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“That must be a frustration for them,” his guest replied. “Knowing their secrets, I suppose. If you had read through the notebooks with the key—”
“That would take days.” More hours spent in a sea of paper, Daniel thought, making a translation as deadly dull as mathematics. Except that it might be a window into his parents’ life and thoughts. That idea gave him pause. Could he simply give that up?
Macklin nodded. “I’m a very curious person, but I’m not sure I would care to make the effort.”
“No.” And was there anything personal in that mass of cryptic phrases? Or would he find only dry facts and figures? Another sort of distance to add to the gap that already existed.
“Perhaps they know of something dangerous in the entries. Or fear there may be such a thing.”
Daniel considered this idea. He still found it difficult to see his parents in this new light. “Well, the notebooks are quite safe in my strong room for now.”
“I doubt those two gentlemen will be satisfied with that.”
“They’ll have to be. Until I decide otherwise.”
There was a soft knock on the drawing room door. When Daniel bade the person enter, Tom slipped through the doorway, closing it carefully behind him. “That Jake Wendell feller is outside.”
“Who?”
“The butterfly man. Who ain’t any such thing, unless I’m mistaken.”
This was the stranger sneaking about the neighborhood, Daniel remembered. “He’s here?”
“With another man, mounting up to leave.” Tom moved over to the windows and looked out. “They’re going.”
“The other is pale-haired and stocky?” asked Macklin. “With military side-whiskers?”
Tom nodded as Daniel went to join him and watch the two Foreign Office men depart. “The dark one is Wendell?”
“So he says,” replied Tom.
Daniel looked at Macklin. “It seems our lurker is one of the gentlemen from the Foreign Office.”
“He was nosing about Rose Cottage last night,” said Tom. “Till he roused the dogs and had to leg it.”
“What?”
“I was coming to tell you when I spotted him,” Tom added.
Daniel turned toward the door. “I must go and tell Miss Pendleton.”
Macklin held up a hand. “Wait.”
“She will wish to know.”
“No doubt,” replied Macklin. “But we shouldn’t upset her unnecessarily. We need to think this through.”
Theyneededto keep her safe, Daniel thought. He remembered her descriptions of the interrogations she’d endured—the tremor in her voice, the distress in her face. What he really wanted was to go and fetch her, bring her to Frithgerd, and watch over her from now on. Which he couldn’t do. “Think about what precisely?”
“What’s going on,” said the older man. “What is best to do about it.” He turned to Tom. “Could you follow them and discover where they go from here?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Very carefully, mind. These are not men to trifle with. And they are on the lookout for conspiracies.”
The lad nodded. “The butterfly fella hasn’t noticed me. I’m good at keeping out of sight. Or out of mind. Depending.” He grinned.
“See that you do. I mean it, Tom.” Macklin waited for another acknowledgment and then sent him off with a gesture.
