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The man let out a groan of relief. “She has done it. The lassie has done it. Thank the Lord the pain is gone.”
“Not for long,” Lucinda said. “The terrible pain stops once it is back in place, but it will ache. You need to support it with a sling.”
“Here, take my scarf,” Lord Cavendish said.
She formed the scarf into a sling tying it at the man’s neck. “You must rest it for a few days then slowly get it moving and strong. A cold compress helps. And poppy syrup if you have a good apothecary. Problem fixed.” She folded her arms suddenly aware she was the only female in the room, and she had just exposed her calf and ankle without giving it a second thought. When in doubt, bluff it out. Her father’s words jumped into her mind. Looking directly at Sir Colin Cavendish she said, “I believe we have something to discuss? I hope it will not take long as it is uncommonly busy at Whitefriars and I have been up most of the night as I am sure you are aware.”
The ghost of a smile played at his lips. “Take him home,” Cavendish said to blue eyes before turning back to Lucinda. “I promise not to delay you any longer than necessary, or to ‘jump’ you as you so colorfully describe. I would prefer to keep my limbs intact.”
“You should be safe enough if you keep your distance,” Lucinda said, which brought another faint smile to Cavendish’s lips. He might be a high and mighty Lord but he was still a man and needed to get the message loud and clear she was not some foolish wench to be trifled with. The door clicked shut. Slow cautious footsteps retreated down the stairs. Cavendish invited her to take a seat, placing himself in the larger chair.
“About my niece,” he started, “apparently I am in your debt.” She gave a curt nod.
“And apparently you have a theory that she may have been used against me?”
“Yourself or McCrae, though a man of your importance is a more likely target for revenge. Unless there are things I do not know, nor care to know, about McCrae.”
“I think you may be correct,” Cavendish said, his nostrils slightly flaring. “Whomever it is, we must track him down before he does more damage to our cause.”
“Your cause? What of the women he attacks? Is that not important?”
“Of course, of course,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand, a gesture that raised her ire. “There are important affairs of state that take precedence, you understand. I need to know all you have discovered about this man so far. We need to investigate this fully. How many others have there been?”
“I am not at liberty to say.”
“Were you not listening, foolish woman? These are important affairs of state.”
“I promised your niece I would keep her secret just as I promised the others.”
He leaned forward in his chair his voice courteous but his words threatening. “And I have made a promise to the King. I must interrogate these others—
“Interrogate! They are not criminals! They are victims, and you seek to bully them. It will not work. They will not talk to a man. All you will succeed in doing is to lock them into silence. If you reduce a woman to a crying mess, she will never reveal anything of use at all.”
“Hmmph,” he said leaning back in his seat, sliding his knuckles under his chin. “I see why my nephew describes you as the most stubborn woman he has ever met.”
Though her eyes flared, her heart sank. So that is what McCrae really thought of her; the poem he wrote was nothing more than puffed-up words. “I may be stubborn, but I am also right.”
“I would add impudent to that list.”
“I do not deny my faults, but speaking the truth is not one of them. If you are willing to consider an alternative approach there may be a way to proceed that is more productive and does not violate their trust,” Lucinda said.
“I am listening,” he said with a skeptical stare.
“Allow me to question them. They will talk to me, I am sure, especially when I explain how often these attacks have been happening. This devil must be stopped. We both agree on that. Surely we have the same interests at heart?”
Cavendish sat watching her for a while, steepling his fingers together while sizing her up, making her feel like an insect whose wings were being plucked off. “Very well. You have my permission. All of my resources are at your disposal, including my nephew. You will work with him on this assignment. You will report to me every other day. Around the hour of four.”
“What of my other work at the fencing academy and with my grandmother?”
“You work for me now. For the Crown. Everything else must take second place.”
For the first time in a long time Lucinda had no words of reply and sat in a stunned kind of silence.
The smile was back at Cavendish’s lip, not merely a hint this time. “I think this will be most interesting. I have never had a female spy before.”
“A spy?”
“Yes, my dear. You will be gathering important information for the Crown that must be kept secret. Is that not the definition of a spy?”
