“Whereasyoutake orders without qualm?”
“I do when there might be something dangerous in play.” Daniel resumed his meal. “I don’t know how long it will take before Monaghan is satisfied that nothing is amiss in the household of Viscount Peyton. I could be there some time.”
“Daniel.” I placed my hands onto the table and regarded him sternly.
“Mm?” Daniel glanced up, his jaw working as he enjoyed the stew. “This is truly wonderful, Kat.”
“You never reveal this many details when you inform me you are off on a mission. You usually tell me you are departing for a few weeks, then return and explain you were in Dublin or Glasgow or some remote farm in Northumbria. You remain vague about the assignment, and I do not tax you for more information, knowing you are unable to provide it. Why are you now telling me exactly where you will be and with whom?”
Daniel made a small gesture with his spoon. “To alleviate your worries. Also to prevent you from trying to find me or calling out to me if you happen to see me peering into shop windows in Piccadilly.”
“You are prevaricating,” I said. “Mr.Davis’s dictionary says that means being maddeningly imprecise while pretending to be straightforward.” I leaned to him, the table’s edge pressing into my abdomen. “This is the last assignment, isn’t it? The one you will do to fulfill your commitment to Monaghan and make him release you from his power. Am I correct?”
From Daniel’s silence as he drew his spoon through the stew, I knew I was.
My heart constricted. Mr.Monaghan was a coldly cruel man, who blamed Daniel for the death of a colleague—wrongly blamed him, that is. In retaliation, Monaghan sent Daniel on dangerous assignments for the police, to ferret out people who made bombs and planned assassinations and other perilous missions. Often Daniel went alone to spy on these people, with no guarantee of help if he was caught.
Monaghan had promised that one day, Daniel would workoff his guilt and be free of his obligation. We both knew that the last commission would be the most dangerous of all.
“There is much more to this than you watching an elderly gentleman in a wheeled chair, isn’t there?”
“Yes.” The fact that Daniel didn’t evade the question made me still more worried. “Someone in that household, or connected to that household, is supporting a project that might damage not only the queen’s person but the cabinet, members of Parliament, and anyone else who gets in their way, including innocents on the streets. Monaghan has wind of such an undertaking being planned, and all threads in the web lead back to Peyton’s home in Belgrave Square.”
I knew Monaghan and his colleagues were not ones who jumped at shadows. They had rounded up very dangerous criminals in the past, usually using Daniel to do much of the hazardous work. They would not suspect Lord Peyton or someone who worked for him without careful scrutiny first.
“Suppose it was the secretary?” I suggested. “Who is now conveniently gone? He might have realized Monaghan had caught on to his evil deeds and fled to a far corner of the earth.”
Daniel shrugged. “In that case, I will do tedious work as a legitimate secretary until Monaghan pulls me out again in disappointment.”
I sipped tea, trying to calm myself. I did not like the idea of Daniel walking into a lion’s den. Unlike his biblical namesake, I couldn’t be certain the Lord would make the beasts inside tame for him.
“I do not suppose Viscount Peyton’s household needs a cook,” I said in a casual tone.
Daniel clattered the spoon into his nearly empty bowl. “No, Kat. The cook has been with Peyton for years, and he trustsher with his digestion. You are going nowhere near that house. These sorts of people kill to protect their secrets, and they would not hesitate to murder you. They are ruthless.”
“Which means they’d not hesitate to murderyou,” I pointed out.
“I do not have a choice. This is the work I do to keep Monaghan from trumping up charges against me and putting me in prison, or worse. Please, do not try to stop this.”
“How couldIstop it?” I pressed one hand to my chest. “I am a cook below stairs, not the head of the Home Office.”
“Oh, there are many things you could do if you put your mind to it,” Daniel said darkly. “Please do not discuss this with anyone at Scotland Yard, not Inspector McGregor, not Constable Greene when he visits Tess. Not Tess either.”
Daniel’s eyes held a steeliness I’d never seen in them, a grim determination that had no softness, even for me.
“I am only expressing concern for your well-being,” I said, somewhat stiffly. “I know there is damn-all you can do about undertaking this task.”
Daniel let out breath, trying to relax, but he couldn’t quite. “I only ask that you do not try to interfere. I would like to focus my entire attention on the case at hand without having to fear for your safety at every moment. I gave you as many details as I did so you would not rush to Inspector McGregor to try to find me when I didn’t come around as often.”
Now he was making me cross, though I admitted that if he’d simply disappeared, I would likely have expressed my concern to those I could approach at Scotland Yard. I did realize that if Inspector McGregor, who intensely disliked Monaghan, raised a commotion about what had happened to Daniel, things might not go well for Daniel.
“Interfere,” I repeated. “Is that what you suppose I havebeen doing all this time? I’m very sorry if my interference has helped you in various cases, or saved my friends from the gallows or from being murdered themselves.”
Daniel’s shoulders sagged. “Kat…Damnation, I knew I should not have come here. I only wanted to see you before I had to keep from you for who knows how many weeks. Or months.”
My anger fell away with a crash. I rose from my chair and moved to kneel by his.
“My poor Daniel.” I slid my arms around his waist and rested my head on his lap. I’d never taken such a daring pose with him before, and I was momentarily distracted by the strength of his legs beneath me. “You are so very worried about this mission, and all I’ve done is twit you about it. I am thinking only of myself and the hole in my life if I lost you.”
