Fredrick didn’t know much about Miss Delacourt, but he recognized enough to know that she was a competent agent. “We will get them,” he reassured her. “You found them once; you will find them again.”
Miss Delacourt’s eyes held gratitude. “Thank you, my lord.”
“There is nothing for us here,” Roswell said. “We should return the key and depart before we attract any unwanted attention to ourselves.”
They filed out of the room and went in search of Mr. Treanor. They found him in a room off the entry hall.
“Did you get the man and woman you were after?” Mr. Treanor asked.
“I’m afraid not,” Miss Delacourt replied. “They were already gone when we got there.”
Mr. Treanor blinked. “That is impossible. I have been watching that door all day.”
“They slipped out the window,” Miss Delacourt informed him.
“Those scoundrels. They skipped out on paying their bill,” Mr. Treanor grumbled. “I even brought them the newssheets this morning, just as they requested.”
A thought crossed Fredrick’s mind. “I can’t help but wonder if they saw the article about Lord Drycott. Perhaps that is what scared them off.”
“Most likely,” Roswell agreed.
Miss Delacourt returned the key to Mr. Treanor. “Thank you, sir. You did your best. That is all I could have asked of you.”
Mr. Treanor’s eyes crinkled around the edges. “You remind me so much of my granddaughter, Olivia. I have caught her in trousers a time or two.”
Fredrick interjected, “Would you describe the people we are after?”
With a bob of his head, Mr. Treanor replied, “The man was tall, dark-haired and had a thin face. His nose was slightly crooked, as if he had broken it before. The woman was similar in appearance, but she was shorter than her companion. That is why it was feasible that they were brother and sister.”
“That is most helpful,” Miss Delacourt said. “Thank you.” Once she finished saying her words, she departed from the boarding house.
Fredrick and Roswell hastened to catch up to her on the pavement, easily matching her stride. “Who wants to inform Kendrick of what happened?” Roswell asked.
“I will handle it,” Miss Delacourt replied. “After all, it was my failure. Besides, don’t you two have a ball to prepare for?”
“Are you not attending?” Fredrick asked.
Miss Delacourt came to a stop in front of a black coach and a footman exited his perch to open the door. “I will be there, but I doubt you will notice me. Not with Miss Sutherland being there and all.”
Fredrick cleared his throat. How was it that everyone could see that he was falling for Emilia? Was he so obvious in his affections?
But Miss Delacourt was right. He had a ball that he had to attend, and he was rather looking forward to it. However, this conversation was not over, at least not yet. There were too many questions that remained.
“I think it is safe to assume that the French spies were scared off by Lord Drycott’s death,” Fredrick said. “What do you think their next play is?”
“I don’t know,” Miss Delacourt replied. “But I will ask Kendrick to post guards at Lord Drycott’s townhouse in case they are foolish enough to go there.”
Roswell crossed his arms over his chest. “And I will reach out to my informants and ask them to keep a look out for anyone that matches their descriptions. We will find them. It is only a matter of time.”
Miss Delacourt nodded. “I shall inform Kendrick of this, and with any luck, he will let me continue working on the assignment.”
Fredrick bowed. “Until later, Miss Delacourt.”
As Fredrick made his way towards his waiting coach, he noticed a quickened pace in his step. He was to dance the waltz this evening with Emilia, and the mere thought of holding her in his arms, if only for a moment, filled him with a profound senseof joy. And in that moment, it struck him- he had undeniably and irrevocably fallen in love with Emilia.
Emilia stood in the parlor, her anticipation palpable, as she waited for Lord Cuttyngham’s arrival to escort her into the ballroom for her first dance. Nervousness coursed through her, overshadowed only slightly by the excitement she felt within. The uncertainty of how she would be received by thetonquickened her heart.
“I can do this,” she muttered for what felt like the thousandth time. Amidst the whirlwind of emotions she felt within, she held on to the knowledge that Fredrick was waiting for her in the ballroom. He would help her; she was sure of that. Her trust in him was not misplaced.
