“I read about that operation in the papers,” he said. “An entire smuggling ring was brought down. Not only the smugglers but the men who transported the contraband throughout the country. Over fifteen men and women were arrested for their roles in the operation.”
“I’m aware. I had evidence for the guilt of every single one of them.”
“You were in charge of that operation?” He’d been impressed with her before, but it seemed every day his admiration grew.
“In a manner of speaking.” She’d started toward the wooded area and headed toward a large log. “I took the assignment to investigate because no one else wanted it. There’s no glory in investigating customs evasion. It’s practically routine. I just thought there might be more to this case and the Home Secretary was happy to appease the customs agents by assigning someone to look into it.”
“I imagine there are any number of agents for the Home Office who now wished they’d taken the case.”
She smiled and peered over the edge of the wide log. “These days, I doubt there is a case of customs evasion that doesn’t have at least three agents looking into it. And I didn’t do it alone. There were several agents who didn’t treat me as though my job was to fetch tea for every man in the agency. Men who didn’t mind when I spoke up and listened when I had something to say. We worked together to uncover the smuggling operation.”
As Duncan made his way around the log, he realized he hadn’t given Margaret and Lucy enough credit. He’d respected them as agents and didn’t question for a moment that they belonged as members of the Royal Saboteurs. Some of the other male agents were less accepting of them, but Baron wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect among the agents at the Farm, so though Duncan might hear the men grumble, they never said anything openly.
He supposed he must have realized that Lucy and Margaret had faced greater obstacles than he or the other men to be at the Farm, but Lucy had just made it clear that she’d overcome odds he had never imagined, much less encountered.
“And you thought Uncle Winn only invited me because he was friends with my parents,” she said.
Duncan shook his head. “I never thought that. Anyone who meets you knows immediately how clever and observant you are.”
Her cheeks turned pink. Interesting. She wasn’t used to compliments. She cleared her throat. “I promise you that most men who meet me never notice me at all.”
Duncan couldn’t believe that for even a moment. She was far too pretty and charming to go unnoticed by any man.
“What is that?” she asked, pointing to the dirt on the other side of the log.
“Dirt and leaves,” Duncan said, moving closer.
“There’s something buried there.”
“I don’t think so.” Duncan had no desire to dig in the dirt, so she could change the subject from his compliments.
“Well, if you won’t look, I will.” She started around the log, and Duncan sighed and used his toe to push the leaves aside. He bent closer. He’d be damned if she wasn’t correct. There was something there. Now that he looked, there was the glint of metal.
By the time she reached him, he was on his knees and had the object revealed. “Some sort of dagger,” he said.
“That’s curious.” She looked in the direction of Pembroke Lodge. “Who would hide a dagger here?”
“We don’t know it was hidden. Perhaps it was merely dropped.”
She bent and picked up the tattered piece of cloth the dagger had most likely been wrapped in. Some animal had probably smelled the cloth and dug it up so the dagger was easily spotted—well, at least easily spotted by Lucy. Clearly, he hadn’t seen it at all.
“It might have been dropped,” she said. “But it might have been hidden here.” She looked up. “For a more sinister purpose.”
