Scoundrel (7 page)

Remmington accepted the stub of a cheroot from Digsby’s extended hand, then held the half-smoked cigar to the light for closer examination. He passed the object under his nose and remarked absently, “Expensive.” He held the cheroot up for Crofford’s inspection. “I don’t know about you, sir, but I can only smoke two of these in a night. Actually, one is more than enough. It would appear the culprit was at your house several times. It would account for his knowledge of your staff, though not entirely. Whoever he is, the man is thorough.”

“He is a murderer!” Crofford declared, his hands balled into fists. “I will not sleep until he is locked away. My daughter will never be safe until then.”

“I fear you are right.” Remmington’s expression turned grim. “Unfortunately, it seems he is rather clever as well.”

“Clever or not, I will see him caught and hung for his crimes.” Crofford looked from Harry to Remmington. “I can never thank both of you enough for what you have done tonight. When I think of Lily alone on the streets, after what she’d faced in her own home… He could have killed us all. Trussed up helpless as rabbits, he could have slit every one of our throats.”

“Your lives were in danger,” Remmington agreed. A muscle in his jaw tightened as he looked from Crofford to his daughter. Lily still looked badly shaken. “We are just glad we could be of service.”

“I’ll have extra men brought up from Crofford Hills,” the earl announced, with a nod that seemed to agree with his decision. He propped his elbow on the arm of his chair and raked a hand through his hair. “Your assistance tonight is much appreciated, Your Grace. And yours as well, Lord Gordon. I am in both your debts and would be even more so if I could impose upon you to keep this matter as quiet as possible. The scandal would be quite embarrassing, don’t you know.”

“Of course,” Harry answered. “You have my word on the matter, sir.”

“And mine,” Remmington added. “Rest assured that none shall hear a word of the incident from my men, either. They can be trusted to hold their silence.”

“Appreciate that.” Crofford nodded gravely.

“Would you like my men to stay until your staff arrives from Crofford Hills?” Remmington offered. His gaze rested briefly on Lily. He could feel their time together drawing to an end. He didn’t want to leave her, but she was with her family now. He had no right to stay.

“I don’t worry about that madman attacking in broad daylight,” Crofford began. “But I would rest considerably easier if your men wouldn’t mind hanging about till dawn.”

“I’ll inform Digsby of the arrangement. Just let him know when they’re no longer needed. He and the other men can return in my traveling coach.”

A short, uncomfortable silence passed as everyone realized the immediate danger was over. There was no longer a need for Remmington and Harry to remain at Crofford House. Harry cleared his throat, then found a grim smile as he swung his greatcoat over his shoulders.

“I say, Remmington. We should be off and
let
these people get their rest. Been a rather eventful night for all of us.”

Remmington nodded, but his eyes remained on Lily. “You are sure you will be all right?” He meant the question for Lily, but it was Crofford who answered.

“Quite fine, thanks to your help, Your Grace, and yours, Lord Gordon.” Crofford patted his daughter’s shoulder, then rose from his seat and escorted the men to the door. “If there’s ever anything I can do to repay you, anything at all, please do not hesitate to let me know.” Remmington took a last look at Lily, nodded once, then he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

“The charade is over, Lily.”

A transformation came over the earl the moment the two men departed. Gone was the air of fear and distraction. In its place was grim determination. Lily moved out of the way as her father pulled his chair up to the desk. He rummaged through his desk to find his quill pen and a sheaf of paper.

“Have a seat.” The tip of his quill pointed toward a chair on the opposite side of the desk, then he bent over the blank sheet of paper and began to scribble at a furious pace. “I’ll have a footman take this letter around to Sir Malcolm at dawn. It will tell him what happened tonight and inform him that you are already on your way to the safe house he keeps in
Brighton
. We need to get you out of
London
. Quickly.”

“What is a safe house?” Lily asked. She nudged aside a pile of papers with her hip as she settled onto the chair.

“It’s a place where no one will ask questions, where you’ll be safe until we catch this man and uncover the reasons for his attack.” He tore a corner from one of the papers stacked on his desk and wrote down an address. “This is the direction to the house. Inform the servants there that you will be staying by invitation of a Mr. Short. It’s a code and they won’t ask any more questions.”

“But—”

“I want no arguments from you, Lily. Every fear I’ve harbored for the past four years came true tonight. It was a mistake to give Bainbridge my permission to involve you in this business in the first place. I knew no good could come of it.” He glanced up from his writing long enough to scowl at her across the desk. “It seems I was right.”

