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Alec had come here to exact his revenge on a formidable opponent. To utter every word he had ever swallowed, express every emotion he had ever tamped down, every opinion he had ever been forced to doubt. But now…
Sir Alfred recovered from his shock first. He threw down the spoon and tore the napkin from his collar. “Get this out of here,” he growled to the woman, who bobbed her head and immediately whisked the tray away. He then tried to sit up straighter, pushing against the mattress with one hand while the other hung limply by his side. Sir Alfred let out a low curse and glared down at his body, already exhausted from the movement. Scores of people had quivered under the weight of his glare, but it held no power here.
Before Alec could think better of it, he was at the bedside with his hand on Sir Alfred’s shoulder, hoisting him up with uncomfortable ease. The man seemed to weigh no more than a doll. Sir Alfred wouldn’t meet his gaze as he grumbled a word of thanks and resettled himself. Alec stepped back and gave a short nod, then detected movement out the corner of his eye. Rafe and Wetherby had entered the room.
“Sir, I’m so sorry for the interruption,” Wetherby began. “I will have them dismissed at once––”
But Sir Alfred merely held up a hand to silence his secretary, and faced Alec. “So, then. You came after all.” He spoke more slowly than Alec remembered, as if he was taking great care to pronounce every word. But with his spine straight and shoulders back, any trace of vulnerability had vanished. His brown eyes looked nearly black in the dim light, as familiar to Alec as his own. As Lottie’s.
Alec’s heart wrenched anew as his anger came rushing back. This man had betrayed Crown secrets, endangered Alec’s life, and tried to marry Lottie off. “Of course I came.”
Sir Alfred gave a dismissive sniff and turned away. “Well, you are too late. Everything is already arranged.”
Alec couldn’t stop the incredulous laugh from bursting out. “I’m sorry, are you referring to the bit where you tried toforce your niece into marriage?”
“I’m not forcing her,” Sir Alfred stubbornly insisted. “Lottie knows I only want what’s best for her. For her future. She needs some time to come round. But she will.” Then he faced Alec again, those brown eyes glinting. “She always does.”
“Not this time.” Alec shook his head. “She’s climbed out of the blasted window.”
“What?” Sir Alfred appeared genuinely perplexed by this development. “Why on earth would she do a silly thing like that?”
Alec practically quivered from the strain of holding back. How could the man not see how verymedievalthis all was? But then, perhaps he simply couldn’t. Had the apoplexy affected his mind as well? Rafe must have sensed that his self-control was quickly fraying because he immediately came beside him.
“Sorry to hear your lovely niece has escaped your clutches,” Rafe began, droll as ever, “but I’d like to say that it is apleasure, Sir Alfred. One doesn’t often get to meet a legend in the flesh.”
Alec exhaled. Thank God for Rafe and his ability to defuse any situation.
Sir Alfred narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but insipid flattery had always been his weakness. “And you are?”
“Rafe Davies,” he said with a grand bow. “Intelligence officer.”
Sir Alfred grunted. “You’re the Earl of Fairfield’s bastard?”
“No sir,” Rafe replied with staggering politeness. “I’m the legitimate offspring from his second marriage.”
“Ah. Hemarriedthat actress, didn’t he?” Sir Alfred cast him a dubious look.
“Yes, to the great regret of nearly everyone in his life.” Rafe smiled broadly. “But I’m here on Crown business. Someone has been selling valuable information to our enemies, and the leak has been traced to you.” He leveled the charge so plainly that it took a moment for the words to sink in.
Sir Alfred’s frown deepened to confusion. “I haven’t a damned idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, well, be that as it may, the charge still stands. I’ve also taken the liberty of alerting the police. They should be here shortly.” Rafe raised an eyebrow at Alec’s surprise. “What? Surely holding one’s niece against her will is breakingsomesort of law.”
Sir Alfred huffed. “Wetherby, what do you know about this leak business?” Alec had nearly forgotten about the secretary. He was still standing near the doorway but had gone even paler than before. Sir Alfred gestured to him. “He has been handling all of my correspondence for months now.”
“Months?” Alec and Rafe both said in unison. If that included intelligence dispatches, it was a huge breach in protocol. The protocol Sir Alfred had always insisted upon.
“I couldn’t manage it the way I had been,” he now blustered. “But Wetherby said he developed a system to keep the information secure.”
Alec inhaled sharply.Lottie.“No, he didn’t, sir. He used Lottie to decode the dispatches for himself. Then sold the information.” Alec turned sharply to face him. “Didn’tyou?”
Wetherby held up his hands. “You can’t prove a thing. Not without implicating her.”
“What?” Sir Alfred roared from the bed. “You—you duplicitous rat! Treasonouscoward!” As he spoke, he turned so red that Alec worried he would have another apoplexy.
Wetherby looked at each of them, then he turned and ran from the room. Alec moved to chase him, but Rafe pressed a hand to his chest. “Don’t bother. He won’t get far,” he said lazily and strolled from the room.
“My God. I had no idea,” Sir Alfred croaked and slumped down against the pillows. His color had returned to normal but the fight had gone out of him. He turned to Alec. “You must find Lottie. She can’t be dragged into this.”
