Scoundrel (19 page)

Lily’s
father was at his club when she arrived at Crofford House. She sent a servant to inform him of her return, then she locked herself in the library. An hour later she had Remmington’s letter completely decoded. The message left her shaken. As she folded up the tables she’d created to break the code, her father burst into the library with Sir Malcolm close behind.

“
What
are you doing here?” the earl demanded.

Bainbridge’s voice was just as disapproving. “Lily, you know better than to come here. You should have stayed at Remmington’s.”

She looked up from her work at the desk, her face pale. “Something awful happened.”

Her father clenched his fists. “Did he—?”

A pounding at the front door interrupted the question followed by a loud commotion in the hallway. Then Remmington strode into the library. The door slammed behind him. “Have you lost your mind?”

Lily shrank back in her seat as he stalked toward her. Sir Malcolm placed a hand on Remmington’s arm to restrain him. Remmington’s head snapped around and he glared at the older man. The tension in his body suddenly eased, as if he’d just noticed the presence of Bainbridge and the earl.

The sound of a sharp click made all three men turn toward Lily.

She’d removed a pistol from one of the desk drawers and had the weapon leveled at Remmington. “Step away from him, please, Sir Malcolm. This man is a traitor.”

“Now, Lily, don’t do anything hasty,” her father warned.

Bainbridge was more demanding. “Put that pistol down immediately, young lady. You don’t have any idea what you’re about.”

Lily nodded toward the coded message that lay on the desk. “It’s all in this letter. He’s smuggling spies into the country with the help of his fiancée’s father, Lord Granger.”

“You little thief!” Remmington took a step forward, but halted when Lily raised the weapon and aimed it toward his heart.

“One more step and I will save the courts the trouble of a trial, Remmington.”

Crofford stepped forward to retrieve the message, and hastily scanned the contents. “Lily, this is a copy of an intercepted message that I translated last week. This doesn’t mean—”

“What is
be
doing with French messages?” Lily demanded. “He has dozens just like this.”

“He’s working for me,” Bainbridge said.

Lily shifted her gaze from Remmington to Bainbridge.

“You’ll notice that Remmington’s name isn’t mentioned in those messages,” he continued, in the same calm voice. “You just assumed he was involved because he was in possession of the messages. Isn’t that right?”

Lily nodded and slowly lowered the weapon. Her puzzled gaze returned to Remmington, her voice weak with embarrassment. “You work for Sit Malcolm? But why didn’t—”

Remmington interrupted her to address the earl. “You are the one who deciphers these messages?”

Crofford nodded. “I’m sure you’ll understand why my involvement with Sir Malcolm’s business is not widely known.”

“It seems our cards are on the table,” Bainbridge said briskly. He stepped forward to take the pistol from Lily’s limp hands and returned the weapon to the desk drawer. “Now we can turn our attention to the matter at hand, which happens to be Lily’s safety. Although I have men stationed around the house, the street is harder to patrol. Anyone could have noticed her return. We must assume the worst, and count on the possibility that our culprit knows she’s here. Now, it seems best if—”

“A moment, if you please,” Remmington interrupted. He pointed toward the desk. “If Crofford didn’t see the copy of this message until just now, how did
she
know the contents.”

Bainbridge sighed, then shrugged an apology toward Lily. “I keep the identities of all my operative in strictest confidence, unless faced with extenuating circumstances such as these. Your father and I agreed to keep quiet about your involvement, but now it seems that both your family secrets are out.”

Remmington looked from Bainbridge to Lily, then back to Bainbridge. “Don’t tell me she can decipher codes, too.”

Lily lifted her chin. The elation she’d felt when she realized he wasn’t an enemy spy died a quick death. “You believed my father’s involvement readily enough. What makes mine so hard to believe?”

“You’re a woman. You couldn’t possibly…”

“Couldn’t possibly what?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Come, Lily,” Bainbridge broke in. “Remmington’s difficulty comprehending your skills is a compliment. After all, you’ve done your best to make sure no one would guess where your talents lie. I’d say you succeeded admirably.”

