Beyond a Doubt

chapter Forty-Three




“You did what!” yelled Max.

“I—“

“Olga, how could you! We don’t know if she is the one we seek. And even if she is L.L., how could you just give away the code like that? I can’t believe it.”

Maximilian raved for over an hour, while Gustav remained eerily silent.

Confidence in her decision wavered as Max’s voice increased. He stomped around the room, clenching and unclenching his fists, shaking them toward the ceiling. Olga hadn’t expected such anger.

“Gustav, have you nothing to say? Olga has shared vital information and you sit there. I know she is your sister, but still you must say something.”

Olga waited. Gustav was not one to mince words. She had gone over everyone’s heads by sharing the information with Bryce. Doing so could lead not only to her death, but many others as well. The burden of causing such a catastrophe rested heavily on her heart.

“Max, I must say what Olga has done is a bit unusual.”

Max guffawed.

“But perhaps this is not entirely a bad thing.”

Olga relaxed, breathing a little easier, but still Max grunted and fumed. Gustav raised his hand. “Let me finish. If Miss Lombard is not involved, she will think nothing of the words Olga uttered and go about her way. However, if she has ties to our movement, then perhaps she will discover the code and help us achieve our goals.”

Olga noticed how Gustav failed to mention that L.L. could indeed be Lucille Lombard. Still, knowing he defended her filled her with hope.

As the men talked over options and strategies, Olga walked along the hallway. In the nursery she found a seat and watched her sleeping children. Their chests rose and fell as they exhaled tiny puffs of air. Watching them reminded Olga of Lucille.

Barely in her twenties, short and childlike, Lucille bore watching. No doubt men pursued the young lady on a regular basis. And what of the tall, broad-shouldered, plain man? The one who held kindness in his eyes and stayed by her side? Ignoring the two of them wouldn’t be possible.

When she’d first separated the Scot from his lady, there had been no intention of telling him what she knew, which amounted to very little. But when he spoke and his Scottish accent flowed, Olga knew. Lucille Lombard was the one. No matter whether anyone believed her or not, she was the spy they sought.

****

The Townsend twins were in bed by the time the rented carriage pulled up outside their door. Bryce had remained silent most of the night, which only caused Lucy’s fears to increase.

Once inside the house Bryce stated, “I’m off to bed.”

Confused, Lucy grabbed his arm, pulling him back to her. “I think not. I know something has happened. Now we are alone, I expect to hear it.”

Bryce shrugged. The action infuriated her. In recent days the man had come out of his shell; reverting back to this action was unacceptable.

“Bryce Cameron, I will not have it. Do you understand? No shrugging, no avoiding. Tell me what you learned this instant or I will... I will kiss it out of you.” As soon as the words left her lips, her face burned hot. A quick glance at Bryce revealed his upraised brow.

“Maybe that is a good reason for me to remain silent?” he asked.

The teasing at any other time would have been acceptable and even delightful, but not today. She removed her constricting collar and set it aside. Next she untied the framework under her dress and it fell to the floor. Lucy sat in the nearest chair.

“Bryce, as much fun as I know it would be, I feel our time is limited. We really must discuss this matter. Won’t you tell me what you learned?”

While Bryce had danced with the lady, Lucy had been whisked away by the man from outside her home, the one who had been driving the carriage with the bent wheel. She had no doubt that she’d been found out. It had been only a matter of time anyway.

He had guided Lucy to a table to join other guests. Then, once seated, he had attempted to abscond with her pouch. The item had lain on the table within reach of her fingertips when his hand had closed around it. With a tug on the cord she had pulled it into her lap. The innocent smile pasted on his face hadn't fooled her one bit.

After several more attempts, Lucy had stood to take her leave, but before she’d left, she had made sure to loudly tell the others about the man’s fascination for women’s personal items. The man had blinked, gathered his wits, and explained to the group that it was all a misunderstanding.

She might have been more inclined to believe him had Bryce not been detained in a similar fashion by the couple’s female half.

Now that they were back at the Townsends’ house, Lucy needed to know what the woman had told Bryce. She waited patiently but when he didn’t answer, she said, “Well?”

Without preamble he said, “The lady said the answers we sought could be found in a place dear to your heart.”

“What?”

“That’s all she said.”

“But what does it mean?”

“She didn’t say.”

“Did she know I’m –“

“I don’t think so. I think she was just guessin’. In fact, she acted nervous, like she might be doin’ something wrong.”

“So your opinion is she was trying to help the agent, hoping I was the one?”

“Aye, that about sums it up.”

If Bryce was correct, they finally had a lead. Now they needed to figure out what it meant.

Lucy shared her ideas aloud. “Obviously they don’t know the true identity of the spy. And there is no other person ready to take Joshua's place. They are trying to find me as I am trying to find them.

“Instead of asking for the message, they are giving me a way to decode it and deliver it myself.”

With each spoken word, new matters came to light. The man and woman they had met worked together. Their earlier warning had been meant to protect her. At the ball the man had indeed sought the message within her pouch. The question remained, why did one seek to take the message while the other attempted to help her decode it on her own?

She sucked her lower lip between her teeth as she paced. The heat from Bryce’s gaze was palpable. She turned to face him. “We must decode the meaning of what the woman told you.”

“Aye.”

She paced and mumbled the clue over and over. No one place readily came to mind. “Dear to her heart,” what did it mean?

“Maybe its yer house.” The spoken words startled her and she settled back into a chair.

“Let’s hope not. There is no way the code could remain hidden after the house’s destruction.” The scene when they’d returned home from the park raced through her weary mind.

“What about a place ye visited often as a child?”

“That could be many places. The park, our country home, France, Father’s office…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she jumped to her feet. “That has to be it! Father’s office, of course. I spent almost as much time there as I did at home. No place could be dearer to my heart.”

Sudden realization hit and she slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead. “I don’t have the key. And besides that, I’m sure the office has been emptied. His partner graciously allowed me to leave everything intact, but it has been so long anything could have happened by now.”

“I guess we will have to go see.”

“Let me grab my—“

“Not now, tomorrow. Lass, ye need the rest or ye are goin’ to collapse.”

“But—“

“Nay. March up to the guest room, remove yer gown, and go to sleep.”

“What if the office is searched before we get there? If we wait, it may be too late.”

“And if we rush over there in the middle of the night, we might be discovered and unable to defend ourselves verbally or physically. Ye have to trust me. I have a feeling if it was that easy to find, then they wouldn’t still be lookin’ for it.”

Weariness overtook her, and as much as she hated it, she had no choice but to agree. She stood to go to her room. Before she realized what she was doing, she bent over and kissed his brow.

Lucy stood and walked backward out of the room. Bryce massaged the place where her lips had been, the corner of his lips twisted in a smile.

She stopped at the door and studied him. She had asked him to stay and help, and he’d accepted the challenge. At least it seemed as if he had.

Her pulse increased as his smile broadened and he nodded goodnight. Walking up to her room, she was happy in the knowledge that she would be with him awhile longer.