do something like that. I advise you two, if you don’t want to waste your time, look somewhere else. He is not our traitor.”
Nathaniel was sick. Sick to his stomach and angry. Why had he brought up the subject of Lord Ardmore? He had wanted to rattle her. See her reaction to her lover’s name mentioned in relation to the possible traitor. He had not expected such a passionate, steadfast, and loyal defense. Good God, was she in love with the man? He had stupidly assumed that just because Alice had slept with him, it must mean she still loved him. Butthe first time was out of lust. This second time she was looking for comfort after a difficult day. Both times he had been there. Nearby and all too ready to oblige.
It was entirely possible that, during all these years, she had caught feelings for Lord Ardmore. Maybe that’s why she didn’t want to fight the divorce. She actually wanted to be free. Did she expect Lord Ardmore to marry her? Unlikely. The man was the heir to a marquess. His father was the foremost stickler for propriety. He would never accept a divorced woman as his son and heir’s wife.
But maybe they didn’t need a marriage certificate. With her unconventional upbringing, and her disdain for aristocracy, Alice didn’t care much about propriety. She might just stay with the man she loved outside the bounds of matrimony.
He needed to get out of here. Suddenly the air was too scarce in this ample and well-ventilated office. Nathaniel stood, hoping none of his turmoil showed on his face. “I need to go. If you need me, you know where to find me.”
Without another word, he marched toward the door and freedom. Alice frowned, no doubt detecting something in his expression. She followed, but Dalton’s voice stopped her.
“Alice, stay for a minute, if you please. I need to talk to you.”
She halted. Staring undecided between him and Dalton, but in the end, she nodded and sat back down.
He yanked the door open and stepped outside. But he didn’t leave. Old habits die hard, they say. Listening behind closed doors came second nature to him. They also say those who eavesdrop hear what they’d rather not, and that was so true in this case. Dalton’s voice was clear even through the heavy door.
“I know of your connection to Lord Ardmore. I understand you may harbor certain feelings for him, but you must look at this objectively.”
Oh? So even Dalton knew of his wife’s involvement with Ardmore. Of course he did. Dalton knew everything. Betrayal tasted bitter in his mouth, spreading like poison through his body.
Alice’s voice, vibrant with fury, was also clear as she said, “Your suggestion that I might be misguided by my feelings is insulting in the extreme. I am looking at this objectively, and objectively, there’s no shred of proof against John. At this point, with as little information as we have, we should be looking at all possibilities. Casting a wide net. Narrowing down the suspects based on speculation is irrational.”
