Chapter 28
Mistress, his arse—his well-scored arse that she had clawed in the frenzy of passion. There was no fucking way he was going to let her go. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she loved him as much as he loved her. She was afraid, was all.
Now that he knew she hadn’t been unfaithful, it was as if his mind had cleared.
Everything made sense, the discordant pieces falling into place.
The conflict before, he realized, had not been caused by his belief that she had been unfaithful, but rather by his brain refusing to fully believe the information his eyes had provided.
He had been torn, because the evidence had been damning, but everything he knew about Alice, about their relationship, just didn’t support it.
Now more than ever, he wanted to be done with this investigation.
He needed to get back to the more important business of getting his wife back. His wife. Not a mistress. Not a lover.
He approached Dalton’s office with Alice by his side, giving a curt nod to the guard disguised as a footman posted at the door.
“Lord and Lady Greystone. Dalton’s expecting us.”
The man must have been aware because he opened the door with alacrity. Stepping through, he seated Alice in one of the chairs fronting Dalton’s desk and took the other.
“Dalton, you bloody bastard, you knew and didn’t tell me.” His tone was casual as he sat back and crossed his legs in a picture of nonchalance. He felt anything but.
Dalton was well versed at reading moods rather than tone, for he looked up from his papers and narrowed his eyes at him.
“I take it you two finally had a sensible conversation.”
“You could have saved us several days of misunderstandings if you had just informed me that Ardmore was Alice’s brother, not her lover.”
Dalton raised his brows. “It was not my place to interfere in your personal business. Besides, I didn’t even know that was the issue, or even that you didn’t know about your wife’s relationship to Ardmore until a couple of days ago.”
“You still should have told me as soon as you knew.”
“Like I said, it isn’t my place to go divulging other people’s secrets. You should know better than that, Nathaniel. I did tell you to talk to your wife. I’m glad that, for once, you took my advice.”
“He didn’t,” Alice contributed. “It was John who told him when he found out Nathaniel had named him co-respondent in the divorce suit.”
“I had planned to talk to you!” he protested. “Just hadn’t had the chance to do it, what with all your middle-of-the-night outings and the action going on.”
“If it hadn’t been for John, we might still be going in circles,” Alice said.
Nathaniel glared at her. “You are not blameless either. You purposely withheld information from me and even failed to open your own divorce papers!”
“My goodness. I wonder how on earth you two can be such good agents and yet fail to see the obvious in your own lives.” Dalton shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Now that you have resolved your marital problems, let us get back to the investigation, shall we?”
“That’s why we are here. Have you got anything out of the Russian man?” Nathaniel asked.
“No. The worst part is I may have to let him go if I can’t find evidence of wrongdoing.”
“Why? Those men attacked us,” Alice protested.
“For the same reason I haven’t been able to arrest Dimitri.
They are foreigners in the employ of a foreign embassy.
Diplomatic immunity and all that. Have you made any progress with the code?
We need to know what information is in those coded messages.
It might be the proof that we need or, at the very least, a clue. ”
“No. I haven’t made much progress, but my mind has been otherwise occupied,” Nathaniel replied. “I’ll keep working on it. What about the other man? The Englishman?”
“What about him? I need a better description from you, so we can at least try to narrow down the possible suspects.”
“Well, at least John is not a suspect anymore,” Alice said, throwing a smug glance his way. “The man we saw was taller, more corpulent, and his voice was different as well.”
“In fact, the man was similar in height and build to you, Dalton. But rounder around the middle. I only saw him in the shadows, but something about his profile reminded me of you.”
“Yes!” Alice turned to Nathaniel. “I kept thinking that he sounded familiar, but I think it was just that he looked like Dalton.”
Dalton’s gaze had become sharp. Focused.
Bouncing between the two of them. “I need to know what’s in those papers.
Now more than ever. If my suspicions are true…
” He shook his head. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Stay focused. Now more than ever, we need to find out who’s involved and what their aim is.
I’m afraid this may be bigger than any of us imagined. ”
They left Dalton’s office, and he dropped Alice off at home. She turned at the door. “Are you coming in?”
Oh, how he longed to stay with her. There was a time when his coming in and staying over was a given.
Back when they called this house their home.
How he wished they could move in together again.
But she wasn’t ready yet. It was too soon.
Patience. He reminded himself. Stick to the plan.
Give her time to think, space to breathe. She would come around.
“Not now. You heard Dalton, I need to work on deciphering those documents, and between the issue at my estate, and all the other personal revelations, I’ve barely had the time or the mind to work on it.”
“We could work on it together. I’ll help you.”
