Page 34 of The Duke's Wicked Widow
Sighing, Merida unclamped her hold and settled back atop the desk. “I can’t believe you’ve been working onspystuff under my nose for months. I could have been here helping you, instead of learning to math. Stupid maths.”
Ellie was busy massaging her jaw. “Maths are important.”
“There’s no maths here,” Merida declared dramatically, pointing to the scrap paper with the notations. “Stop stalling and tell me!”
Chuckling, Ellie nodded. “Yes, fine. Come here.”
When she held out her arms the little girl came willingly, sliding into her lap. When Ellie had met her, Merida’s head could tuck under her chin in this position. But she’d grown so quickly in only a year that Ellie had to tip her head to one side so they didn’t bump against one another.
“This is only my scrap notes, see? Everything else I have is copied into these notebooks.” She tapped them, but didn’t bother opening any. “All of the messages look like this; a series of letters.”
“No numbers?” When Ellie shook her head, Merida sighed. “See? Maths are unnecessary in spy work. I should stop learning it immediately.”
Hiding her chuckle, Ellie continued. “These notes appeared in the newspaper. I am friends with the editor and owner of the paper, and she said—”
“The editor’s agirl? I want to own a newspaper when I grow up! And be a spy. And a—”
“Well, perhaps I could arrange for Olivia to give you a tour, before you make any long-term decisions. Would you like that?”
Merida considered carefully. “That’s probably for the best. Besides, I think spying is more fun. Keep talking.”
“Well, Olivia knows who put these coded messages in the paper, and when he started, he said it was just a game he played with his brother. Since he was paying the fees—you have to pay to post advertisements in the paper—she did not think much of it, and did not bother trying to decipher them.”
“Are they important? How many messages are there? Was he a spy? Do you know him? Is he a bad guy?”
Ellie hesitated. “I…do know him.”
The man who posted these ciphers was her father. He was communicating with Uncle William, who’d left the country eighteen months ago, running from the law. He was indeed a “bad guy.”
But earls were rarely prosecuted for their crimes, and now Uncle William was an earl, wasn’t he?
“And is he a bad guy?”
Taking a deep breath, Ellie had to admit, “Yes. For a long time, I did not realize it, but now…”
After Father’s eventual death, Ellie had visited his library. The house—all of Bonkinbone, really—would belong to Uncle William when he returned to claim the title, but the servants had no reason not to allow her entrance.
They—like Father—had no idea Ellie was attempting to decipher Father’s code. She’d gone to his library looking for clues—perhaps a book with the keywords or phrases…but had found much more.
Clearly, Father had expected his brother to be the next person to go through his personal papers, or he would have made a better effort at hiding the damning evidence. Once Ellie had cracked the safe’s code, insultingly easily, she’d found not just correspondence but evidence of bribes, blackmail, and murder.
Her father had been more than complicit in Blackrose’s treason and crimes; he’d been an active participant.
On the advice of Thorne and the rest, she’d made what copies she could, and left the papers in Father’s safe. Uncle William would expect to find them when he returned, and they could afford to do nothing to hint they were planning to bring him to justice.
There is no need to bring Father to justice. He is dead; some could argue justice has been served.
“Ellie?” her stepdaughter prompted. “Were they both bad men? The one who sent the messagesandthe one who got them?”
It was easier to admit it now, somehow. “Yes. Yes, they both were—arebad men. The man who received them is a very bad man.”
An evil man.
Years ago, Blackrose began recruiting young men to work for the good of Britain. They went on dangerous missions, performing harrowing tasks to bring back information vital to Britain’s interests overseas, or to punish men disloyal to the Crown.
Only…Her Majesty’s government knew nothing of these men.
“Of course bad men use codes,” came Merida’s voice from far away.
