Page 108 of The Bachelor Spy
Blake tipped his head in assent. “You are quite right.” He moved to step around Frederick, then paused, placing a palm on his arm. “It’s a nasty business, Freddie.” He hesitated, drawing in a breath, his gaze locking with his cousin’s. The weight in the look settled over him. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
Frederick’s chest constricted so tightly his breath barely squeezed through. That was no haphazard comment from his cousin. It was a hint of the peril Blake knew he was about to encounter. Life-threatening peril.
It was his way of letting Frederick know that … he cared.
If the worst happened …
“Blake!” Frederick called.
His cousin turned, Miss Montgomery at his side.
“Try to stay as safe as you are able.”
He couldn’t see the warmth in his cousin’s eyes—not something so detailed at this distance. But he felt it in the familiar crook of the man’s smile. The subtle shift in his shoulders.
“As safe as I am able,” Blake repeated. He doffed an imaginary hat, held Frederick’s gaze for a moment longer, and then exited with Miss Montgomery behind.
Frederick turned back to the room, suddenly aware of Grace’s hand squeezing his. He looked down at her, her face close enough for him to make out her expression.
She saw. She understood.
“They must go about their own case, Frederick. The one they were trained for,” she whispered, nodding toward the window. “This one is ours.”
“Case, madam?” Brandon’s question pulled Frederick’s attention to the butler.
Ah, right.
“Brandon, there’s no other man in this house I trust more than Blake besides you.” Frederick gestured with his chin toward the document holder. “I’d like your help—yours and Lady Astley’s—to sort out this mess with the thefts.”
“Sir?” The poor man’s voice quavered the slightest bit, though Brandon stood a bit taller, accepting the challenge nonetheless.
“Excellent idea,” Grace added, releasing her hold on Frederick’s hand and carefully moving toward the document holder. “No one keeps better watch around here than dear Mr. Brandon.”
“We need to uncover which document might have been stolen, if any, from the case.” Frederick rounded the other side of the desk, away from the window. “Though I already have my suspicions based on what we know about Pennington.”
“Pennington, my lord?” Brandon repeated. “Private Pennington, you say?”
And as Frederick sifted through the papers—holding them close to his face to make out any familiarity among the print, contracts, or architectural designs—Grace divulged the full history. The military button. The theft suspicions. Pennington’s relation to Crawford. The Astley jewels.
Brandon’s eyes widened with each new revelation.
Then he nodded repeatedly as Grace continued, clearly growing increasingly apprehensive. Which was no wonder, given Grace’s ability to dramatize even the most mundane pieces of information.
At one point, Frederick wondered if the man might need a chair.
“My guess is that Pennington came in here alone tonight,” Grace said, turning toward the window. “So he’s likely still out there somewhere—in the garden or the woods—unless someone inside let him back in like last time.”
“Last time?” Brandon repeated. “You believe Mr. Pennington was the thief before?”
“Oh, certainly.” Grace nodded. “But I don’t think he’ll return to the house this time if he found what he was looking for, because he’d return with added injuries he’d have to explain.”
“Pardon me, but do you mean to say that Private Pennington is lurking about the grounds somewhere this very moment?” Brandon asked, his usual composure slipping. “In order to … re-steal the Astley jewels that were stolen by his grandfather?”
“Indeed.” Frederick nodded toward the butler. “But keep this under your hat for now—about the tunnels, I mean.”
“Of course, sir.”
“In the meantime, once the patients have been counted, organize a few small search parties. Tell them they’re merely in search of Pennington as a thief, nothing more. Pairs only—no one goes alone. Search the grounds thoroughly, paying particular attention to the western woods and the path down to the chapel and ruins.”
