Chapter Twelve
Lord Warwick sighed heavily as he lowered himself into a chair. Amanda was with him every moment. Refusing to leave his side until he was seated comfortably, then pulling the other chair closer to his and sitting down.
He noticed that the Prime Minister didn’t sit until she was seated. At least there was one gentleman in the room, but it was just impossible to remain standing any longer.
She sat up straight, her hands folded primly in front of her as her eyes gave him a concerned look, obviously terrified he was going to keel over at any moment.
The Prime Minister shot him a studied look as he raised an eyebrow.
“What happened?”
Lord Warwick took a deep breath, “I was shot, over two weeks ago. Twice. If not for Miss Waters. I would surely have succumbed to my wounds. And no, I don’t know who, but I have my suspicions. Luckily, Miss Waters and I were acquainted through our mutual friend Nathanial Caldwell. She resides rather near where I was attacked. I made my way to her home and collapsed.”
The Prime Minister glanced at her a little differently. Knowing she was a friend of Nathanial’s would do that to a man. Then pulling his eyes back to Lord Warwick, he said, “Why didn’t you send word?”
Lord Warwick used his good shoulder to shrug. “I don’t know who to trust. I thought it better to let my attacker think he had succeeded. Besides, I had a very good nurse.”
He glanced over and caught a pretty pink blush that made him smile.
The Prime Minister nodded sagely then turned to Amanda. “Thank you, Miss Waters. You have done a service for crown and country of immense importance. I don’t like to admit it, but the crown has come to rely on this man much more than is prudent.”
Amanda swallowed hard as she frantically tried to develop the right response.
The Prime Minister, however, didn’t wait for her reply. Instead, he turned to Lord Warwick.
“Matters have changed. But before I inform you of the details. Why don’t you bring me up to date.”
Lord Warwick gritted his teeth. His leg was barking with pain. He had overdone it to reach this room and now he was expected to provide a detailed report. Both his hands gripped the chair arms as every muscle in his body screamed at him.
“Sir,” Amanda said addressing the Prime Minister. “I mean, My lord. Perhaps I could tell you. Lord Warwick will need a minute to recover.”
The Prime Minister’s eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead.
Lord Warwick bit back a smile then nodded his approval.
The Prime Minister shrugged and leaned back in his chair.
Amanda took a deep breath next to him then began. She informed the prime minister of Lord Warwick’s arrival on her entrance way floor. Of his insistence on keeping his presence secret. She told the man about discovering his mission. Making sure to deflect any blame away from Lord Warwick.”
The Earl of Warwick had to smile at the idea of this young woman worrying about protecting him. Lord Liverpool caught it and smiled back.
Amanda continued on, finally telling the prime minister how she obtained Lord Hicks’ ledger.
The prime minister glanced over at Lord Warwick and silently asked if this was correct.
“It wasn’t my idea, sir, But I’m not fool enough to waste an opportunity.”
Amanda ignored him and continued with her tail. “We were able to identify Frederick Bartholomew …”
“We knew of him already, didn’t we?” The prime minister interrupted.
“Yes,” she continued before he could respond. “But now we know how much he was paid and when. We also identified Lady Simpson. At least, I believe we did.”
Lord Warwick smiled to himself. He was proud of her. She was giving a concise report. Most men he knew would have been shaking int heir boots but not his Miss Amanda. The woman was remarkable.
When she had completed her report she glanced at him as if asking if she had missed anything.
“What she left out,” he told the prime minister. “Is that she was able to leave the original document in place and provide me a complete replication from memory. Everything, dates, amounts, initials.
The prime Minister eyes grew wide as he glanced at Amanda again. Lord Warwick felt a sense of pride. The man was rarely impressed and he didn’t suffer fools lightly, but Amanda impressed him.
“Good,” he said. “I am not surprised about Lady Simpson, the woman has always resembled a snake in my mind. Something about those darting eyes of her.”
Amanda frowned. “Excuse me, My Lord. You don’t seem surprised that a woman could be involved.”
The Prime Minister laughed. “You don’t know the women I know, Miss Waters. Half of them would sell their honor to the highest bidder if they thought they could get away with it.”
Amanda nodded but remained silent. She knew when not to press matters. Again, impressive.
The Prime Minister turned to Lord Warwick. “Perchance, might the initials VB reside on said list?”
Warwick began to remove the list from his pocket when Amada interrupted him. “Yes, My Lord. He is on it twice, paid five hundred pounds on October seventeenth of last year and again January Eighth of this year.”
The Prime Minister nodded. “I thought so.”
“Why?”
“Sir Victor Barclay,” the Prime Minister said as if it were obvious? “It seems he took his life late yesterday. A pistol at zero paces. Gambling debts that could not be repaid.”
Warwick frowned as he scrambled to remember what he could of the man. A former colonel in a Leicester Regiment. A minor landowner in the Midlands. Friends with several connected members of the house of commons.
“Why do you believe he would be on the list?” Warwick asked.
“Castlereagh,” The Prime Minister said. Then turning to Amanda he added, “Viscount Castlereagh, our Foreign Secretary. He mentioned that a few weeks ago, Barclay was pressing him for information about Wellesley’s return. Somehow he discovered that General Wellesley was returning from Portugal for discussions. Barclay wanted to know when exactly. Said he wanted to offer his services directly to the general.
