Her Saving Grace by Catherine Winchester Page A

hadn’t been proof enough, her child was. She was already damaged goods and as such, could afford to be alone with a gentleman without fear of scorn and ridicule, providing she didn’t do anything too outlandish, of course.
    Little could be done on a short carriage ride of no more than five miles, so Damaris felt safe leaving her companion at home. As much as she cared for Lilly, she knew that she would only be a hindrance to the investigation and that her presence could inhibit both her and Nathaniel from speaking freely.
    “So, what else have you discovered?” she asked as the carriage got underway.
    “You don’t much care for pleasantries, do you?” he asked.
    “I have little use for them.”
    “Truly?”
    She looked surprised. “What can be gained by engaging in random chatter about unimportant things?”
    He raised his eyebrows but didn’t press the issue. “Well, what else I have discovered is this; your father was worried, very worried, about someone selling state secrets.”
    “To the French?” she asked. T h e Peninsular Wars had already taken her husband from her; she couldn’t believe that they might have taken her father too. “But that’s ridiculous, my father was a lawyer, not a spy.”
    “That’s true.”
    “Unless you’re trying to imply that he was selling our secrets to the French?”
    “ Not at all, but it is possible that someone used him to get information.”
    “Even if they had, he didn’t know anything to tell them. He tried criminals in the Army.”
    “But isn’t it possible that in the course of a trial, he came across sensitive information?”
    She opened her mouth to refute it then hesitated. “I suppose it’s possible, but he was such a conscientious man, that I don’t see him letting anything slip, not for money nor from carelessness.”
    “You’re saying he couldn’t have been overheard?”
    “Not outside of the office.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because he’s not an idiot; he’s an intelligent and reliable man…” her voice cracked slightly on the last words and she took a deep breath. “I mean, he was an intelligent and reliable man.”
    “I’m sorry.” His voice was filled with sympathy and she hardened her heart to it. She would n ot be an object of pity.
    “How did you discover this?” she asked, doing her best to keep her voice even.
    He paused for a moment before replying and Damaris wondered if he was deciding whether to tell her the truth or not, or if he should continue to try and comfort her.
    “The barkeeper at your father’s club told me.”
    “The… the barkeeper?”
    “Yes. It occurred to me that many gentlemen feel free talking around servants, almost as if they weren’t there, trusting that their secrets will be kept.”
    “So you think this man overheard my father discussing secrets?”
    “No, your father chose to confide his concerns to him.”
    “But of all people, why would he choose such a man?”
    “Because your father knew that most people would overlook him, not even think to question him.”
    “My detectives should have thought of it.”
    “Perhaps they did. He told me that for a long while, a lot of people were asking questions about your father at the club. He kept quiet because after your father went missing, he was unsure who he should trust and he was also worried for his own safety.”
    “And what, he is no longer worried?”
    “No, he is, but I could tell that he knew something, so I offered him enough money for him and his family to travel to America, start a new life over there, where they couldn’t be harmed.”
    Damaris was thoroughly confused by this turn of events. “How did you know he would want to go to America?”
    “Because I asked around, made small talk with a lot of the men at the club.”
    He looked a little smug that he had finally proved that small talk could be useful and that irked her.
    “Staff, like servants, aren’t supposed to talk about themselves,” she reminded him.
    “True, but