“I adore you,” Lady Emma said as she clung to Richard’s hand.
“And I you,” Dora’s brother responded with a caress of his wife’s cheek, and then he was gone.
“You are so fortunate,” Dora said wistfully.
Emma turned back to make her assurances. “You, too, will know what I do.”
Tears filled Dora’s eyes, and she nodded her agreement, but something odd crossed her vision, and she had to disguise her shudder of dread with a self-imposed sigh.
Alexander strolled intothe “watch house” to find Beaufort staring through the long glass to watch Honfleur’s house. It had been three days since he had seen Beaufort. “Is everything well?” Alexander asked his friend.
“One of us must kill Honfleur,” Beaufort growled, without looking up.
“Agreed,” Alexander said as he took up a place at the other window. “Has something occurred of which I am unaware?”
“The man has turned your sister into a maid, lower than the maid-of-all-works. I had to improvise yesterday. Lionel had reported that Honfleur has discovered the opening in the garden wall. I made an appearance at the house to ask if Lady Caroline would agree to go driving with me now that the sky has cleared. I found Lady Annalise working beside the young woman called ‘Clara.’ I sent the maid to her mistress with my message long enough to warn your sister to use the bird’s nest or the knot hole in the tree for communication.”
“Has Honfleur also stepped up his abuse of my sister?” Alexander could barely breathe: He might be forced to go against Duncan’s orders if this continued.
“In the three days they have been in residence, Honfleur has now moved Lady Annalise to the attic where all the fighting equipment is stored. Last evening, she stood at the window on the corner of the house, holding the small mattress one might find in a child’s nursery or school room to her chest. Later, she did the same with two of her gowns. I had to think she knew one of us would view her actions and understand.”
“She knows we are watching the house, and such is how you actually spotted the fire,” Alexander confirmed.
Beaufort looked up briefly. “She is in danger, Marksman, but, thankfully, her eyes have been opened.”
“Lionel and I warned her that if the world came crashing down, that she was to leave immediately. She has my card and is to come to Dutton Hall no matter whether it is day or night.”
“When I made my appearance, she did say she had seen several papers on Honfleur’s desk with the twenty-third written upon them. I spoke to Duncan yesterday so he might confirm the date and the location. Hopefully, Graham will hear something among his associates. The sooner the better.”
“Anything else?” Alexander asked as he watched the window where his sister supposedly was now living.
“Nothing…” Beaufort began. “Wait! Honfleur’s coach just turned the corner.”
Alexander turned the glass for a better look while Beaufort called out for James Kepper, one of the agents in training. “Follow Lord Honfleur’s coach and report back where he goes.”
“Aye, sir.” The young agent was hustling down the steps with more clatter than finesse, but they heard him leave the house before Honfleur exited Amgen House.
As Beaufort returned to his watch, they remained silent until they were confident that Honfleur meant to travel alone. “I wonder where he is off to today,” Alexander mused aloud. “I wish he would be done with this madness soon.”
“It is becoming quite old—this watching all the time,” Beaufort remarked.
“I want my sister with me,” Alexander admitted. “I want what Orson has achieved. Duty to country, but also to family.”
“As do we all,” Beaufort murmured.
“I have asked Theodora to marry me,” Alexander announced without looking up.
“Good for you,” Beaufort stated. “Dora will make you a good wife. Just do not judge your marriage by the one between Orson and Lady Emma. No two marriages are the same. Just execute what is best for you and Theodora and ignore the chatter.”
“Is that Honfleur in the doorway?” Alexander asked as they watched to see who else might appear.
“Dressed quite simply, which likely means Honfleur does not wish to be recognized on the street.”
“The woman behind him?” Alexander asked.
“The housekeeper. Mrs. Sable. She and I went around and around when I called upon Lady Caroline. She is no housekeeper, in my opinion. The house was filthy until your sister and some of your own maids began cleaning it. Moreover, when we stood toe-to-toe and exchanged words when she meant to reprimand Lady Annalise, I held the oddest feeling that I knew the woman. Had met her previously.”
“From where?” Alexander asked.
