by Lucy Adams
His heart singing and his spirits lifting with happiness, he walked into Lord Leighton’s room behind Lady Esther and Lady Ware, filled with relief and contentment that the matter of the cipher was now, finally, drawing to a close.
Chapter Sixteen
“Papa!”
Esther rushed forward, her eyes filling with tears as her father held out one hand to her. He was propped up on pillows, his face still rather pale but his eyes fixed upon hers.
“My dear girl,” Lord Leighton whispered, seemingly struggling to speak with any force. “You are safe.”
“Oh, Papa,” Esther replied, sinking down into a seat beside the bed. “You cannot know the joy in my heart upon seeing you so recovered.” She knew that he still had a good deal of progress to make before he was entirely well, but the difference between seeing him feverish and delirious and now seeing him sitting up and lucid brought her overwhelming joy.
“How are you, brother?” Lady Ware murmured, coming to the other side of the bed whilst Lord Westbrook came to stand behind Esther, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. “You did give us quite a fright, I confess. You must not disappear in such a fashion again!” She tried to smile in a teasing manner, but Esther could see how her aunt’s eyes were filling with fresh tears, just as her own had done not moments before.
“I am sorry,” Lord Leighton replied hoarsely. “I thought I was doing the best thing for you both. I wanted to make sure you were safe and so I thought to disappear for a short time without any clear explanation as to where I intended to go.” His eyes roved towards Lord Westbrook for a moment, a slight frown flickering between his brows. “I did not succeed—unfortunately.”
“That is not your fault, Lord Leighton,” Lord Westbrook said, his hand squeezing lightly on Esther’s shoulder. “You had nothing to do with what occurred.”
Lord Leighton sighed heavily and closed his eyes tightly, his jaw tightening. Esther clutched his hand afresh, her heart aching for him. Her father was taking on a responsibility that was not his to take. He could not have known that Lord Hogarth had turned to work for the French; he could never have foreseen that such an event would occur.
“I presume you know everything then,” Lord Leighton said softly, his eyes still closed. “You know of the League?”
“I do,” Esther said quietly. “In case you do not know him, Papa, this is the Earl of Westbrook. He is a part of The King’s League and has been nothing but wonderful in his quest to discover the truth and aid me in finding you.” She looked up lovingly at Lord Westbrook, seeing how his eyes glowed with affection for her. “Both Lady Ware and I know the truth.”
“Then you will think that I should have sought out The King’s League at the very first,” Lord Leighton said heavily, his eyes opening wearily as he looked back at her. “I did not know where they gathered and only one or two names were known to me – one being Lord Hogarth and the other, a Lord Watt.”
“Indeed,” Lord Westbrook said quietly. “But we know of you, Lord Leighton. We have long been aware of your exploits of old and of the work you have done for the king.”
Lord Leighton shook his head, coughed, and then took a sip of water before lying back against his pillows again. Esther waited expectantly, having the feeling that her father wished to say more. Presently, he spoke again.
“When I received the cipher from Sir Taylor, I did not know what to do with it,” he said hoarsely. “We were to come to London, and so I thought to bring it here, to ensure that The King’s League would soon be given possession of it. I knew just how precious it was and did my utmost to hide it away amongst my possessions.”
Esther saw Lady Ware frown, knowing that her aunt must still be struggling with the shock of what had been revealed to her.
“I said nothing to my daughter or to my sister,” Lord Leighton continued, after a breath. “I thought merely to go about London as I had intended and, thereafter, to seek out either Lord Hogarth or Lord Watt so that the cipher might be handed over in as secretive a manner as possible. However…” He trailed off and began to cough again, covering his mouth with a large, white handkerchief.
“Here, brother,” Lady Ware said urgently, handing him his glass of water. “Drink this, I beg you.”
Esther rose also, plumping her father’s pillows as he drank and helping him to rest back against them again. Her brow was puckered with concern, and she wanted to tell him to save his strength and not to speak any longer if it was paining him, but Lord Leighton, it seemed, was utterly determined. Shaking his head at her request to quieten himself and speak of such things later, he pushed himself up a little more and set his jaw.
“I was then visited by a gentleman I did not know,” he said, his voice wavering just a little. “I thought him calling about a matter of business or some such thing, but he soon mentioned Sir Taylor, and I felt the world about me begin to shrink. I knew then that his less than prying questions were a good deal more than they appeared. Worried for the cipher as well as for the safety of my daughter and my sister, I removed myself from this house and went into hiding. Although,” he finished, dropping one hand onto the bed uselessly, “I did not know what I would do thereafter.”
Lord Westbrook cleared his throat gently, catching Lord Leighton’s attention. “That man was Mr. Leadsom,” he told the earl. “He was working with Lord Hogarth, who had discovered that Sir Taylor had given the cipher to an old friend – someone who had once worked in The King’s League. There are three or four of you within London at present. I believe that Leadsom gave more of himself away than he had intended, and when you went into hiding, they knew then that you had the cipher. For Lord Hogarth to find you was unfortunate indeed.”