“Alice, we both know that if I enter this house, the last thing I’m going to want to do is work on those ciphers. You are too much of a distraction, and I need to focus.”
“Very well then.” Her smile was tense, and her gaze was anxious, unsure. But she was too proud to insist. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Perhaps.” He snaked his arm around her waist and captured her mouth in a quick, hard kiss. It was over in an instant. Anything longer, and he would lose the will to leave. “I’ll let you know when I’ve made some progress.”
With that, he trotted down the steps and got into his waiting carriage. To go to his cold and empty house. Soon. He reminded himself. Soon, his home would be with Alice again.
Three days later, Nathaniel spread the final page of his transcription across Dalton’s desk.
Hours of labor, deciphering document after document, had finally borne fruit.
It hadn’t been easy, but with the end in sight, and a renewed purpose borne from wanting to win Alice back, his mind had finally achieved that state of acute focus necessary for code-breaking work.
He had barely slept, eaten at his desk, while still working on it.
But at last, he had triumphed; the code was broken.
“Here,” he said, voice low but steady. “This is most of it.”
Dalton bent forward, brows furrowed, his gaze skimming the names and the notes written next to each. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he reached the end.
The silence stretched.
Nathaniel shifted, his own gut twisting. “It appears,” he said at last, “that they’ve marked men of consequence. Members of the Lords—yourself included—and several from the Commons. Not merely political figures, but men of influence. The pattern suggests—”
“A bid to seize control of our government.” Dalton’s voice was grim, clipped. He set the papers down as though they’d burned him.
Nathaniel inclined his head. “That was my conclusion as well. Whoever orchestrated this has a keen eye for pressure points. A scandal here, a weakness there, and suddenly Parliament bends to their will.”
“It won’t be allowed.” Dalton’s frown deepened, the weight of it settling over the room. He exhaled, sharp. “Leave me, Nathaniel. I must consider what this means.”
“I will continue to work on the cipher,” Nathaniel pressed, unwilling to let go. “There are still fragments. The identity of Lord A remains obscured. If we can—”
“No.” Dalton’s hand cut through the air, firm. “There is no need. I have a strong suspicion as to who this Lord A may be.” His eyes hardened. “If I am right, this is more sinister than I imagined.”
Nathaniel’s pulse quickened. “Then let me and Alice help—”
“You and Alice have done enough.” Dalton leaned forward, intensity darkening his gaze. “Go home to your wife. You are lucky you got a second chance with the woman you love. Don’t squander it.”
Was Dalton thinking of his own marriage?
There would be no second chance for the duke, for his beloved wife had died.
Lost at sea. A pang cut through Nathaniel’s chest. God, how did Dalton bear it?
He would go mad if something happened to Alice…
He masked his reaction with cool reserve.
“Alice does not yet consider herself my wife in truth. She does not think she can be a viscountess.”
Dalton’s expression softened, the grim lines easing for a fleeting moment, and Nathaniel got a glimpse of the sadness that lurked under the ruthless spymaster’s exterior.
“That is nonsense. She loves you. I have seen it. Do not let her talk herself out of happiness. Stay close to her. Protect her, if need be, even from her own demons.”
Nathaniel’s heart gave an unruly thump. Dalton’s words struck too near the bone. “That is my intention. But it may take some time. You know how stubborn she can be.”
“She will come around.” Dalton’s mouth curved into something that was not quite a smile, not quite reassurance. “But, Nathaniel?”
Dalton waited until he looked at him. “Yes?”
“Don’t let your guard down. Who is your heir?”
Nathaniel frowned at the non-sequitur. His heir? He hadn’t considered it. “Some distant cousin, I assume. My mother probably knows better than I do.”
“Find out who he is, and keep an eye on him. If my suspicions are correct, though your name is not yet on that list, you may still be a target. After all, you are a very active and vocal member of the House of Lords who has no heir apparent.”
“You think there’s danger afoot.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Isn’t there always?”
Nathaniel stared at him, unsettled. “I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to—for now.” Dalton straightened, shoulders squared. “The investigation is finished. You and Alice gave me what I needed. Now the next move belongs to me.”
Nathaniel studied him for a long moment, searching Dalton’s eyes for the truth he withheld. He found only iron determination.
At last, Nathaniel inclined his head. “Take care, then. For both our sakes.”
With that, he inclined his head and exited the office, closing the door softly behind him.
Nathaniel strode down the imposing corridor of the new Foreign Office’s headquarters, anticipation lending speed to his steps.
One mission concluded. Now on to his most important endeavor; winning his wife back.
If only that were as easy as breaking a code.
But no matter. He had patience, determination, and most of all, a burning need for his wife. In the mission for her heart, failure was not an option.