“True enough.” He twists me on his lap to face him. “So, I have goods to deliver, but that is not a matter of urgency. Andrés’s deathis.”
“We must learn for certain who killed him so we may free his spirit. Which means I must start by asking a very awkward question. I know whoever told you he was in York is someone you trusted, but—”
Nicolas groans and thumps onto his back. As I am currently on his lap, with his arms around me, I thump down onto him, awkwardly twisted.
“Umm...” I say.
“I was being dramatic.”
“Understood, but perhaps do not take me along with you?”
I start to rise, and accidentally—yes, I declare it a complete accident—elbow him on my way up. He lets out a soft “oomph” and then pulls me down again, this time onto my stomach atop him.
“You really do not want to get up today, do you?” I say.
“I really do not.” He tugs me up so I’m looking down at him. “It was Mademoiselle M.”
I say nothing. I do not dare. I have already been suspicious of Miss Jenkins—Mademoiselle M—purely because she is infatuated with Nicolas, and that bothers me more than it should.
“Also, Mademoiselle M was the one I was supposed to meet the other day when I encountered Norrington’s naval men instead.”
“What?”
He winces. “Yes, I am well aware of how this looks. I also ought to admit that she is Lord Norrington’s niece.”
I bolt up and twist to face him. “What?”
He grimaces.
“Wait. The young woman I heard you call MissJenkinsis the niece of Lord Norrington—the man who is trying to kill you—and you still did not think she might have betrayed you?”
“It sounds so much worse when you say it like that, crécerelle.”
I cross my arms and glare down at him. “You might claim you were not interested in her romantically, but this leads me to believe you were not immune to her charms, having clearly been blinded by them.”
He levers up. “Non. Iwasimmune. She is a child, and not at all to my taste even if she were older. I did not tell you about the connection because I knew it would look suspicious, and yet it was not like that. When I was to meet Mademoiselle M, it was because her father could not risk arousing Lord Norrington’s suspicions further. Her father is the one who rescued me and gave me shelter and who helps with the villagers’ plight.”
“And her father is Lord Norrington’s brother?”
“Brother-in-law. It is complicated, which is why I can trust him.”
He crosses his legs again as I settle in front of him.
Nicolas continues, “Here is what I understand. The late Lord Norrington had a daughter, who fell in love with a young clerk—Mr. Jenkins. The elder Lord Norrington forbade the match, and so she eloped. She died giving birth to a daughter, who is Miss Jenkins. The elder Lord Norrington was devastated by the death of his daughter. He welcomed his granddaughter and Mr. Jenkins home. Jenkins works for the family, and his daughter was raised in the big house until her grandfather died. The current Lord Norrington and Mr. Jenkins do not get on, so Jenkins moved into town with Miss Jenkins.”
I curl my legs under me. “Your contact is this Mr. Jenkins, who is the brother-in-law of Lord Norrington, but there is no love lost between them.”
“None at all. Lord Norrington views Jenkins as an embarrassment, a lowly employee who tricked his way into the family.”
“And how does Norrington feel about his niece?”
Another sigh, softer now. “He is very fond of her. He treats her as family and is always concerned for her welfare. It is a matter of some contention in her household. She believes she can help resolve the situation in the village by persuading her uncle to be a better man, and her father knows that would be like expecting the wolf to learn to care for the lambs.”
“Is it possible that Norrington used his niece to get close to you? Could she have innocently arranged that meeting on the road at his request, thinking she was helping foster a mediation? As for Andrés, I presume you believe Miss Jenkins does not know what happened to him but was told to pass along that story to you.”
“Oui. She is the one who told me Andrés was safely in York.”
“And convinced you it would be unsafe to go see him.”