I wasn’t sure I should have said it, but it was the truth. Despite my irritation, I didn’t want to hide things from Major Ramsey if possible. He would only find out in the end, and it would just make things more difficult between us.
“Then he’s a safecracker as well.”
“No. He has … other skills.”
I was certain Major Ramsey would press me on this, but he didn’t.
“And did you tell him about our operation?”
I looked up, insulted by his lack of trust in me. “Certainly not. Whatever you may think of me, I’m not in the habit of betraying confidences.”
He held up a hand. “I meant no offense. But a great many people are tempted to share secrets with … good friends.” The insinuation was clear.
“I told you…”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “As long as you’ve kept this business to yourself, the rest is of no concern to me. How long is his leave?”
“He’s home indefinitely. He lost a leg in France.”
Major Ramsey looked annoyed. “You mean he’s likely to be hanging about for the foreseeable future.”
“He might,” I said.
He let out a sigh. “This isn’t at all convenient.”
“Well, I’m sure he didn’t lose a leg just to inconvenience you,” I said tartly.
In that maddening way of his, he barely seemed to hear my retort and continued speaking as though I hadn’t. “In any event, that wasn’t why I called you here.”
It wasn’t? It seemed to me that confronting me about my personal business was exactly the reason he had hounded Nacy until I was found. But I waited for him to go on.
He settled those twilight-blue eyes of his on me. “We’ve decoded the message that was passed to Matthew Winthrop.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
I was still annoyed with him, so I didn’t want to show how interested I was in what he had to say. All the same, it had been quick work.
We looked at each other. He was waiting for me to ask what it said, but I was determined to wait him out.
After a good minute or so of silence, he let out the faintest sigh. “It was a message instructing him to meet his contact this afternoon at a certain tearoom. Apparently, the party was too crowded to pass the papers off and whoever had them decided to wait.”
My brows went up. “Then the trail hasn’t gone cold.”
“No,” he said. “Not entirely.”
“So now what?”
“Will you sit down, Miss McDonnell?” he said, indicating the chair across from his desk. He was using his formal tone again, which probably boded ill.
I took a seat and he followed suit.
“This situation has taken a turn we had not anticipated,” he said. “Your involvement was intended to be temporary, assuming we could retrieve something from either Sir Nigel’s safe or from Mr. Turner-Hill’s auction house. Alas, we failed to do either.”
I tried to figure out what he was saying. Was I being dismissed? It rather sounded like it, and, though the man irritated me beyond measure, I felt my chest clench with impending disappointment. I didn’t want to be dismissed. I wanted to go on helping. What was more, I had felt, after last night’s successful opening of the safe, that he had seen my capabilities.
“What we’re going to have to attempt now is beyond your purview,” he went on.
“In other words, I’m of no further use to you,” I said. We might as well cut to the chase.
“Miss McDonnell…”
“Just have out with it, Major.”
There was a tapping on the door just then.
The major let out an irritated breath. “What is it?” he called.
The door opened and Oscar put his head in. “Kimble is here, sir.”
“Tell him to wait.”
“He says it’s urgent.”
“I don’t care what he says. Tell him to wait.”
“Yes, sir.”
Oscar closed the door, and the major swore roundly before looking up at me. “I beg your pardon.”
“I grew up in a house full of men,” I said. “You needn’t watch your language around me.”
“All the same…” he said, the words trailing off.
I had taken Major Ramsey’s measure some time ago, and I knew what he was feeling. He was a man who liked to be in control at all times. Only sometimes his temper got the better of him. I knew what that was like. I’d struggled with mine my whole life.
“You don’t think of me like one of your society women anyway, so there’s no need for you to tiptoe around things as though a harsh word will shatter me.”
“I think it would