His man packed his bag with shirts and waistcoats. “Is this a Department of War and the Colonies assignment to do along the way to Warwick?”
“I left that service, remember. They cut me off from everything. When I needed help finding Lady Gantry, they offered none. No, I’m not returning to them.”
“Then why the lucky guns? Is this to impress the woman? She no like guns like that. She like torches and that gold blade.”
“Watson.” Felton cleaned his teeth, then stepped into his closet for a new shirt. “She left because I accused her of having an affair.”
“You’re not going to kill the man you suspect. The duke is dying. You needn’t speed your ascension.”
“Please, just help me pack.”
“Yes, sir.”
Felton splashed water on his face and cleaned the cut at his temple. “Amateurs. No, I’m not killing my father. I’d have done that ages ago, the minute he taught me to shoot. You know I’ve been tempted.”
“Temptation can be seductive. Leave the weapons. Romance the girl. Say goodbye to Tramel.”
He threaded sleeve buttons through his cuff. “I’ve a new mission. I have to train Lady Gantry to be an operative—sort of like I trained a young man in Grenada—while I’m trying to talk her out of killing my cousin Gladstone.”
Watson’s lips drew to a dot. “And if you cannot convince her to pursue peace?”
“Then I have to let her go through with it.”
Watson’s mouth dropped open, but he hurried and closed up the portmanteaus. “I will load these right away.”
“I wouldn’t consider it, but I think it might be deserved. I’ll find out.”
His man nodded and started to the door. “May I suggest you go down to the kitchen and see what treats you can take for the trip? A hardy cheese and a good crusty loaf always brought a smile to the marchioness. See if the cook has a spare pan to toast your bread in, on the side of the road. No need to kill on an empty stomach.”
“You may be sarcastic, but I think it an excellent suggestion. The drive to Warwick is long. I’ll make Lady Gantry comfortable.”
Felton went to the first drawer in his chest and picked up the fine sketchbook and charcoals he’d purchased for Cecilia’s birthday. Underneath was the half-done painting of him as a Roman soldier. He was this fool. He should be eaten by the jaguar.
“Taking the painting, Lord Gantry? I can put it next to Port Royal.”
“You were right about that last mission, Watson. I made one arrest but didn’t find the traitor. The trail to the man responsible for getting Johnson killed was too cold. I should’ve stayed. Should’ve let that one mission go and fought for what I had here.”
“At least you know what you have, sir. That’s the type of intelligence a spymaster needs when running a successful operation.”
He put the painting back in the drawer. “I joined the Department of War and the Colonies to maintain the king’s peace. Now I must teach my wife to kill. Is this the progress you talk of?”
“She’s an artist and the action sort, my lord. Not the killing type. Distract her. Do for her, like you’re always doing for others. You gathered her coffee and sweets last night. How did that go?”
Cecilia had smiled at him, the first one that held no tension, merely the ease that made him feel loved. “It went well, but it doesn’t compare to trying to retrieve her sister from Demerara. The duke is hard to best.”
“Sir, you’ll have almost ten days alone on the road with the marchioness. I’ve never seen you more happy than when you took her to Warwick. Remember the fields, the places that she’d love to stop but you had no time.”
“Our first journey was a fun trip.” They were never out of each other’s company. He’d had a month to get her acclimated to Warwick before Lord Liverpool started making demands.
“Well, now you can have a trip to remember.”
“I promised her adventure when we married. Setting off to kill my cousin definitely isn’t boring. If we manage to succeed without swinging from the gallows, we’ll have a tale for the grandchildren.”
Watson nodded. “You haven’t lost yet. I believe in you.”
Someone needed to. Felton was adrift. “Check on Lady Gantry, make sure she hasn’t flown away again. She should be sound asleep in the carriage.”
His man nodded and headed out.
