A Lady's Secret Weapon by Tracey Devlyn Page A

was nothing more than a well-choreographed display for my benefit, I daresay.” She lifted her head and tapped the side of her forefinger against her lips. “The only thing missing from their writing lessons was writing instruments.”
    Mac frowned. “You came upon a lesson in progress?”
    “So they would have me believe.” She recalled the sick feeling in her stomach when she realized the staff’s perfidy. “Their lessons were proudly displayed on the desks, yet not one quill pen, inkwell, or pencil was in sight.”
    “What would be the point of such an elaborate scheme?”
    “That’s what we need to find out, my friend.”
    “Are you sure you want to get involved in this?”
    “The choice is no longer mine to make. I must dig until I know if the children are safe or not.” She blew out a tired sigh. “This could not be any worse than tracking down Lord Latymer. The baron attracts evil men like a dog attracts pesky fleas.”
    “I’m not so sure,” he said. “Mick’s bones were aching. That’s never a good sign.”
    No, it wasn’t. Sydney dug her fingers into her waist. Mick’s bones forecasted impending danger. He never really knew when or where, only that it was imminent.
    “Do me a favor and work with Amelia on learning as much as you can about the nurse, Mrs. Drummond, and the schoolmaster, LaRouche,” Sydney said. “Those two forced me to keep my guard up the entire time I was in their presence. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to include the matron, Mrs. Kingston, though I could detect no ill intent from her.”
    Mac’s jaw tightened. “I’ll have Mick sort through their backgrounds with your assistant.”
    Sydney shook her head. “I’d prefer you to take care of it. Mick can continue with the interviews and keep an eye on Lord Danforth for me.”
    “I’ll do that—”
    She held up a staying hand. “I know you do not approve of Amelia, and I have tried to keep the two of you separated. But, in this, I need your level head combined with Amelia’s eye for detail.”
    The hand resting on his leg curled into a fist, and he glared at the coach door for several long seconds.
    “Can you do this for me, Mac?”
    He gave her a short nod, and they lapsed into silence the rest of the way home. Not for the first time, Sydney wondered what had happened between her two most trusted friends. When she had selected Amelia for the assistant’s position, Mac had supported her choice. But something had shown up in the young woman’s background that had transformed Mac’s approval into barely masked disgust.
    Contrarily, he would not share with her his findings. When she questioned why, he would only say that the issue would not affect Amelia’s ability to perform the assistant’s duties. Despite Mac’s obvious about-face, Sydney decided to give the young woman a chance, and Amelia had never given her a moment’s regret over her decision.
    The only black mark on the situation was Mac’s almost obsessive desire to avoid her assistant. Though Sydney had not missed the way her bodyguard’s gaze tracked Amelia’s movements. Any time the two were in the same room, the air fairly crackled with tension.
    Perhaps she should find other ways to force them to spend more time together. They would never be able to mend the rift if they’re constantly at opposing ends. Yes, a few pushes in the right direction should do it.
    ***
    A few hours later, Sydney found herself standing in the entrance hall of Lord Danforth’s town house, trying desperately to focus on his butler’s words. But the disturbing hour she’d spent in Abbingale Home continued to overpower her concentration.
    Everything had been too perfect, too quiet and organized for a house full of excitable boys. If not for her brief communication with the green-eyed boy, she might have left there thinking the home nothing more than a gloomy place, despite its possible link to Latymer. Then again, she would not have been able to ignore the call of the