“Thank you, sir,” Alister returned. “But I fear I can’t take all the credit. Drayven was the one who first alerted me to the possibility of a turncoat in our midst.”
“Do tell.”
“As you know,” Drayven began, “when I came to London to deliver the plans to you, Lord Winthorp was at your house that night.”
“Blasted traitor,” Lord Liverpool muttered. “To think of all the times I let him over my threshold and asked my dear Louisa to wait attendance on him…”
“Yes, well, none of his loyalties at the time.” Drayven cleared his throat. “However, it was that evening I began to grow suspicious of his nature, for after he overheard me tell you what I had in my possession, he generously offered to take it off of my hands.”
“Thank God you refrained,” Lord Liverpool noted.
“Indeed. It wasn’t until I returned to London when Alister was on his way to Gretna Green that I picked up Richard’s trail once more. That’s when I saw Lord Winthrop leaving Grenier’s hotel with Lady Weston.” He shrugged. “It only took me a moment to put two and two together.”
“So that’s how you and the duke came up with this ingenious plan to flush out the pheasant,” Lord Liverpool murmured.
“More or less,” Drayven grinned. “We knew he would come to her defense if we mentioned bringing her in for questioning.”
“Naturally,” Liverpool concurred. “We shall reconvene two days hence. Until then, let’s keep a close eye out for Lady Weston. I fear we haven’t heard the last of her.”
As the trio dispersed, Alister walked outside to his carriage in deep contemplation. All he wanted to do was put this blasted conspiracy behind him and try to undo the damage that had been growing with his new bride.
After he’d had some time to reflect and let his anger cool, he realized he’d overreacted like the worst sort of fool. Of course Lyra would be hesitant to tell him about the baby after her previous misfortunes. He had been wrong to get so upset when she had every right to her insecurities. He claimed he wasn’t like Roger, but he had failed the first test of honor by not seeing that straight away. She needed to understand exactly how important she was to him, and that he did indeed trust her. Granted, he could profess his undying love, but first, he needed to prove his devotion so she would know that when he finally spoke, they weren’t just empty words, that they were sincere and came from the heart.
He knew just where to start. Instructing his driver to go by Albright House, he grinned, just thinking what he had in mind for his lovely wife.
* * *
“How did you come by this information?” Lyra asked in disbelief, hardly able to comprehend what she’d just been told.
“The same way I found out about your recent marriage and your husband’s tie to the Home Office. If there is one thing I can assure you of, Your Grace, it is that the eyes and ears of London see and hear more than you know.” Celeste gestured to their companion. “Even Mara will tell you that secrets are continuously traded and bartered. The only way they don’t become public is that men are paid to keep quiet. Or silenced in other ways.”
Lyra understood her meaning and shuddered. “But surely what you’ve just told me can’t be true? I mean you’re speaking of a prison hulk full of criminals leading a revolt against the Crown! Isn’t that a bit…farfetched?”
“Is it?” Celeste raised a delicate brow. “Those men are already on a ship bound for Australia. What reason do they have to care about the monarchy when they’ve already been sentenced to a life of servitude on another continent, away from all their loved ones? While that doesn’t excuse such heinous actions like treason, it doesn’t matter to them. You should know as well as I do that people are capable of most anything when they have nothing else to lose.”
Lyra certainly couldn’t argue with that logic. “Do you know the name of the ship?”
“I do. I even wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget it.” She handed a piece of paper to Lyra.
“The HMS Bellerophon.” Lyra frowned as the name triggered a memory. “Wasn’t that the ship used in the Battle of Trafalgar?”
It was Mara who nodded. “It was. In fact, it was the vessel that Napoleon himself surrendered on.”
“What a shame that such a former glory of England has been all but forgotten and anchored at Sheerness with such a dismal fate.” Lyra sighed. “But I suppose the only thing we can do now is try and save it from becoming infamous for an entirely different reason.”
As they took their leave a short while later, Lyra realized she had a lot to think about. But first, she had one more stop to make. “Would you mind dropping me off at Weston House?”
“But what about the tree?” Mara pouted.
“I promise I will be back to help you decorate well before dinner. Rest assured, your efforts will not go to waste.” She tried to tease, but Mara didn’t seem amused. Sobering, she glanced down at her hands before she added in all honesty, “I need to pack up a few things to take to Albright House when Alister returns. After the sour way we parted, it’s the least I can do.”
Mara reached over and squeezed her hand. “I understand.” After she tapped on the roof to give the driver their new directions she asked softly, “Do you want me to wait with you?”
“No, you go ahead and get home.” Lyra gave her a tight smile. “Besides, some ghosts are better faced alone.”
“Should I at least send the carriage back?”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll return in my landau. However…” She handed Mara the book she’d bought for Alister. “Would you mind terribly taking this with you? I should hate for it to get mixed up among the other things at Weston House and get misplaced.”