“Sir Malcolm is careful to keep my involvement a secret. We can’t even say for certain that this happened because of our work. You cannot blame yourself, Papa. The man who attacked me is responsible for what happened tonight, not you.”

Crofford dismissed her opinion with an impatient wave. “Bainbridge could sell coal in
Newcastle
. He convinced me that you would never be in any danger. I must have been out of my mind. I should have put a stop to it years ago, before your very life was at stake.”

“But my work is important, Papa. You said yourself that my talent with codes is rare.”

“True, but you will not put your talent to use again anytime soon.” He added a final paragraph to the letter. “Nothing is more important than your life.”

“What about Robert’s life?” she asked. “I’m the only one in
England
who can break his Cross code. It will be months yet before you master the formulas.”

He looked up at last and slowly shook his head. “Your brother can take care of himself, Lily. Bainbridge will notify Robert that he is to use the new Maze code until we resolve this situation. The French haven’t developed a new code in months, and I am perfectly capable of deciphering anything they might come up with.”

“You know I can break the codes faster than you can.” It wasn’t a boast, but a statement of fact. If the truth wouldn’t persuade him, guilt might. “What about the lives that depend upon deciphering those messages as quickly as possible?”

“I cannot take care of the world,” he said, “and its fate does not rest solely on your shoulders either. We shall manage as best we can in your absence. What do you think we would do right now if that madman had succeeded tonight? Your absence would be a permanent one. Do you think I will allow you to risk your life that way again?”

The finality of his tone worried her. “If you truly wish to send me away then I will go, but do not take my work away from me. Please, Papa.”

Crofford set aside his pen and folded his hands on the desk. “We will not lose the war in the few days or weeks you are away, Lily. But you must face the fact that I cannot make any promises right now. If tonight’s attack is related to your work, that means the French know your identity and you will not be safe until the war ends. If that is the case, then I’m not sure what we will do. Undoubtedly, your work will come to a halt. You need to prepare yourself for the possibilities.”

Lily felt herself nod. For the first time, she realized just how much her life had changed over the past few hours. She might have to stay in hiding until the war ended. She couldn’t picture it.

“You’ve been through more tonight than any young woman should go through in a lifetime,” he continued, his tone subdued, “and you will be forced to endure even more over the next few weeks. You’re a strong girl. Right now your very life could depend on that strength. Can you be strong for me, Lily?”

She nodded again.

“Good. Now I want you to go upstairs and pack no more than one trunk. You will take the morning mail coach to Brighton, and more than one trunk will attract undue attention. Dress in something black with a veil that covers your face. The mourning clothes you wore to Great-aunt Amelia’s funeral should do nicely. I think it will be best if you appear a recent widow, too overcome by grief to engage in polite conversations.”

“The Brighton mail coach? A
widow
!”

“Sending you in a Crofford carriage emblazoned with the family coat of arms would hardly keep your location a secret. Hired coaches are notoriously slow. They rarely make a trip without breaking down at least once. Think, Lily. The mail coach is the fastest, most reliable means of making this journey in secret.”

“I’m to go alone?”

“Not completely, my dear. Every respectable lady travels with a servant. Take along your maid, Gretchen. She doesn’t seem the talkative sort. Considering the events of this night, she’ll go along readily enough with the widow story.”

“You won’t go with me?”

“No, Lily. I must stay here. I’ll make sure everyone thinks you are here as well, stricken with an illness of some sort that has you bedridden. If the fiend breaks into the house again, this time we’ll be prepared. I won’t risk your life so foolishly by having you here within his grasp.”

“Come with me, Papa. You mustn’t endanger yourself.” Lily reached across the desk to grasp his hand, but he eyed his daughter’s other hand, the one that rubbed her throat. He shook his head.

“I’ll be in little actual danger. The men I’ll send for are not from Crofford Hills. They’ll be Bainbridge’s men, all more than capable of handling… the situation. I can cover your absence, but the man will not show himself again if we both leave.”

“Why can’t I stay with Sophie and the Bainbridges?” she asked. “Close by where you can reach me if I’m needed?”

“Staying with the Bainbridges would be like leading a fox to the henhouse. The only thing you need to do now is hide. I want you to promise that you will do nothing to endanger yourself. I will worry enough for your safety.”

Lily looked ready to continue the argument, but at last she nodded. “I promise, Papa.”

“Excellent. Now go pack your things. I don’t want you to miss the coach.”