Page 26 of The Elusive Phoebe (The Widows of Lavender Cottage #1)
Chapter Eighteen
T he next morning brought a steady drizzle and a household meeting that would determine the course of Phoebe's immediate future. She sat at the head of her small dining table with Archie to her right and her senior staff arranged around them: Mrs. Crawford, Thomas, Mary, and Mrs. Mills the cook, along with James the head groom who had arrived with the northern estate group. Mr. Crane had certainly provided well for her with exactly as she’d asked.
"As I mentioned last night," Phoebe began, "I need to visit my inherited properties to discover what my late husband left for me there. This cannot wait indefinitely—the longer we delay, the more suspicious our enemies will become. "
Mrs. Crawford nodded. "What do you need from us, my lady?"
"I need Somerset to believe I'm still here. The cottage must appear occupied, with normal daily routines continuing. Can that be managed?"
"Easily," Thomas replied. "Our scullery maid, Clarise has a similar build to you, my lady. From a distance, with the right clothing and posture, she could maintain the illusion of your presence."
Mary smiled. "She’s been studying your movements since yesterday, my lady. Your preferred walking routes, how you tend the garden, even the way you sit by the window with your morning tea."
"That's... slightly unsettling," Phoebe admitted, "but also reassuring."
"We'll vary the routine enough to seem natural," Mrs. Crawford added. "Some days 'you' will stay indoors, others you'll be seen in the gardens or walking to the village. We can maintain the deception for weeks if necessary."
Archie leaned forward. "What about if someone approaches the cottage directly? Tries to speak with her?"
"Lady Smalling is feeling poorly," Mrs. Mills said promptly. "A delicate condition requiring rest and privacy. Very common for ladies in... interesting circumstances." She glanced meaningfully at Phoebe's still-flat stomach.
Phoebe felt heat rise in her cheeks. Of course the servants would have noticed the signs she was still learning to recognize herself. "That's... practical," she managed.
"The question," James said in his gruff voice, "is who accompanies you on these travels. You can't go alone, my lady, and you'll need someone who understands the security arrangements at each property."
"I volunteer," Thomas said immediately.
"As do I," added Mary.
“Excellent.” Phoebe nodded slowly. "I need my lady’s maid. And a footman. Quite handy that you’re both good protectors as well.” She laughed. “Can you also do my hair?”
Mary smiled. “Of course. I’m quite proficient.”
Archie's expression grew serious. "I will also be of assistance in protecting her."
"You?" Mrs. Crawford's eyebrows rose. "Begging your pardon, my lord, but do you have experience in protecting ladies from dangerous enemies?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Archie's voice was quiet but confident.
"Two years ago, I was transporting the daughter of a British diplomat from Delhi to Bombay when we were attacked by bandits who intended to ransom her back to her father.
I kept her safe for three days in hostile territory with nothing but my wits and a pistol until we reached British forces. "
The servants exchanged glances, clearly reassessing their opinion of him.
"And last year," he continued, "I discovered that one of my business partners was selling information about British cotton shipments to French agents.
I spent six weeks gathering evidence while pretending ignorance, then helped military intelligence capture the entire network without alerting them to the investigation. "
"You never mentioned this," Phoebe said, staring at him.
"You never asked about the dangerous parts of my business dealings." His smile was slightly rueful. "I learned early that in certain parts of the world, being a successful British merchant makes you a target. I've had to develop... unconventional skills."
Thomas leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "What kind of unconventional skills?"
"I can pick most standard locks, forge documents well enough to pass casual inspection, recognize when I'm being followed, and disappear into a crowd when necessary.
I speak French and enough Irish to understand conversations I'm not supposed to hear.
" Archie's tone was matter-of-fact. "I can also shoot accurately with both pistol and rifle, handle a sword competently, and fight with my hands if weapons aren't available. "
The silence that followed was profound.
"Well," Mrs. Crawford said finally, "that's rather more impressive than making porridge and fixing shutters."
"The porridge is more useful on a daily basis," Archie replied with a grin that made Phoebe's heart skip.
James cleared his throat. "Begging your pardon, my lord, but those are exactly the skills Lord Smalling would have wanted protecting his lady. If you're willing to take responsibility for her safety..."
"I am," Archie said firmly. "With my life, if necessary."
Phoebe felt something flutter in her chest that had nothing to do with the baby and everything to do with the quiet certainty in Archie's voice. This was a man who could protect what mattered to him—and who had just proven he had far more depth than she'd realized.
"Then it's settled," she said. "Mary, Archie, Thomas and I will travel together while the rest of you maintain the illusion that I'm still here."
