Truly a Wife (Free Fellows League 4)

“If the messages do not leave your person until you give them to Shepherdston and to Lord Bathhurst’s representative, how do we explain the discrepancies in them?” Daniel asked.

“What discrepancies?” Lord Weymouth demanded. “I’m not aware of any discrepancies.”

Daniel turned to Griffin. “He doesn’t know about the list?”

Griff shook his head. “I haven’t had the opportunity to tell him yet.”

“What list?” Weymouth demanded.

“Colin, you’re the one who deciphered the message.” Griffin looked over at Colin. “Tell Father what you discovered.”

Colin quickly relayed the details of the dispatches he and Gillian had deciphered about the plot to assassinate Wellington and other prominent members of the English government—including them.

“Good lord!” Weymouth exclaimed. “Even Bathhurst’s name is on the list and his primary job was to assemble the men in Abchurch Lane and to collect their reports and present the information to the Prime Minister.”

“Is Lord Bathhurst privy to our comings and goings?” Colin asked.

“He knows the approximate dates of your arrivals,” Lord Weymouth told them. “Because he receives status reports and copies of the dispatches. He doesn’t know who you are or whether you act alone or as a group, and neither he nor I know exactly when one of you leaves.” He looked at each man in turn. “I didn’t know who you were until now. Shepherdston is very protective. He’s never volunteered the information and I’ve never required it. I trust Shepherdston to have the best men possible.” He looked up and smiled. “And I’m happy to confirm that he does.”

“If the only time the dispatches leave your possession is to go into Jarrod’s and Lord Bathhurst’s hands, we’ve found the source of the problem,” Jonathan concluded. “Since Jarrod is above reproach and the dispatches he has deciphered are extremely accurate, the only reason for the other deciphered messages not to be accurate is if the ciphers are making mistakes or not receiving the complete dispatches.”

“And since Colin and his colleague have provided the men in Abchurch Lane with the latest cipher tables, there should be no mistakes in the deciphering,” the Marquess of Courtland continued.

“So the other ciphers aren’t getting the complete dispatches.” Colin ran his fingers through his hair. “Because Lord Bathhurst’s representative is withholding information.”

“And Lord Bathhurst’s representative is?” Daniel prompted.

“His private secretary, Lord Espy,” Lord Weymouth confirmed.

“Espy!” Alex Courtland gasped. “Are you certain?”

“I wasn’t,” Daniel answered. “But now I’m almost positive. It certainly supports my theory.”

“What theory?” Lord Weymouth asked.

“The theory that you’re about to be blamed for the failure of our intelligence and for the assassination attempts—whether successful or unsuccessful—of some of our most prominent members of government, including your political rival and immediate superior, Lord Bathhurst.” Daniel sat down on his favorite leather chair and poured himself a cup of coffee from the silver pot on the tray at his elbow.

“Me?” Lord Weymouth was incredulous.

Daniel took a sip of coffee and nodded.

“Why?” Griffin demanded, propping his aching leg on the closest ottoman.

“Politics,” Lord Weymouth answered softly. “Lord Bathhurst and I have been political rivals for years. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister dislikes Lord Bathhurst and enjoys playing us off one another. Bathhurst is my superior at the War Office, but I have the ear of the Prime Minister and the Prince Regent. Successes credited to me reflect badly on Lord Bathhurst, and successes credited to him are often the result of my efforts. I report to Bathhurst, so the work I do behind the scenes makes him look very good, but he doesn’t like the fact that I am the force behind a great deal of his success. He undermines me every chance he gets in a game of political cat and mouse that does none of us any good. Unfortunately, what looks bad for me can be made to look very good for Lord Bathhurst because he’s able to change facts and shift the blame onto my shoulders.”

Griffin looked at his father. “Fortunately, you have very broad shoulders.”

“But if anything goes wrong with the intelligence we’ve collected or any of the men on the list we intercepted become victims of assassination or attempted assassination, your father must ultimately accept the blame,” Daniel added.

“And resign my post.” Griffin’s father closed his eyes and released a long, slow breath.

“Tell me this, Lord Weymouth,” Colin began, “would you happen to know if Lord Espy has a brother in the Navy?”

“Two, I think.” Lord Weymouth pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. “One assigned to a ship out of Barbados and the other commands the HMS Colchester, a frigate that patrols—”

“The Dover coast,” Jonathan finished.

“Yes.” Lord Weymouth turned to look at Barclay. “Is that significant?”