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She caught him looking. “What is it?”
“I fear this will encourage you.”
“Nonsense.” Her smile came slowly, and Baines felt the familiar warmth of answering it. He no longer wished to fight the feeling quite so vigorously. There were more immediate dangers in Northumberland than liking Judith Finch, and pretending otherwise had accomplished very little.
Tonight he would return to Blackthorn beside her and behave as though nothing had changed. Baines had spent much of his life pretending precisely that. He suspected Judith would know better.
CHAPTER 12
Judith had always believed that a successful deception required fewer people than a successful dinner party, but by half past three the following afternoon, she had begun to reconsider.
The difficulty lay not in spreading the false report, which proved to be alarmingly easy. The difficulty lay in ensuring that it reached the proper ears without appearing to have been deliberately placed there.
“No, Uncle. Colonel Renforth is not bringing representatives from the Home Office.”
Sir Lionel looked disappointed. “I thought you said government representatives.”
“I said a government representative.”
“But if Cranford asks—”
“You will tell him nothing beyond what you already know, which is that Colonel Renforth is expected tomorrow evening for a private meeting with several northern magistrates concerning the disturbances.”
Sir Lionel regarded her from behind his desk. “You make deception sound remarkably tedious.”
Judith gave him a look of disdain.
“Very well. I enjoy a certain degree of theatricality.”
“That is precisely what Major Baines and Colonel Renforth fear.”
Sir Lionel rose and wandered towards the window. He had accepted the discovery that a traitor might be operating beneath his roof with considerably less agitation than Judith had expected, although she suspected this was because the full enormity of it had not yet settled upon him. Blackthorn had always been open to friends, acquaintances, distant relations and people who had arrived for dinner and somehow remained until Michaelmas. The possibility that someone had exploited his hospitality offended Sir Lionel on a deeply personal level. It offended Judith too.
“Do they truly believe someone will act upon it today?”
“They hope so.”
“What happens if nothing does?”
“Then we may learn something from that as well.”
Sir Lionel turned. “That sounds like something Renforth would say.”
“It is.”
“Disturbing fellow.”
Judith smiled. “I rather like him.”
“Renforth never approves of anyone without considering how they might be put to work.”
Judith thought that an unfair criticism, coming from the gentleman who had handed her the household accounts at eighteen and never asked for them back. She was spared the necessity of pointing this out when someone knocked upon the study door. Edward entered without waiting for permission and leaned one shoulder against the frame.
“Lord Cranford wishes to know whether the rumours are true.”
Sir Lionel brightened.
Judith pointed at him. “No theatricality.”
