Her work had made her tired and she fell asleep with the book in her hand.
Henderson had told her that he would warn her if the Frenchman was still around in the morning, but as he did not do so she washed, dressed and went downstairs to the parlour. Both Captain Hernshaw and Henderson were there and she noted that the captain looked a little easier.
‘Did you sleep well, sir?’ she asked.
‘Yes, thank you,’ he replied. ‘I hope you were not too bored, Georgie?’
She caught something in his tone and realised he was looking at her with interest, and then she knew that he had intended her to find the code and the riddle. ‘Yes, I slept well enough, after I had finished puzzling over the book you sent me.’
Henderson stood up, saying that he would make sure the horses were ready for them in twenty minutes.
Richard’s brows lifted as his man left the parlour. ‘You found something to interest you?’
‘A riddle I could not solve,’ she said. ‘Have you changed the code or did you discover a riddle too?’
He nodded, a smile on his mouth. ‘Irritating isn’t it? As if the code were not enough, there is yet a further puzzle.’
‘You wanted to see if I got the same result as you?’ Georgie said, because she understood why he had given her the book. ‘Why didn’t you just tell me?’
‘Because I thought you would be curious enough to discover it for yourself.’
‘I was,’ she admitted and laughed. ‘One of these days I shall read the poetry instead of working on your wretched messages.’
Richard’s gaze narrowed thoughtfully. He had set her a little test and was satisfied with the result. ‘You told Henderson that Thierry was here last night. It frightened you. Did you think he had discovered you were here?’
‘I was afraid of it at first,’ Georgie confessed. ‘It seemed strange that he should come to the same inn—especially as it is not one of those most frequented by travelling gentlemen. We should not have stayed here had you not needed to rest.’
‘That is true,’ Richard agreed. ‘He may have followed us, though I do not know why—do you?’
Georgie reached into her coat pocket and brought out the calling card. ‘This was left for you in London. I saw him come to the house when I looked out of the landing window, and I hid it because I did not wish you to meet with him.’
Richard gave her a stern look. ‘Jensen told me he thought a card had gone missing. It crossed my mind that you might have taken it, but I could not think why. When did you intend giving it to me?’
‘When we reached my great-aunt’s house,’ Georgie said, feeling awkward under his interrogation. ‘I know I had no right to take it. I am sorry.’
‘You should not have done so,’ he replied, but did not seem particularly incensed. ‘It may be important that he approached me; it may mean nothing—but it is better that I know these things. Please do not hide anything from me in future.’
‘You have every right to be angry,’ Georgie said. ‘Especially if he is mixed up in this…affair.’
‘What makes you think he might be?’ Richard’s gaze became hard, intent. ‘Do you know more than you are telling me? If so, confess it now, because it will not go well with you if I discover that you are in league with him later.’
‘In league with that odious man!’ Georgie was horrified. ‘I hate him! I would rather die than have anything to do with him. I swear it on my honour…’ She saw the look in his eyes and flushed. ‘Very well, on my father’s honour—and he was a good man.’
‘Very well, I shall believe you,’ Richard said. ‘So, we have a little problem. Monsieur Thierry is possibly following us, but for the moment we do not know whether he is after you—or me.’
Georgie shuddered. ‘Do you think he might have something to do with the attack on you?’
‘If he is involved with the people I am after, he may well have done.’ Richard frowned. ‘I had not expected to be followed. I think I may have exposed you to danger, Georgie. Should I find a respectable woman to escort you to your aunt’s house and let you continue alone?’
‘No! I want to stay with you until we get there,’ Georgie said, shivering as she turned cold. ‘When I saw him last night I realised that I cannot be safe until we reach my aunt’s home. If you abandoned me, I should be anxious every moment.’
‘You are certain?’ Richard accepted it as she nodded. ‘I think perhaps you are right, though if I thought it was me he wanted…’ He shook his head, his gaze narrowing. ‘So you discovered the riddle last night—what do you think it meant?’
‘I have no idea,’ Georgie confessed. ‘I thought perhaps the first part of it referred to the place where the plotters meet, but it was so strange that I could not make it out—and the bit about the fox in the hole…’
‘Perhaps it refers to their leader?’ Richard said. ‘The fox may be a name for the ringleader, and my informant is saying that he will not leave his lair until the right moment.’
‘Why did he not just say so?’ Georgie demanded, exasperated. ‘It makes no sense to get a message to you and then not say straight out what you need to know.’
‘I agree with you,’ Richard said. ‘Of course, had it fallen into the wrong hands it would have been safer. It may be that my informant is a member of the group who wishes to lay information without getting caught.’
‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ Georgie said, giving him an appraising look. ‘He must think that you are clever enough to work it out for yourself.’
‘Yes, perhaps,’ Richard said. ‘Or it might have been sent to mislead…if my informant had been turned or…’
‘Or murdered?’ Georgie felt cold all over. ‘Do you think that the first message was genuine and this one was false?’
‘I think that may be the case,’ Richard said. ‘Whoever is behind this needs time to complete his plans. He is afraid that I may have more clues than I actually do and he sent this message to lead me on a false trail.’
‘To force you to waste time trying to work out something that means nothing—is, in fact, nonsense?’
‘Yes, it could be that,’ Richard agreed, smiling oddly at her. ‘You are an intelligent girl, Georgie. Talking to you has made me see that I could have wasted a lot of precious time. I wondered when I was told the location for the meeting that night. I believe the attack on me was meant to happen only after I had delivered the new message to colleagues—because I am not the only one involved in this affair.’
‘So he wished to confuse you all,’ Georgie said. ‘Had you died in the attack, you would have been one less for him to deal with, but he knew you were not working alone.’
‘I am not alone, but perhaps I have some information others do not,’ Richard said. ‘The trouble is, if I have it, I do not know what it is…unless it is a name.’
‘Raoul Thierry,’ Georgie said, looking at him intently as a suspicion came to her. ‘You’ve heard his name before. You suspect him of being involved, do you not?’
‘Perhaps,’ Richard said. ‘His name has been mentioned by several people as being suspect, but I have no proof. We should go. Henderson will have the horses ready and my groom will be waiting for us.’
‘No, not yet,’ Georgie said. She looked angry, two spots of red colour in her cheeks. ‘You made me wait until you could travel because you thought I might be involved in this