I sighed. “I am not happy with this. Lady Covington sought me out, and I cannot turn away from her.”
“Of course you can’t.” Daniel covered my restless hand with his. “It is not in your nature.”
The warmth of him stilled me. We’d grown closer in the last month or so, he visiting almost every night for a chat that too often led to kisses. I knew Daniel was waiting for a sign from me that I’d like him to court me more vigorously, but I had yet to give it.
I allowed myself to twine my fingers through his, rewarded by a flare of heat in his eyes.
“They are not in a hurry, whoever it is,” I observed, turning back to our distasteful topic. “If the poison simply makes Lady Covington ill.”
“Slow poison can kill over time,” Daniel said. “Arsenic, for instance, can cause nothing more than a bad stomachache until the last fatal dose. A person can even take a tiny amount of arsenic every day and build up an immunity to it, though it’s dangerous. One miscalculation and . . .” He shrugged.
“Whatever poison it is aside, I would like to know why someone would wish to kill Lady Covington. For her money presumably.”
“You will have to ascertain that for yourself. I couldn’t stay long enough to discover the motives of the entire family. The new Baron Covington inherited the estate and his father’s post on the board of his railway company, but Lady Covington has plenty of funds for herself, from trusts and so forth, and investments, I gather. She also has influence over the railway company’s board, if not an official position on it. A hardheaded lady.”
“I like hardheaded ladies,” I said.
Daniel’s lips twitched. “I wonder why that is? I tend to admire them myself.”
My face heated, and I withdrew my hand. Daniel’s flattery always embarrassed me. “Go on with you.”
Was he contrite? No, indeed. Daniel sent me his flippant grin and returned to his tea and cake.
As he ate, I told him of Lord and Lady Clifford’s arrival and what I’d overheard upstairs. Daniel listened attentively, and I was pleased to see his concern.
“It might be worthwhile to look into Lord Clifford’s affairs,” he said thoughtfully. “He is a crafty fellow—Lady Cynthia isn’t wrong about that.”
I did not ask Daniel how he knew about Lord Clifford. Daniel knew many things about many people.
“Discover why he is truly in London, you mean?” I refilled his cup. “How would we go about doing that?”
“I have some ideas. You are right to be suspicious of his motives. Though he might only wish his daughter to come home, where he can look after her, why wait until now to fetch her?”
“Precisely. Very well then. I will visit Lady Covington and determine whether one of her family or friends is poisoning her, and you will discover things about Lord Clifford. We can reconvene and pool our knowledge.”
Daniel’s mouth turned down glumly. “I might not be able to call on you as often for a time.”
I should not be bothered—Daniel was not required to come here—but a pang touched my heart.
“Are you off to foreign parts again?” I asked lightly. I lifted the teapot to refill my cup, but the pot was empty, and I set it down rather abruptly.
“No more foreign than Berkeley Square.” Daniel cut off the sentence abruptly, disguising his unease by sipping the last of his tea.
“Is this one of your tasks you can tell me nothing about?”
“I’m afraid so.” Daniel set down his cup. “I will not be able to make any deliveries for a time. I need to be careful about being seen as anything but an insipid gentleman of leisure.”
Daniel routinely became other people, and the fact that he’d disguise himself as a well-to-do young man did not amaze me.
“I suppose this is an assignment from your bespectacled gentleman?”
A few months ago, I’d observed Daniel speaking to a tall, rail-thin man with short gray hair and spectacles. Behind those spectacles lay eyes colder than Arctic ice. Daniel had told me later that he worked for this gentleman, though not by choice.
“It is,” Daniel answered quietly.
“Does this gentleman have a name?”
Daniel’s gaze flicked to his empty teacup. “It’s best you know as little about him as possible.”
I shrugged, pretending nonchalance. “I am merely curious.”
“Your curiosity leads you into much danger, Kat. I have to wonder—and worry—what you would do with this knowledge.”
“Nothing at all. But if you vanish without a trace, I’d like to know whom to ask where to begin looking for you.”
Daniel sent me an uneasy look. “Best leave it alone, my love. He is not a man who would take kindly to your blunt questions.”
I was excessively pleased by the fact that Daniel had referred to me as my love, but he might be trying to disarm or distract me, and I refused to let him.
“You know that if you do not tell me, I will attempt to discover his name another way. I could ask Inspector McGregor, for instance.”
Daniel’s dismay was almost comical. “Do not bring McGregor into this. He already despises me, because he knows how foul my master can be.”
His vehemence puzzled me. “That isn’t your fault, surely.”
“My fault because I consent to work for him. I have no choice, but most people don’t know that.” Daniel heaved a sigh. “Very well, but the name goes no further than you. And I only tell you this so you do not harm yourself blundering about trying to discover it.”
“I never blunder about,” I said, indignant.
“Forgive me. I should say you ask decided questions and won’t be put off.” Daniel leaned close, his whisper quiet in the dark kitchen. “His name is Alden Monaghan.”
The name meant absolutely nothing to me. “Never heard of him.”
“Good.” Daniel gave me a nod of relief. “If you had, it would mean you’d come to his attention, and that is not wise.”
“Gracious, if this man is so awful, why is he working for the police?”
Daniel lifted his hands. “That is all I can say about him. He is not to be trifled with, and I’d prefer he know nothing about you or my connection to you.”
His alarm unsettled me. In some countries, the police could arrest a person and hide him away because he knew too much about the wrong things. I believed it happened in this country as well, though it was not spoken of. If Mr. Monaghan, whoever he was, decided he did not like me knowing about him, he might arrange for me to be arrested, or at the very least require me to move far out of his reach. I had Grace to think of—what would become of her if her mother was accused of hindering the police, or worse?