Lucy’s eyes were wide when she looked up. “Her? Do you think he sent Margaret on a mission?”
“I think he must have.”
“But Cal and Bridget were in London recently.” She looked back at the paper. “He says the agent was tracked to London, which means whomever Baron sent didn’t start in London. He probably sent Margaret to Liverpool, and she traced the agent to London.”
“If he’s injured, the union men might have discovered his true identity and hurt him to keep him silent.”
Lucy extinguished the lamp. “One of the owners of the factory could have done that just as easily.”
Duncan smiled. She would not be swayed from her theory. She tucked the papers into her pocket. “You’ll have to burn those,” Duncan reminded her, though he knew she didn’t need to be told.
She waved a hand and took her position at the window. “What did you make of Lord John not having been told about the vagrant?”
“I think the staff didn’t want to alarm him, especially in light of the incident with the nanny spotting a thief or what-have-you coming through the window.”
“It would have alarmed him,” Lucy agreed. “And the staff doesn’t know about the threat against his son, so Mrs. Cox might not have felt compelled to reveal another incident.”
Duncan moved behind Lucy, looking out at the dark night. Outside, he could hear the croak of frogs and the chirp of insects. “Are we certain she told Mrs. Cox?”
Lucy turned. “As opposed to McAlpin?”
Duncan didn’t speak. He met her gaze and tried not to think about kissing her. Despite the hours they had spent in each other’s company of late, it hadn’t become any easier to keep from touching her.
Lucy drew in a breath. “You don’t think she mentioned it to either of them.”
“I don’t know.”
“Wait a minute.” She paced away from him then turned abruptly back. “She told me about it at a time no one else was present. At least I don’t think Wilhemina was there. Perhaps she was, but I think we were alone in the nursery.”
“What was the context of the conversation?”
Lucy tapped her nose. It was a habit of hers when she was thinking hard. She would tap the top of her nose as though that action might draw the answer from her brain. As with almost everything she did, he found it adorable.
“She was warning me about taking Johnny out on the grounds. She said it wasn’t safe to wander too far. It was better to stay close to the lodge.”
“It’s no secret you take him for walks each day. She might simply be worried about you.”
“Or worried I might go somewhere or see something I’m not meant to.”
Duncan raised his brows. “You think she fabricated the story about the vagrant.”
Lucy tapped her nose again then sighed. “No. There was real fear in her eyes when she told me. I think she was telling the truth. She might have been too afraid to mention it to Mrs. Cox or, as we said, Mrs. Cox might not have wanted to worry Lord John. I suppose we’d better determine if she told anyone else. Yes, we—” She squinted out the window and then swore. She dropped down immediately.
Duncan was already standing to the side of the window, but he stepped back anyway. “What is it?” he hissed.
“Someone is coming.”