"About that," Archie said, reaching into his jacket. "I've made some arrangements for additional security."
He pulled out a letter bearing an impressive seal. "I've hired a team of experienced men to provide protection during our travels. They should arrive this afternoon."
Thomas frowned. "How many men?"
"Twelve. All with military experience, all discreet, all loyal."
"Twelve?" Phoebe stared at him. "Archie, we can't travel with an army! We're supposed to be inconspicuous!"
"Twelve armed men following a single carriage isn't exactly subtle," Mary added dryly.
Archie looked confused. "But surely more protection is better?"
"Not if it draws attention to exactly what we're trying to hide," Phoebe explained patiently. "A lady traveling quietly with her maid attracts no notice. A lady traveling with a military escort announces to the world that she's someone important and potentially dangerous."
"Think about it, my lord," Mrs. Crawford said gently. "What would you think if you saw a woman traveling with that kind of protection?"
Archie was quiet for a moment, then ran a hand through his hair. "I'd think she was either extremely wealthy, extremely important, or carrying something extremely valuable."
"Exactly. All things we don't want people thinking about Lady Smalling."
"I was trying to keep her safe," he said, sounding frustrated with himself.
"And we appreciate that," Phoebe said softly. "But sometimes the best protection is not looking like you need protection at all."
Thomas nodded approvingly. "Lord Smalling always said the most dangerous person in a room is the one nobody notices."
"Then what do you suggest?" Archie asked, clearly willing to defer to their expertise.
"We travel as three ordinary people on a mundane journey," Phoebe said. "You as a gentleman escorting a recently widowed relative and her companion to various properties for settlement purposes. Nothing dramatic, nothing that suggests danger or secrets."
"Can you play ordinary?" Mary asked Archie with a slight smile.
He bowed. “You are looking at Phoebe’s distant cousin, helping to escort her to visit her relations.”
Mary's expression grew thoughtful. "And I’ll be a normal as can be lady’s maid.
In addition to hair and pomades, now that you mention it, some of those 'etiquette lessons' I received were rather unusual.
I did wonder why I needed to know seventeen different ways to protect myself and others with common household objects. "
"Seventeen ways?" Archie stared at her.
"Hairpins are surprisingly versatile," Mary said cheerfully. "As are knitting needles, corset stays, and smelling salt bottles."
Phoebe looked around the table at her assembled protectors—a former soldier turned footman, a lady's maid trained in unconventional skills, a housekeeper who seemed to know everything about maintaining deceptions, and a childhood friend who'd apparently spent years developing the exact skills needed to keep her safe.
"I think," she said slowly, "I'm in very good hands."
"The best," Mrs. Crawford confirmed. "Now, shall we discuss the specific details of your itinerary?"
They spent the next two hours planning routes, timing, and contingencies. Archie demonstrated a talent for logistics that impressed even Thomas, while Mary proved to have an Library’s knowledge of travel arrangements and social expectations.
By the time they finished, they had a plan that was both flexible and secure: Phoebe and Mary would travel as a widow settling her late husband's affairs, while Archie conducted legitimate business in the same areas.
They would stay at different inns, meet at the properties during normal visiting hours, and maintain the fiction of being casual acquaintances if anyone observed them together.
"When do we leave?" Phoebe asked as the meeting concluded.
"Tomorrow morning," Archie said. "I'll depart first, then you and Mary an hour later. Our first destination is Rosemont Hall."
"Are you nervous?" Mary asked quietly as the others filed out to make preparations.
Phoebe considered the question. "Yes. But also... excited. For the first time since Robert died, I feel like I'm moving forward instead of just hiding."
"And Lord Lytton?" Mary's tone was carefully neutral. "What do you think of his... hidden depths?"
Phoebe glanced toward the window where Archie was speaking with James about road conditions. The morning light caught the strong line of his jaw, the confident way he held himself, the intelligence in his eyes as he listened to the older man's advice.
"I think," she said carefully, "that there's much more to him than I realized."
"And how do you feel about that?"
"Impressed," Phoebe admitted. "And perhaps a little frightened by how impressed I am."
Mary smiled. "Perhaps that's not entirely a bad thing, my lady."
As Phoebe went upstairs to pack for the journey, she found herself thinking about the man who'd just revealed himself to be far more capable and complex than she'd given him credit for. The boy she'd loved had become a man worth loving—and that realization was both thrilling and terrifying.
Tomorrow, they would begin the quest to unlock Robert's final secrets. But tonight, she would have to wrestle with the growing certainty that her heart was no longer as safely guarded as she'd believed.