Page 44 of A Lord Apart (The Way to a Lord's Heart 2)

She’d certainly been reluctant to talk about it. And what would his efforts to comfort do but reveal that he and Macklin had been poking into her past? A vast frustration descended on Daniel. He wanted to be…something to her.

A knock on the door heralded the entrance of young Tom. “Another letter’s come, my lord. Clayton would’ve brought it, but he’s out.” He handed the folded sheet to Macklin.

“Thank you, Tom.”

“I thought I’d walk up into the hills. Unless I can do anything for you, my lord?”

Macklin merely waved him off, breaking the seal and beginning to read his letter. With a grin, Tom went out. “Ah,” said Macklin after a while.

“More ill news?” The older man’s expression suggested it.

He tapped the page. “This is from Cranbourne. The man I mentioned who is deep in government councils. He suggests that Miss Pendleton may be seen as a way to catch rioters who are still at large.”

“How? Why?”

“Sidmouth’s people have been working to eliminate their refuges. Should any of her brother’s supposed confederates apply to her for help—”

“But she didn’t know anything about them!”

“And from what we’ve learned, her brother probably had none. No sensible radical would want to ally with an inept firebrand. But agents never believe they’ve found the whole truth. Deception is their profession. They see it everywhere.”

“So Miss Pendleton is being watched?”

“That seems possible.”

“Well, you must write your friend and put a stop to it at once.”

“He works in the Foreign Office and has no power to end such an investigation,” Macklin replied. “Nor do I. Sidmouth and I are not friends. I’d be happy to vouch for her character, if I thought it would help. But that might not be a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“In an agent’s mind, a character reference implies a need for justification, and thus some secret wrong.”

“That’s preposterous.”

“When you live in a world of suspicion, everything is suspicious.”

“We can’t just do nothing! When Miss Pendleton has been staked out as bait.”

“I believe you’re overstating the case, Whitfield.”

He didn’t care. He was filled with a burning desire to help her.

“I wonder if any strangers have arrived in the area recently?” said Macklin.

“I’ll find out.” Daniel was glad of some action to take.

“I think it would be better for Tom to ask. He’s a stranger himself and would naturally ask questions. You or your servants will attract attention.”

Daniel struggled with the wish to do it himself. But in the end he had to acknowledge Macklin’s logic. “Do you think the lad is up to such a task?”

“I do. He’s clever and can be surprisingly subtle.”

Thinking of the homely, grinning youngster, Daniel doubted that. Yet he trusted Macklin’s judgment, and the earl knew Tom far better than he did. “If any spies are found, I can send them packing.”

“Not behind Miss Pendleton’s back. I’ve learned my lesson on that sort of interference.”

“She’ll be happy for the assistance,” Daniel said.

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