Lord Leighton nodded, his expression growing pained. “I did not tell them anything, even though they pushed at me to do so,” he said slowly. “They threatened my daughter and said they would bring me an eye witness who saw her being shot.” He shook his head. “That brought me such a great fear that I almost told them everything.” His eyes glistened with tears as he held Esther tight by the hand. “But they did not bring a witness.”
“That is because they did not manage to do as they had intended, Lord Leighton,” Lord Westbrook said quickly. “Your daughter has been nothing short of courageous, and without her willingness to accept my help and to be honest with me, I fear that things might have turned out rather differently.”
“But they have not,” Lady Ware interrupted, putting a smile on her face that Esther knew was meant to encourage Lord Leighton. “You are safe now, brother, and your strength will return with each passing day. I shall, of course, remain here with you and Esther until such a time as you can return to your estate.”
Esther took in a long breath, feeling her heart settle into a calm and peaceful rhythm once more. Her father was going to recover and be himself again very soon. They would return to the estate and life would be as it had been before.
And then, Lord Westbrook squeezed her shoulder and her eyes flew to him. No, things would not be as they had been before. They would be vastly changed. There was to be a different future for her now, if her father was to agree. She might return home to her father’s estate, but it would not be for long. She would have to prepare for a change that would bring with it both happiness and a measure of sadness in leaving both her father and her home behind.
“I thank you, my dear sister,” Lord Leighton murmured, forcing Esther’s attention back to her father again. “You have been very good to Esther, I can see. I am sorry that I had to disappear in such a fashion, especially when I wanted very much to tell you all that was going on.”
“You need not apologize, Papa,” Esther said, smiling at her father as he looked back at her. “There is nothing you did that requires an apology. I understand the reasons behind your disappearance and am only sorry that it took such a long time for us to find you.” Her throat worked furiously as an ache began to form there, tears blurring the corners of her vision. “I feared that I woul
d not see you again.”
Her father said nothing but squeezed her hand gently, reassuring her that, despite his tiredness and his weakness, there was a strength of will that could not be taken from him.
“There is one question I must ask you however,” Lord Westbrook said, moving around from Esther’s side and coming a little closer to the head of the bed. “If you are not too tired to hear it?”
Lord Leighton looked up at Lord Westbrook, his eyes still heavy but his expression determined. “But of course.”
“The cipher,” Lord Westbrook said, making Esther start in surprise as she realized the cipher itself had not yet been found. “I know that you did not speak a word of it to Lord Hogarth or to Leadsom, so neither of them could discover its whereabouts.”
“That is so,” Lord Leighton murmured, frowning just a little. “What of it?”
Lord Westbrook spread his hands. “Then might I ask you, Lord Leighton, where you hid the cipher itself? We cannot find it anywhere, even though your daughter has searched through your study for it.”
Esther watched closely as her father frowned, then began to smile. It was the most extraordinary expression she had ever seen, for whilst his brows were furrowed, there appeared a broad smile that lit up the rest of his features. It was as if he were confused over their lack of success in finding the cipher whilst also being proud of it at the same time.
“Well, well,” he murmured, his eyes fastening onto Esther. “It appears as though my prayers have been answered, for I prayed steadfastly for it to remain unnoticed, even though it was directly before your eyes at every moment.”
Esther’s breath caught, and she stared at her father, seeing out of the corner of her eye how Lord Westbrook glanced at her in evident confusion.
“I did wonder if, on that day, you realized what I had said and knew that I could not be telling the truth,” Lord Leighton continued, his voice growing stronger now, as though bolstered by what he had managed to achieve in concealing the cipher. “I told you that it could not be opened and yet, before that, had stated that there was nothing within.”
Esther blinked rapidly, trying to recall what her father spoke of, only to remember what it was he had said. Without taking her eyes from Lord Leighton, she reached up and unclipped her locket, letting the chain pool in the palm of her hand. Lord Leighton smiled and rested his head back against the pillows.
“There,” he said softly. “I am sorry that I had to leave you with such a precious thing, my dear girl, but there was no other place that I could think to leave it. I knew that there was a chance that my townhouse might be searched, and I did not want anyone to discover it.”
“The locket,” Esther breathed, turning it over in her hand and feeling her heart quicken with a sudden excitement. “You put the cipher in there?”
“I did,” Lord Leighton admitted, quietly. “Perhaps it was wrong of me to do so, but I had to come up with an idea to hide the cipher where it might never be found.”
Esther shook her head, hearing Lord Westbrook’s muted exclamation as he looked at the locket in her hand. With trembling fingers, she began to turn the locket all around, looking at every side and then at the back. There appeared no easy way to open it.
“Press the emerald,” Lord Leighton murmured, his eyes closing again as tiredness took over. “Press it lightly, my dear.”
Looking up at Lord Westbrook and seeing him nod, Esther looked back down at the locket and gently pushed down on the single green emerald in the middle. Something clicked softly, and the locket became softer, allowing her to lift up one side completely, seeing the tiny hinge appearing on one side.