“Yes, admirably,” Remmington echoed. His expression changed from disbelief to something that might have been disgust. “You are an excellent actress, my lady. You had me fooled completely. Or should I say, you made a complete fool of me. What an amusing little game you play.”

“It is not a game! My work is a serious matter.”

Remmington’s gaze shifted to Bainbridge. “Who attacked her?”

The older man shrugged. “We don’t know.”

“But it is almost certainly related to the work she does for you?” Remmington didn’t give Bainbridge a chance to answer. He jerked his head toward Lily’s father. “I cannot believe that the two of you allowed this. There was no reason to risk her life when Crofford can handle whatever work she does for you.”

Bainbridge’s mouth thinned as he propped both hands atop his silver-headed walking cane. “That’s just the point, Remmington. No one but Lily is capable of the work she does for me, not even her father. I do not approve of her involvement any more than her father approves of the arrangement, but there you have it. She is simply the most qualified. Lily translates messages that her father can’t decipher. We would be in dire straits without her assistance.”

“Come now, let’s not argue.” Crofford held up one hand, determined to take control of the situation. “As Sir Malcolm pointed out, we all work for the same cause, and it’s time to turn our attention to more pressing matters.” Deferring to Bainbridge, he asked, “How do you suggest we ensure Lily’s safety?”

“Despite the fact that we have been unable to capture the culprit,” Bainbridge began, “I think it safe to rule out the possibility that he is a spy.”

That news made Lily sigh in relief. “My identity is still a secret,” she said, with the beginnings of a smile. “I can continue my work.”

“How can you be so sure the French are no: behind this?” Remmington demanded. “Why would anyone else want to kill her?”

“We identified the four enemy spies related to the smuggling ring more than a week ago, and my men have watched their movements ever since. I’ve accounted for their whereabouts and that of their associates at the time of Lily’s attack, as well as last night when we spotted someone near the house. None of them were anywhere near Crofford House at the time.”

“Someone was here last night?” Lily asked.

“That’s why we were so alarmed to see you here,” Bainbridge said. “The culprit managed to disappear before my men could catch him. This is not over yet, Lily.”

“You know who the spies are, and you haven’t arrested them?” Crofford asked.

Brainbridge’s mouth twisted into a grim smile. “We know who they are and every move they make. If we arrest them, they will simply be replaced with men we must track down all over again. They unknowingly tell us much more in their illusion of freedom than they would in Newgate Prison. Their time will come, but for now they are useful.”

Crofford didn’t look satisfied. “You are certain they are not behind Lily’s attack?”

“As I said, they and the people connected to them were not involved.”

“So where does that leave me?” Lily asked.

“On very uncertain ground, I’m afraid.” Bainbridge shook his head. “There are two possibilities. Either the attack was done by some sort of mentally deranged criminal who chose a house and woman at random, or you have a very dangerous enemy we cannot identify. The first scenario seems the most likely. I know this will be hard for you to believe, Lily, but there are men who kill for no reason but their own sick need to destroy another life. From your description of the attack, it seems possible we are dealing with that sort of vicious criminal.”

“You are alarming her!” Crofford protested. “There is no need to share your speculations in Lily’s presence.”

“I disagree,” Bainbridge said. “Lily needs to be aware of everyone around her, to watch for anything that might seem unusual.”

“You think he might be someone I know?” Lily asked.

“There is that possibility,” Bainbridge conceded. “I asked your father, Sophie, and my wife to draw up lists that contain the names of every man who’s shown an interest in you of late.”

“Those lists must be long indeed,” Remmington remarked dryly.

Lily glared at him, but Bainbridge ignored the interruption. “I eliminated most of the suspects almost immediately. The Ashlands’ ball didn’t let out until dawn, and most of the men on the lists were present at the ball until that time, or otherwise accounted for at the time of your attack. The few names that remained were crossed off last night. None were anywhere near Crofford House.”

“So we are left without a suspect.” Remmington watched Bainbridge nod. “I think Lily and I should review those lists. We might come up with another name or two.”

