Truly a Wife (Free Fellows League 4)

“I apologize,” Daniel told him, surrendering his hat and gloves to the butler. “For the delay.”

“Not to worry,” Colin said. “Barclay explained that you were running behind schedule this morning, so Gilly and I took advantage of it and lingered over breakfast.”

Daniel looked around for Colin’s wife, Gillian, and for his cousin.

“Gillian’s in the room next door working on the cipher codes. Barclay stayed for a cup of coffee, then left for the club,” Colin said. “We thought it best we continue with our normal routine.”

“I suggested meeting with you at your home because I needed you and Lady Grantham to confirm separate discoveries I’ve made and suspicions I’ve had. Beginning with my mission to France.”

Colin ran his fingers through his hair and frowned, “What sort of trouble did you have in the Channel?”

“An English frigate and the coast watch at Calais,” Daniel explained. “We were caught between the two when they started firing at each other.”

Colin was silent a moment longer. “An English frigate engaged the coast watch at Calais?” He’d been making smuggling runs to and from Calais for nearly three years, and he’d never known any British ship to fire upon the French coast watch for any reason. It didn’t make sense. An English frigate patrolling the English side of the Channel couldn’t hit moving targets on the French coast. “The foot coast watch? Are you sure they weren’t shooting at you?”

“Positive,” Daniel replied. “The coast watch fired at us and one or two of the balls hit the boat, but the frigate never saw us.”

“So no one was hurt?”

Daniel made a face. “We suffered two minor injuries and one slightly more serious one.”

“How serious?”

“The rifle ball passed through my right side and bounced off my ribs.”

“Your ribs?” Colin’s Scottish burr grew more pronounced with his agitation.

“Aye,” Daniel replied. “My ribs. I was shot in the back as we rowed toward shore.”

“In the back?” Colin was surprised. “But that would mean that …”

“I was shot by someone on the English side of the Channel. Presumably someone on the frigate.”

“An English frigate firing upon the coast watch shouldn’t have been firing down at the water.”

“Exactly,” Daniel said.

“Could they have been providing cover for you?”

“It’s possible,” Daniel speculated, “but they would have had to have known we were there in order to provide cover, and the fog was so thick the frigate nearly rammed us before we could get out of the way, yet it gave no indication that it knew we were there.”

“And if it knew you were there, why didn’t they shoot you or arrest you for smuggling?” Colin thought for a moment. “As far as I know, we didn’t alert the Royal Navy to ask for cover. But someone either knew you were there … or expected you to be.” He looked at Daniel. “Did you catch sight of the name of the frigate?”

“I didn’t,” Daniel admitted. “One of the crew might have.”

Colin frowned again. “Without the name of the frigate, we have no way of knowing if they knew you were there.”

“I may have a way,” Daniel said.

“How?”

“A list of all the officers serving on frigates patrolling those waters should provide the answer.”

“You’ve someone in particular in mind, haven’t you?” Colin asked.

“What I have at the moment is only a suspicion,” Daniel offered, walking rather stiffly over to the window and opening the drapes to look down at the street below, where a familiar carriage was parked on the opposite side of the street.

“A suspicion?”