“Information that France would pay dearly for,” the prime minister added as he shook his head. “Enough to pull him out of his debt, I assume. It appears he was unable to obtain the information he wanted.”
“I need to go there,” Lord Warwick said as he shuffled to the front of his chair and prepared to rise. “His papers, books. Maybe there is something there.”
“Lord Warwick?” Amanda said as she put out a hand to his arm. “You need to rest.”
The Prime Minister nodded in agreement with Amanda. “Miss Waters is correct. You do me no good if you are dead. I don’t have time to teach someone new.”
Lord Warwick slumped back into the chair. “I need to examine everything.”
The Prime Minister sighed then said. “I will place guards on his home. No one will be allowed to enter except for yourself. A few days won’t matter. Rest, recuperate.
Warwick sighed as he slumped into the chair. The thought of going on had depressed him. He just didn’t have the energy he needed.
“My Lord,” Amanda interrupted. “Can someone explain to me why these people would help Napoleon? After all, isn’t the monster set on destroying everything British? That has been France’s desire for the last seven hundred years. Don’t these people of high standing have the most to lose? Lord Hicks, Lady Simpson, Sir Barclay, even Mr. Bartholomew.
The Prime Minister smiled. “You are correct. But many people believe Napoleon conquering this island is inevitable. After all, he has the strongest military since the Roman Empire. To them, it is only a matter of time. Perhaps they hope to curry favor with their future overlords. For men such as Hicks, it is their only chance of having a title of their own.”
Lord Warwick watched Amanda’s emotions change from sadness to anger. Oh, these people need to worry. To have someone like Amanda Waters on their trail would be their worst nightmare.
.o0o.
Once again on the street, Lord Warwick sighed heavily. There was so much to do and so little time.
Amanda gave his address to the driver. He decided not to fight her on it, he just didn’t have the strength. Pulling himself into the cab, he collapsed into the corner as his mind raced with plans and ideas. Grimacing, he shifted to straighten his leg.
“You need to rest,” Amanda said with that controlling tone of hers that always made him want to resist. No one was allowed to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do. It just wasn’t done. But, perhaps this once, he might just do as he was told.
Closing his eyes he lay his head against the squabs and tried to forget about the pain.
His eyes had barely closed when the cab pulled to a stop in front of his home.
“Stay here,” he said to her as he pulled himself towards the door. “I don’t think anyone recognized me this morning. I was in error, I never should have allowed you out of the carriage.”
Amanda scoffed at him as she scurried down from the cab. The fact that she refused to do as she was told just confirmed the fact that this woman was very different. Once down, she adjusted her dress then held the door for him. Her other hand outstretched, ready to catch him if he had difficulty.
A sharp sense of shame washed through him. He was supposed to be out there helping her down. This sense of helplessness was becoming rather bothersome.
“Amanda,” He said as he glanced up and down the empty street. Suddenly, a sense of loss filled him. He caught a hint of her lavender and rose perfume and his stomach clenched up. Oh, how he was going to miss that scent.
He looked down at her as she stared up at him, the two of them locked in a secret world of their own.
“It’s over, isn’t it,” she said. “You’re going to go off and do what you do and leave me behind. Aren’t you.”
His gut twisted, she was going to miss the chase. He could see it in her eyes. That hunger for the hunt. But what of him. Would she miss him, even a little? What of their discussions. Their talks. Oh, how he would miss them.
“I will keep you abreast of the situation as it unfolds, I promise.”
A pretty pout crossed her face. “It isn’t fair. You’ve exposed me to a whole new world. To things I couldn’t have even imagined. I was just in talks with the Prime Minister for heaven sakes. And now you are going to pull it away.”
He studied her for a moment. Was she talking about his mission or him? Was she regretting the fact that he would no longer be a part of her life?
She continued to stare up at him as if he were special as if he were needed in her life. His heart began to race as he realized just how much he wanted this woman. As he leaned forward to take her in his arms, he remembered that he was standing in the middle of a rather reserved neighborhood, not exactly known for public displays.
Sighing heavily he stepped back.
“Amanda,” he said again. “We are not done, we have many things to accomplish yet. Many things to share.”
Her eyes grew big as she began to understand the true meaning behind his words then smiled slightly and nodded.
“I look forward to it, Lord Warwick. I do believe we will … ‘Accomplish’ … wonderful things.
He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. The woman was remarkable.
She stepped back and pointed to his home. “Go,” she said. “I am not leaving until I see you safely inside.”
He rolled his eyes. The woman was too demanding and assumed too much privilege when it came to his actions. But perhaps this was best. If he stayed much longer he would forget his honor.
Bowing slightly, he said, “Miss Waters, you are a remarkable person. A person I am going to enjoy getting to know better. Please be safe.”
She blushed prettily but continued to point to the door. “Do I need to get Peters?” She wasn’t going to let him delay.
Sighing, he gave her one last smile and turned to his home. At the door, he turned to look back. She continued to stand there, daring him to ignore her. Laughing to himself he shook his head and entered his home.
But as he stepped over the threshold, he knew with every fiber of his being that he was not done with Miss Amanda Waters. The woman had become too important.