“Bring them around the back.”
At a sign from Nathaniel, the carriage drove on, following the drive that curved around the house to stop near a small carriage house hidden at the back of the gardens.
Once there, they dragged the prisoners out of the coach and into a concealed side entrance. Inside, they followed the duke down a narrow staircase to a reinforced door. He unlocked it with a heavy iron key, revealing a stone-walled cell with barred windows.
“We can hold them here for now,” he said, as they secured the captives. “Tomorrow, after we question them, I’ll see them safely transferred.”
Nathaniel gave a sharp nod. “Let’s have at them, then.”
“Let’s adjourn to my study first,” the duke replied. “You two seem to have had an eventful evening, and I want to hear everything before I interrogate them.”
Dalton’s study, richly appointed in paneled dark walnut and silk wallpaper, featured a profusion of art collected during the duke’s diplomatic travels. She suspected the art served also the double duty of distracting from the hidden compartments for sensitive documents concealed among the paneling and bookcases.
Dalton took a seat behind the massive mahogany desk and, with a gesture, invited them to take the seats opposite.
“I’d like to know what led to tonight’s bloody adventure,” he said, his gaze skipping between Nathaniel and her.
Nathaniel leaned back against the comfortable armchair, propping an ankle over the opposite knee and lacing his fingers over his stomach. He looked the very picture of insouciance, but she knew better. His eyes came to rest upon her, pinning her in place with the intensity of his gaze.
“I would like to know that as well. I was just approaching our house when I saw Alice going out.” Although he spoke to Dalton, his eyes remained on her. “She looked…ready for trouble. A look I recognized from hundreds of other missions.”
He glanced at the duke, then back at her.
“So I followed.” He gestured toward the armchair where she sat. “You can take up the tale from here, dear.”
Oh, crap. She was in trouble now.
Regardless of the valid reasons she had for undertaking this night mission on her own, she knew neither man was going to agree with her.
Taking a deep breath to bolster her courage, she started the tale.
“I’ve been working on Phipps journal.” She looked from Dalton to Nathaniel. They both sat, stony faced, listening. Neither man was likely to interrupt or make things easier for her. “We suspected from the beginning that not all the documents retrieved used the same cipher. The journal, in particular, uses a simpler cipher. I was able to crack it this afternoon and learned there was a meeting taking place tonight. It seemed like an important one. The time, date, and location were on the journal, so—”
“So, of course, you decided to drop in uninvited. And alone. How very enterprising of you, my dear.” Nathaniel’s sarcasm barely disguised darker emotions. His eyes snapped with fury and disbelief.
Her own temper sparked. “Well, what other choice did I have? You were not around to accompany me, were you? You left in the middle of the mission and stayed away for over a week!”
“I returned to London two days ago. If you hadn’t gone off gallivanting with Ardmore, you would have known that. It’s not like you stayed put either,” Nathaniel retorted.
“You came back two days ago? I didn’t know that.”
Why did that hurt even more than him staying away for so long? Because he hadn’t sought her out immediately, that’s why. While she had been pining away for his return, she had not been a priority for him. The hurt gave her the anger she needed to stand up to him.
“You should have informed me of your return immediately! But of course, how can I expect that when you didn’t even bother to write to me once in all the days you were away.”
“I did write to you!”
“While watching you squabble like schoolchildren is definitely amusing.” Dalton’s sardonic voice cut through their argument. “At the moment, we need to focus on the matter at hand. Save your problems for when you are alone.” His incisive gaze skipped between the two of them. “And I suggest you two have a long and thorough talk. You are both laboring under misinformation. But now, and in my office, is not the time or place for that conversation.”
Alice frowned. Reflecting briefly on Dalton’s words. What on earth did that mean? But he was right. This was not the moment to air their grievances with each other.
“You are right. I’m sorry. As I was saying, this meeting was a golden opportunity to learn more. Maybe even discover the identity of Lord A. I couldn’t let it slip away.”
“Hogwash. There were other things you could have done, even if I was not available.” Nathaniel didn’t seem to be in aconciliatory mood. “You could have notified Dalton, for one. Ask for backup.”
“I attempted to notify Dalton! As soon as I found out, I sent a message here. The messenger returned, saying the duke was not at home.”
“I had a prior commitment this evening,” Dalton confirmed with a touch of regret.
