Tony gave him a glare. “It is cold out here and I do not have my coat. What do you have for me? You have been away for weeks.”
“I just got back from Prussia eh. Strange place; they like themselves a good sausage. Their ale ain’t bad either. Lots of castles but not as many as us.”
“Good to know. What else did you learn while you were there?”
“Foxton was a dunce.”
“I think we already established that. What did he steal?”
“Oh, that. Well, turns out he took a very important document.”
“What was in the document?”
“My source said it were somethin’ likely in code. Whatever it was he said he couldn’t read it. He said it were not in any language he knew.”
“All right. Document. Code. Good. What else?” He just happened to know a very reliable code breaker, if the need arose.
“That they looked for Miss Sterling everywhere. Turns out that maybe Foxton were not all stupid. Also, he never had the code on him when they found ’im. They figured the girl had it and followed them back to England but lost track of them after that. Foxton were alone when they found ’im in London.”
“I thought he had been killed overseas, but he was here?”
“The prime minister likely wanted it covered up, like. It don’t look good when your ambassador steals from another country and then gets his throat cut.” Beckett made a cutting motion across his own neck. “Anyway, Foxton musta known his life were on the line. So, he hid her.”
“He hid Lucinda?”
Beckett humphed and narrowed his eyes. “What am I saying that is unclear, m’lord? He knew he was gunna be kill’d so he hid her somewhere no one would look. I mean who sends their daughter to a place like that?”
“What do you mean a place like that?”
“She were in a bare room smaller ’n my closet. That is the kinda place you send your brat when you want to forget ’em, at least for a while. Only he did it so everyone else forgot about her too.”
“To protect her.” Of course, it seemed so obvious now. Had her father ever intended to retrieve her? Had he known what circumstances he had left her in? And why had Markham not warned him? It did present him with a full set of new problems though. “Do you think, once they find out Lucinda’s here in London, the Prussians will come after her? Have we put her in danger by bringing her back into society?”
“It is not like you lot have been secret like about it. Everyone knows she is Foxton’s daughter. It’s only a matter of time, Ashton. You have to get her out of London and be quick about it. Getting a husband is the least of her worries.”
And now it was his worry too. This whole thing was turning to shit, and he had to find some safe place for her. He needed to talk to his mother and brother, and it had to be done now.
Tony went back into the ballroom, his heart a stone in his chest. Not only was Lucinda in peril, but so were his mother andsister—in fact, his whole family. When he reached his mother, he simply told her to gather the girls and to get their coats.
The atmosphere in the carriage was thick with trepidation.
“Will you please tell us what is going on?” Marianne asked.
“When we get home.”
“Why can’t you tell us now?”
“I promise all will be revealed soon.” His mind raced. What was the best way to explain what was going on? It would no doubt devastate Lucinda and frighten his mother and sister. He would have to tell them the truth.
Chapter Twenty-Two
After summoning theduke, they all assembled in the parlor. Tony paced in front of the fire, still wracking his mind for the right words.
“What I am about to impart may shock some of you,” he began. “I am afraid that bringing Lucinda back into society has caused a chain reaction that we can no longer ignore.”
Audible gasps filled the room.
“I have been told that Lord Foxton, your father, sent you to those schools for a reason. It was not to punish you. It was to protect you.”
