“There is more, so much more but your body has had enough for one night.”
“But… I want… it.”
“And you shall have it, just not tonight. We have the rest of our lives to pleasure each other.”
“But surely there is something I could do to pleasure you also.”
He grinned. “There is, and I promise we will do much more exploring, but it is nearly dawn and you need to seek your bed.”
He was right, and she did not want to get caught halfway up the stairs wearing his shirt. She donned his shirt again as Tony lay on his side, admiring her. Gathering her nightgown and shawl, she leaned over to kiss him.
“I love you, Luci,” he said, cupping her face. “Do not ever forget that.” He kissed her softly.
He had called her Luci. Only her father had ever called her that. It made her happy that he would use it when they were alone. “I love you too, Tony, but you are making it very hard to leave.”
He let go of her and fell back onto the bed. The sheet barely covered his lower half, so much so that she could see the trail of blond hair disappearing beneath. “Go,” he said in a soft tone.
She crept out of the room and raced up the stairs as quickly as she could. The house only had a few staff and for that she was grateful. Once in her room, she rummaged around for a new nightgown, hid his shirt, and jumped into bed. The bed was cold, and she wished she was still warm in the arms of her lover. Lover. She had always thought it was a naughty word. The kind of word one used for a companion of dubious morals. She supposed she was the one with dubious morals now. Laying with a man who was not yet her husband. Surely, though, because he had promised to marry her, it was not quite the same.
The next day, Tony Ashton wrote to the Earl of Bellamy, his friend and code breaker, asking him to meet him at the Sow’s Ear, a pub just outside London. Oliver had cashed in his commission of his own violation when his brother had died and he had inherited, ending his career in the army and as an informant and code breaker to the Ring.
Tony had to find out what was written within Lucinda’s ring, and the sooner the better. He could not believe it had been there the whole time. The perfect hiding spot. Now, however, that token her father had given her had put her in danger and he had to protect her.
The sooner they knew what the message was, the sooner they could decide what to do about it. His mind raced with all the possibilities. Could it be directions to a large armament store? Plans for a military attack on England? Or was it nothing but a coded note from a desperate father to his daughter?
He would have to bring Bellamy here, which was not ideal, but Lucinda refused to have the ring taken away from her sight. She had just as much of a right to know what her father died for as any of them he supposed.
A message arrived two days later. He would meet him tonight and, under the cover of darkness, bring Bellamy to the safe house. Tony was anxious to know how he and his wife Lisbethwere faring. The last time he had seen them was when he had the honor of becoming their daughter Petunia’s godfather. He had secured a back corner away from the usual crowd and had two ales waiting.
“Good lord,” Bellamy said when he saw Tony sitting in the booth. “You look positively… well, one must not disparage one’s friend’s appearance when one has not seen one for over six months, but good lord.”
Tony stood. “What?”
Bellamy smiled. “Your cravat is a mess, your jacket crumpled. Did your valet die?”
Both men shook hands and sat. “Ah, I see you have not changed. I am staying at the safe house. I did not bring Barnes. He will be so pleased to know you noticed my condition without him.”
Bellamy’s brows shot up. “The safe house? What have you done?”
Tony laughed. “For once I am not to blame.” Bellamy looked like he didn’t believe him. “It is Markham’s fault.”
“Hmm. Is he at the safe house too? Did you blow up something you should not have?”
Tony would normally have laughed, but he had to tell Bellamy about Markham, and he had nothing to reassure him that Markham was safe. “Markham is missing.”
Bellamy put down his ale with care. “Missing?”
“Yes, I wish I had more answers but all we have is his finger.”
“His what? I think you had better start from the beginning.”
“That is the beginning. It was sent to Stafford, and he has men off finding him at this very moment.” Tony took a sip of his ale. “And I inherited his ward. Only she is not a child; she is a young woman. Her father was Lord Foxton.” When Bellamy made no reaction, Tony realized he had no idea who her father was. “He was the ambassador to Prussia about ten or more yearsago and we believe he was murdered for something he stole from them.”
“I am intrigued. Go on,” said Bellamy, steepling his fingers.
“We think we have found what he stole.”
“And it is in code, I presume. Hence the need for my presence?”
