Adrian had fared no better in coming up with a plausible reason. Experience told him it might be best to give his attention elsewhere for a while – allow what he’d learned the time it needed to settle. Maybe then the answer would come.
Still, there was one more point to make on the subject. “We’ve established he can’t be trusted. When I’m well enough to leave the house, I’ll call upon him once more to press him for answers. It could be he knows more than he’s letting on about Lady Eleanor too. Until then, however, I’ll have one of my men watch his house – see if there are any unusual comings and goings. Once he realizes last night’s attack against us failed, he’ll be sure to try and destroy every trail leading back to him.”
“So for now, we wait?”
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Murry entered with a tray. Besides a few tea things, it contained the poultice that would be applied beneath the new compress.
Murry set the tray on Adrian’s nightstand. With Samantha’s help, he cleaned the wound, added the poultice and a clean compress, then wrapped a bandage around Adrian’s torso and shoulder to hold it in place.
With his task completed, the valet prepared to leave,but Adrian stopped him. “It looks like Mr. Benjamin Lawrence has stepped out of line. Can you please make sure someone watches his home? I want a log of his every activity going forward.”
“I’ll put Turner on the case,” Murry promised.
He slipped from the room and Samantha poured them each a cup of tea, then returned to her spot on the edge of the bed. “What’s next?”
“I recommend focusing on your upcoming meeting with Kendrick.” Samantha’s jaw tightened a smidgen – just enough to reveal the displeasure she found in the subject. She wasn’t alone. But that didn’t mean it was one that could be avoided. “You need to be ready, which means we’ve got to finish preparing the information you’re going to give him.”
They’d meant to do so last night when they returned home from the ball, but getting attacked had caused a delay.
There was no denying Samantha’s reluctance. Even so, she took a quick sip of her tea and stood. “I’ll fetch what we’ve gathered so far.”
She brought a large pile of documents with her when she returned. Moving quickly, she split this into two stacks, leaving one to the side while distributing the rest in a neat grid-like format on the floor.
Once done, she stood, hands on hips, while admiring her work. She pointed toward the larger stack that remained untouched. “Those are the ones we’ve agreed on so far.”
There were many more files of course. What she’dbrought was already a carefully curated selection. Their job now was to complete it so Kendrick would be kept busy, his satisfaction met to some small extent.
“We’ll go through them systematically.” He grabbed Samantha’s pillow and shoved it behind his back to create extra lift which allowed him to sit up straighter. “Hand me the one in the upper left corner.”
It was an arduous task, considering most of the files contained at least ten pages of information that had to be carefully read. Missing a single detail could be disastrous.
And even when they finished their selection, they’d have to make copies of each single file, not only so they retained the originals but also to make matters harder for Kendrick by using a more illegible scrawl.
For the most part, only meetings and conversations were referenced, beyond which nothing was stated outright. And yet, some reports hinted at various actions that could lead to further investigation.
What he feared most of all was handing over a file that connected him to someone he might have killed.
If Kendrick managed to link him to murder, there would be no chance in hell of acquittal. He’d hang in front of Newgate Prison for all the world to see.
“Not this one,” he said nearly two hours later. The file in question was set aside in a separate pile. It referenced a deal his father had been engaged in some ten years ago and involved the forging of banknotes, a capital offense punishable by death.
“But if you played no part in it,” Samantha saidwhen he told her what it pertained to, “it should not pose any threat. Not with your father already dead.”
“I participated in some of the meetings between my father and Mr. Aderlay, the forger. My name is mentioned. It’s too great a risk.”
She said nothing more on the matter, returning instead to the papers she had been reading.
They were halfway done by the time one of the maids brought a lunch tray for Adrian. She asked if Samantha would like one too, but when Samantha learned Isak was dining alone, she said she would join him instead.
“I hope that’s all right,” Samantha told Adrian.
“It’s the correct thing to do. Isak should not have to eat by himself on his first day here. Go on. I’ll be fine.”
She leaned in for a kiss and was gone immediately, leaving him unsupervised for the first time since he’d woken that morning. He used the opportunity to defy Murry’s orders and stretch his legs. Although twisting to get out of bed pulled at his wound and made it ache, it was nice to be able to move.
Standing on the Aubusson rug beside his bed, he swept the floor with his gaze. It was easier to get a clear view of each individual file from this vantage point. He considered the titles inked on the cardstock used for each of their covers. Some were names, if the file contained information specific to one individual. Others were codes, referring to various activities carried out under the Croft name.
Adrian lowered himself to a crouch and picked up afile labeledFishing Profits. He flipped to the first page and read even though he already knew what he would find. He just had to make sure there was nothing he couldn’t get out of with good legal help.
