“You did not need to know.”
“You did not trust me?”
“Espionage, my dear boy, is never about trust. I will have Beckett and his men keep an eye on the house. He will recognize any Prussian operatives, though I doubt they will send any of their own.”
“Thank you, but we cannot hide forever.”
“I have eyes and ears on the job, and we know how to start a rumor or two. I only wish I knew the contents of the message.”
“As do I. Do you think this business could have anything to do with Markham’s disappearance?”
“We cannot rule it out; he was connected to Foxton via his guardianship. If they think Markam has the document, that gives us time.”
“If that is true, then Markham is out of time.”
“I am afraid that may be the case. It made no sense before and now it does.” He handed Tony the address and shook his hand. “If there is anything else you need go through Beckett.”
“I will.” As he walked out of Stafford’s office and down the hall, he realized that he knew nothing that was truly helpful. He could not help Markham, but he could help Lucinda by being there for her. Supporting her through this. He hated to see her so downcast. He ached to take her in his arms, to kiss away her fears, but that would be an admittance to feelings that were all too new to him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The hired coachwas ill sprung, so thankfully they did not have to travel far to the safe house. The mews were at the back of the house, and they were ushered through a dark back garden and into the kitchen. The cook had some tea ready and a few slices of ham, bread, and cheese. None of the women were hungry and Lucinda looked exhausted, so he sent them to bed.
The butler took him on an intimate tour of the house, so he knew every exit and what every door led to. There was a false wall in the parlor behind a bookcase that could be used in case of intruders. He really hoped he would not have to use it. The house itself was bland, with no touches of warmth. Just the bare essentials. Tomorrow, in the light of the day, he was not confident it would look any better. It was, however, a roof over their heads and a safe place to sleep, and that would have to do for now.
Upstairs, instead of going to his room, he went to check on Lucinda. She was asleep on her side, her parents’ pictures clutched to her chest. She looked so young, but he could see how much the last few days had worn on her. She had roughly braided her glorious auburn hair, the end trailing over her shoulder. He wondered how it would look unbound and free to cascade over her shoulders in waves of molten lava. He should have closed the door and gone to his own room, but instead he went in, his feet making their way to her bedside, his fingersreaching out to tuck an errant lock of hair out of her face. He placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Don’t leave me, Papa,” she murmured groggily. “I’ll be a good girl.”
His heart squeezed within his chest. He could not imagine how she managed to get through those early days when nothing made sense to her. A child suddenly left alone with strangers. Never feeling wanted or loved. If only she knew how he felt about her, how they all felt about her. How loved she was.
“Good night, sweet Lucinda,” he whispered before leaving the room and softly closing the door.
In his own room, he took off his boots and pulled at his cravat, sitting heavily on the bed. His mind was full of questions with no answers. This could all be an overreaction, but what if it wasn’t? What if their fears were real? He could not take the chance.
At breakfast, Lucindaonly drank her tea and then went back up to her room.
His mother looked worriedly over at Tony. “Poor dear. She has not eaten anything since we left. She will make herself sick.”
He had noticed it too, but other than force-feeding her, he could not make her eat.
“She blames herself for this. It does not matter how many times we tell her it is not her fault she says that it is. Tony, you need to speak to her, reassure her, and get her to eat something. She listens to you. We do not know how long we will be here, and to call in a doctor for assistance will jeopardize our place here so we cannot afford for her to fall ill.”
“I will try and talk to her, but really Marianne is much better at cajoling than I am.”
“Marianne has tried; she needs you.”
“If she does not eat anything at lunch, I will take her aside and do my best.”
She did not touch her lobster salad nor the delicate ham sandwiches at lunch. She moved around some chilled green beans but did not eat them. It reminded him of their first breakfast. She ate only a bite then too.
He caught up to her as she headed back to her room.
“Lucinda, a word if I may.”
“Of course,” she said.
Her eyes were red-rimmed and dark circles had begun to creep in under her eyes. He hated seeing her this way. “Lucinda, you must eat, or you will make yourself sick.”