“That’s a good idea,” Bainbridge agreed. “In the meantime, we must decide how to keep Lily safe. There are two options that I see. The first is to keep her in the house under guard, but I do not think that is the wisest plan. As I said, we must assume the worst, that he knows she returned here. So far all we know of him is that he is patient and clever. He also knows the routines and layout of this house. He planned his attack carefully, and waited for what he deemed the right moment to seize his opportunity. There are a half dozen guards around this house, yet he managed to elude every one of them last night. If we keep her in a place he is familiar with, we make it that much easier for him to wait for his next opportunity. If he is as clever as I think, he will know that eventually someone will let down their guard and make a mistake.”

Bainbridge held one palm upward, as if he literally weighed his words. “This all assumes we didn’t chase him off for good last night. If we did, then we will keep Lily locked away for no good reason. This could all be an overreaction on our part, yet I believe it is better to be safe than sorry. However, with Lily’s position in the department to consider, we don’t want her to draw undue attention or speculation. If she remains in seclusion and under guard, she will draw both. On the other hand, if she goes out in society, we might have a chance to turn the hunter into the hunted. Let us assume for the moment that he is someone she knows. He cannot very well wear a mask or disguise at a dinner party, or tie up every guest at a ball. Yet he might make a mistake, do or say something that gives his identity away. It’s possible that he has an injured left wrist, and the blow Lily dealt to his head sounded serious enough that it might leave a noticeable scar.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.” Crofford’s worried gaze rested on his daughter. “Lily will be vulnerable.”

“As long as we are careful to keep her places where he doesn’t have an opportunity to get her alone, she should be safe enough. I can assign men who will disguise themselves as footmen and outriders to guard her carriage wherever she goes. Then we must make certain that someone we trust is with her at all times to act as her escort.”

“That will not be a problem,” Crofford said surely. “I will not allow her from my sight.”

“How often were you at Lily’s side at the Ashlands’ ball?” Bainbridge asked. “Young people keep their own company these days when they attend balls and parties. There will be talk if Lily is constantly with her father and not with her friends. He might realize that we are waiting for him to make a wrong move. If you and Lily act no differently than before the attack, you will give the impression that you believe it was a random act and that Lily is no longer in any imminent danger. If we are to lull this man into a false sense of security, I think it best if he sees Lily with her friends, people he’s seen her with before.”

“Your niece is hardly capable of protecting Lily,” Crofford retorted.

“True,” Bainbridge agreed, “I had someone else in mind.”

The room fell silent. Remmington took his gaze from Lily to look at Bainbridge. The older man’s gaze rested on him already. In that instant he knew exactly what Bainbridge wanted. He also knew what it would mean if he accepted the duty. Somehow it seemed inevitable. That didn’t quell the doubts in his mind. There was nothing predictable about Lily, nothing he could anticipate or outguess. The assignment Bainbridge wanted him to assume was dangerous in more ways than one. “I don’t know that it’s such a sound notion.”

“What are you talking about?” Lily asked.

The men ignored her. Bainbridge shook his head. “If you will but consider the idea, I’m sure you will realize that it is the best plan. This also seems an ideal solution to your other problem. Or hadn’t you thought of that?”

By openly escorting Lily, Remmington would make it clear to Margaret Granger that their relationship was at an end. He scowled at the implication that he needed an incentive to accept the duty, a selfish reason to offer Lily his protection. Bainbridge couldn’t know that Lily would likely need protection from her protector if he accepted the assignment. The last few days with her had been torture. At night he went to bed aching for her, and awoke each morning in the same condition. Even when he tried to avoid seeing her, he couldn’t push her from his thoughts. He’d spent hours in his library staring at business papers and reports without comprehending a single word. Instead he had gazed off into space and pictured what she might be doing, what he would like to do if he were with her. Whenever he did see her, his fantasies grew more potent, his body acutely aware of her nearness. Even now with her father and Sir Malcolm in the room, he would like nothing more than to take her seat behind the desk and pull her down onto his lap for a long, deep kiss. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, a gesture Bainbridge misinterpreted.