Page 18 of The Bachelor Spy
Grace had spent part of the morning assisting two of their newest arrivals with handwriting lessons, helping them relearn how to write after having their hands disfigured in combat. It was sad and strenuous for the poor men, as it only mirrored some of the unseen struggles. The pain in their eyes gave glimpses of things they’d witnessed—things not even she could imagine.
Would Frederick return with such visions in his head?
Would he wake with nightmares? Succumb to despair?
She swallowed through the lump in her throat. Or suffer some sort of injury that caused him to forget about her entirely?
Her breath caught, nose tingling with the warning of tears.
Until she closed her eyes and gave her head a solid shake.
Don’t be ridiculous, Grace.Not only was it improbable, but she was acting as if she didn’t trust God’s love at all! Even when hard things happened, didn’t He always promise to be the strength she needed for whatever the task?
She released a sigh.
As He’d proven to her in the long months without Frederick near.
And—she nodded to herself—it was incredibly unlikely Frederick would lose his memory of her. None of the patients had completely lost their memories. Fragments, sometimes, but not entirely. Even when shell-shocked.
To distract her thoughts from such a melancholy direction, she turned her mind to the mystery at hand.
Despite Frederick’s office being put back to rights, the truth remained: Someone was either a thief or assisting a thief from inside the house.
And even though Grace had concocted many scenarios over the past few days—involving suspicious eye gazes and conspicuous conversations among patients who were likely the culprits—the hours passed without anything truly pointing to a suspect or even a worthwhile clue.
It had just passed teatime when Brandon found her offering Lieutenant Marks his choice of adventure books, with her strongly encouraging him to readKing Solomon’s Mines.Particularly since the hero might encourage a touch of humility in the dear lieutenant.
“But what really ought to convince you”—Grace leaned in with a wiggle of her brows for effect—”is that the story features a map drawn in blood. Surely that might tempt even the most respectable patient to a bit of adventure?”
Lieutenant Marks’ eyes lit with interest just as Brandon’s voice came from the doorway.
“Lady Astley?”
She offered the lieutenant a smile, left the book in his hands, and made her way to the butler’s side.
Brandon’s usually impassive expression showed signs of strain. No wonder—with a possible thief, a convalescent hospital, a manor house to run, and a world at war, it seemed everyone had moments of particular difficulty on occasion. Even Mr. Brandon.
“Dear Brandon, we are keeping you quite busy around here, aren’t we?”
Something in his face relaxed for the briefest moment, and he nodded. “It is my duty, my lady.”
“Which you do so admirably well.” She smiled up at him. “I know having you manage things here puts Lord Astley’s mind at ease when he is far away. Especially since Elliott has not only gone off and gotten married but joined the war effort too.” She offered him a wink. “It’s terribly difficult to keep dependable help these days when adventure and romance tend to upset the balance so frequently.”
The man shook his head slowly … almost smiling. “I am quite fond of balance, my lady.”
Her eyes widened. Had Brandon attempted to joke? And then she laughed, nearly abandoning all decorum to hug the man.
“If you attempt to tease too often, Brandon”—Grace tried for a very serious expression and likely failed miserably—”you will certainly setmeoff-balance.”
“Speaking of an imbalance, my lady?” His eyes twinkled for the faintest moment and then he straightened, taking back the mantle of proper British butler. Possibly the very thought of setting her off-balance terrified him back into sense again. “A medical transport has arrived. Unexpectedly.”
“Oh?” Grace gathered her skirts and started walking toward the entrance hall. “We weren’t scheduled to receive anyone until next week.”
“Precisely, my lady. However, the driver says there was an overflow from one of the other homes, and he was given notice to inquire about our availability.”
“For how many?”
“Seven more, from what I understand.” He stayed by her side as they moved along the corridors past men in various states of rest, recuperation, or exercise.
