Discretion forced Ash to leave Nora’s room in the dead of night. He returned to his own room, where the bed was horribly cold and lonely. He fell asleep wishing he’d remained with Nora.
The next morning, Ash was woken by a dour-faced Sullivan, who announced that his brother waited downstairs.
“What time is it?” Ash asked.
“Half past eight, sir.” The valet didn’t bother to hide his disapproval over the absurd hour. No one called on anyone so early in the day, even family.
“Dear God.” Ash blinked the sleep out of his eyes. “Well, he won’t go away. Help me get ready.”
A quarter hour later, Ash was dressed and ambulatory, though his head still felt clogged due to the short time he’d actually slept.
Bruce was waiting impatiently in the parlor, accompanied by a young woman Ash had never seen before. August sunlight streamed in through the east-facing windows, filtered by the green leaves of the trees directly outside. The shifting, dappled greenish light made the room look as if it was underwater for a moment, and Ash simply stood there, struck by the fancy.
“What’s wrong with you?” Bruce asked, on hearing him enter.
“Never go in here at this hour,” Ash said. “Looks completely different in the morning.”
Bruce shook his head. “I’m surprised you know what morning is.”
“Oh, please,” Ash said. “Don’t act as though I’m a complete libertine. I’ve seen several mornings, usually when I don’t sleep the night before.”
“How does that disprove the libertine theory?”
“It doesn’t. I just don’t want you to act as though I am. How did you know I was back in London?”
“Your Disreputable sent word immediately. I came as soon as I could.”
“Damn Crewe.” Ash then looked over to the young lady. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”
“I am Miss Chattan,” she said. “Please think of me as a simple amanuensis for the Zodiac.”
The girl had eyes sharp as a cat, and didn’t look like a simple anything, but Ash knew better than to argue the point.
Instead, he gave a brief account of what he’d discovered while at Grasmere House. He explained the basics of the light signaling, the tangle of the twin brothers, and the added confusion of Isabelle Kingfisher.
He finished with high praise for the inventor of the whole thing, pointing out that even if Edmund Morrison got clean away, the Zodiac would still be able to bring the details of a much-needed communication method that could possibly save thousands of lives during the course of a war.
The two others listened carefully, sometimes asking questions. Miss Chattan recorded most of what Ash said in a little notebook.
He also described watching the messages being sent with light. That got both Chattan and Bruce excited.
“What sort of messages?” Chattan asked. “What subjects were they on? Any numbers? Were they coded?”
“I don’t know,” Ash told her. “Please remember that I’m not one of you.”
“Crewe said you brought a witness along,” Bruce said at the end. “Who is he?”
“She. Elanora Morrison. She knows all the details of the work, and she has a remarkable memory for details. For everything, in fact. She’ll know all the messages. ”
“Wait.” Bruce said, “You kidnapped the wife of the man you were sent to investigate?”
Ash snapped, “Christ, she was in danger. What should I have done? Leave her?”
“Yes.”
Ash stared at his brother for a long moment. “You’re serious? You’d have left someone to die?”
“The idea of clandestine work is to keep agents hidden, Ash. That’s common sense. You should have known better.”
Ash reminded his brother, “If you wanted a trained spy to do your spying, then you should have found one. I’m sorry I’m not as much of a selfish, cold-hearted bastard as you seem to think I am. The lady was in danger, and I wasn’t going to leave her.”
“How noble.”
“Even I can occasionally act like a gentleman. Speaking of that, don’t talk about me or my past. Particularly not in front of Mrs Morrison.”
“She doesn’t know your reputation?”
“You crafted me a new identity, remember? She knows my real name now, but it means nothing to her. I aim to keep it that way.”
“Wise. Well, let’s find out what she knows.”
“Now?” Ash frowned, but he knew when Bruce got in a mood, he was implacable until he attained whatever it was he wanted. “It’s nine in the morning.”
“Wake her up.”
“Not likely.” The voice was Regina’s. She strolled into the room. Her day dress, while technically appropriate, was little more than a wrapper, and Ash suspected she chose it deliberately to make the guests uncomfortable.
“My lord,” Reggie said to Bruce. Her tone sounded much more sarcastic than usual. “What brings you here at such a scandalous hour? The lady you’re so interested in is surely unconscious.”
Bruce actually took a step back. “What is this? Has she made you into her watchdogs?”
Reggie didn’t budge. She was likely the only woman in all of London who could stand toe to toe with Lord Forester and not back down. “Never mind my motives, my lord. You can wait to meet her.”
“It is a matter of some importance, Miss Fox.” The young lady spoke for the first time in a while.
“How do you know her name?” Ash asked Chattan.
“I know many things, Mr Allander, including how to keep a secret. So the sooner your brother and I can speak to the witness, the sooner we can determine if we ever need to speak to her again. You do want us out of your life, correct?” As she spoke, Chattan stared at him, unblinking. “It’s not as if you’re interested in continuing your association with the Zodiac. You were quite clear you had no desire to actually join us as an agent.”
Before Ash could respond to that, a new voice broke in.
“I don’t understand.”
He turned to see Nora there, looking perfect and puzzled. She scanned each of them in turn, her gaze falling on Ash last.
Her eyes narrowed. “You told me I could trust you.”