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“Kitty, my dear sweet girl, I do thank you for your desire to help. But the fact is, I really am a spy, and Debenham has obviously had his suspicions for a long time. That’s why he tried to publicly embarrass me by using my letters to Lady Kilmore against me. When that didn’t work, he’s been trying to ascertain if, in fact, I could be looking closely into his affairs and not the friend I profess to be. Second, he would never turn up, personally, to collect a ransom. If he did, we would have arrested him a long time ago.”
“You are a spy?” Her mouth dropped open and her knees buckled. He had to clasp her tightly to him to stop her falling. And then, of course, he couldn’t let go as he added, “Now I fear that we are both in danger.”
“Miss, ye’re shakin’ sumfink terrible!” Wielding a damp cloth, Dorcas rushed across the room to clean up the spillage caused by Kitty having knocked her powder across her dressing table and over the carpet.
“I’ve done the most terrible thing,” Kitty whispered. Unable to stop her trembling, she lowered herself onto her chair and put her hands to her face. “I’ve put Silverton in danger…” She heaved in a breath. “Dear Lord, I did not mean to do it, but I have. I told Debenham he was a spy.”
“Yer did what!”
Kitty tried not to cry. “I thought it was the last thing he could be, and it seemed such a clever way of enticing Debenham to write him a blackmail note so that then Debenham could be apprehended, but now I see how foolish and naïve I was. Oh, Dorcas!” She reached up to grip her maid’s wrist. “I don’t know what to do.”
Dorcas’s face was pinched in reflection of her mistress’s distress. “Oh miss, yer was only tryin’ to ‘elp but lordy, if Lord Debenham finks Silverton is a spy, who knows wot he’ll do.”
“Who knows, indeed? Why, he might find a way of having him…”This time Kitty did burst into tears. “Suffer some terrible accident,” she said over her sobs. “Oh Dorcas, I just have to find a way to protect him.”
“I dunno ‘ow yer can do that, miss.”
“Neither do I, which just means I have to find something that will put an end to Debenham’s machinations before it’s too late for Silverton. Oh, what have I done?”
“Could yer ask Lady Debenham fer ‘elp ter do that? She’s mortal afeared o’ ‘er ’usband, yer say.”
“She’ll protect him to the death, because she knows that if he were sent to prison, his entire estate would be forfeited to the Crown and then what would happen to her and William?”
For a moment, Kitty contemplated using her knowledge about William’s true origins as a bargaining tool until she realized that she could never stoop to blackmailing Araminta. Besides, it would taint the child who was an innocent. Children should never be tainted by the wrongdoing of their parents, she thought fiercely.
Gravely, Dorcas said, “I fink yer should tell Miss Lissa ‘n Mr. Tunley. They can at least advise yer.”
“I don’t know if I have the courage to admit to such stupidity. And, of course, your friends at Mrs. Montgomery’s are too afraid to say anything about what they know of Lord Debenham. Which just proves what a very dangerous man he is.”
After a moment of silence, Dorcas said, “I did learn sumfink, miss, that could ‘elp. ‘Bout Lord Debenham and ‘bout what Mr Prism and I was tellin’ yer the other day.”
Kitty waited with bated breath.
‘Me friend, Sal, she said she once paid a visit to ‘is Lordship’s bedchamber when Miss Araminta were wiv her Mama.”
“She what! Sally?”
“Sally weren’t ‘is regular girl, but Mrs. Montgomery sent ‘er ter ‘is Lordship one night as a bit of a tryout ‘n a surprise. Apparently, Miss Araminta were recoverin’ from havin’ the babe, ‘n ‘is Lordship were lonely. Well, Sal were that afraid ‘n it’s true that ‘e were none too nice at the beginnin’, but then ’e… well, it turned out ‘e didn’t mind a bit of entertainin’ after all. Sal said she were ever so curious ‘bout ‘is books ‘n papers. She’s allus wanted ter learn ter write. Anyways, she were lookin’ at ‘is desk when ‘e came back inter the room after bein’ called away ‘n shouted sumfink terrible, accusin’ ‘er of all sorts ‘til she cried ‘n said she couldn’t read. Then ‘e locked up ‘is papers in a pewter box ‘n turned the key, which she saw that he put inter a vase on the mantelpiece afta the lights were out ‘n ‘e thought she weren’t lookin’.”
After a pause, Dorcas added, “Reckon I shouldn’t ‘ave told yer that, miss. If yer ever go ter Lord Debenham’s alone, then ye’re askin’ fer trouble.”
Kitty shivered. “He touched my cheek when we were talking, and I had to close my eyes and pretend that the reason I was shivering was because I liked it, rather than that I was feeling like an adder was flicking its tongue over me. Oh Dorcas!” she burst out. “I don’t want to spend another second in his company, but what if this is the only way? So it’s true that he keeps his secrets in a locked pewter box? Well, it’s up to me to find it.”
“No, it ain’t,” Dorcas said firmly. “Yer jest tell yer lovely Lord Silverton wot I jest told yer ‘n all will be well. He’ll be very ‘appy that ye’ve found out such valuable information.”
“It’s not valuable until it’s in the hands of Lord Silverton or Mr. Tunley. It’s worth nothing until then, and meanwhile others—including Silverton—are in danger because I put them there.”
“Promise me yer won’t do nothin’ foolish ‘n go ter ‘is townhouse alone, miss. It ain’t worth it. Lord Silverton loves yer too much to see yer put yerself in danger.”
“Does he?” Tearfully Kitty raised her head for an endorsement of what could only make her feel worse. “And I love him so much, which is why I’d do anything to do some good out of the bad I’ve committed. Poor, poor Silverton. I just want him to be safe and happy.”
Chapter 23
Another pall of ill feeling hung over the Beecham household. Lissa was conscious of a change between her employer and Lady Julia. Lady Julia still visited just as frequently, but the gaiety that characterized their relationship in the early days had been replaced by a tense wariness.
It was different from the earlier brief lull where Lord Beecham was clearly angry with Lady Julia. Now, it seemed, they were both frightened.
In the evenings, Lissa tried to be as obscure as possible, blending into the dull green wallpaper with her drab clothing as she quietly sewed and Lucinda played the piano.