“There,” Lord Westbrook breathed, reaching out to grasp the folded up piece of paper. “The cipher.”
“I did what I could to fit it into my wife’s locket,” Lord Leighton said, his voice growing soft again as tiredness tugged him back towards sleep. “It is written in such small letters that I fear you will need to study it carefully to make sense of it.”
Esther looked on with baited breath as Lord Westbrook opened it up. The words and diagrams on it were tiny indeed and did not make any sense to her at all.
“Lord Riggerton will need this,” Lord Westbrook said softly, as though afraid that the paper would disintegrate in his hands if he spoke any louder. “I shall need to take it to him at once.” Turning to look back at Lord Leighton, he shook his head in wonder. “You are an exceptional man, Lord Leighton. Thank you for your care and your dedication to The King’s League. Without your help, we might now be floundering against our enemies.”
Lord Leighton managed to open one eye as Esther closed up her locket again, fastening it quickly about her neck. “I thank you, Lord Westbrook,” he answered, his eyelid drooping again. “I leave the cipher to you now. My part in this has come to its end – and I cannot say I am not grateful for it.”
“As am I,” Esther answered fervently, rising from her chair and touching her father’s hand again for a moment. “We will leave you to sleep now, Papa. Rest. All is well, and you may sleep peacefully.”
“I am glad to be home with you again, my dear girl,” Lord Leighton murmured, seeming to rally himself a little as he forced his eyes open again. “Go now with your aunt. I shall be quite all right.”
Esther nodded and began to walk from the room, with Lord Westbrook taking his leave and making to follow behind her.
“If you would stay for a moment, Lord Westbrook.”
She turned, surprised to see her father sitting upright again, clearly forcing himself to stay alert.
“There is one more thing I must ask you,” Lord Leighton said, as Lord Westbrook nodded and returned to the bed again. “Privately, however.”
Esther’s stomach began to churn, fearing that her father was about to rail at Lord Westbrook for involving her in this matter but having no other choice but to depart with her aunt. She looked back at Lord Westbrook, seeing his face turned towards her and a small, encouraging smile touching his lips. With a deep breath, she forced herself to smile in return, before quitting the room and closing the door behind her.
Epilogue
“What did my father want with you?”
Charles smiled as he walked out of the bedchamber to see Esther hurriedly walking towards him, her face a picture of anxiety.
“You need not look so afraid,” he told her, catching her hands in his and pulling her tight against him, as they stood together in the passageway. “Come now, my dear lady. Surely you did not think that there would be any difficulty as regards your father?” He looked down into her face and saw her emerald eyes swirling with worry.
“What did he ask of you?” she said, her hands now freed of his and pressed against his chest. “Is he angry with me for becoming so involved?”
Shaking his head, Charles smiled tenderly down at the lady in his arms. “No, indeed not. Rather, he wanted to thank me for helping you and to ensure that The King’s League was also made aware of his gratitude.” He watched her keenly, seeing her expression clear.
“I see.” Esther blinked rapidly, as though trying to push away her fears now that she knew the truth. “Then he is not angry.”
“Not in the least,” he answered truthfully, knowing that Lord Leighton had been upset to hear of his daughter’s involvement but also glad that she had been so determined and courageous in the face of great danger. “Although I did inform him that the beau monde knows very well that we are now courting.” Tipping his head, he grinned at her, seeing how her cheeks colored. “I informed him that, in light of his absence, Lady Ware had agreed to our courtship but that now he was returned, I felt it only right to seek his permission.” His heart began to sing with joy, knowing that this was one of the most important moments of his life. “But not permission to court you, Esther, but to ask you to marry me.”
Esther’s eyes rounded as her breath caught, only for a smile to begin to spread across her face. “And,” she asked, breathlessly, “did he grant you such a permiss
ion?”
Charles let a moment pass before he nodded. “He did.” Touching her cheek, he looked deeply into her eyes. “I must tell you, Esther, that my heart is filled with a love for you that has become such a part of me that it will never let me free. I love you desperately. I cannot bear to be parted from you.”
“You speak of my heart also,” she replied, a single tear of happiness streaking down her cheek. “I love you, Westbrook. I do not think that I could endure a life without you by my side.”
He wanted to pull her into his arms; he wanted to hold her close but resisted for a moment, knowing he had yet to ask her something of the gravest importance. “Then you will marry me, Esther? You will be my wife?”
She laughed, her hands around his neck and her face glowing with joy. “You need not have any doubt as to my answer, my love,” she said, moving a little closer. “Yes, I will marry you. I want to be your wife, to share my days with you, and to spend our years together.”
“You know that I will still be a part of The King’s League, do you not?” he murmured, suddenly fearing that she might turn from him if he remained. “I cannot give up my duty.”
Esther smiled contentedly and ran one hand through his hair, not even a single flicker of doubt in her eyes. “I should not even consider asking you to do such a thing,” she replied, chasing away his doubt. “I have seen your bravery, your courage, and your dedication for myself, and I would never pull you from your duty to the King and to the Prince Regent. I shall always be here to support you in your duties, in any way that I can.”