Chapter 40
MARGARET WAS EATING a late breakfast when Sebastian entered the dining room. He didn’t sit down to join her, just stood there at the entrance looking—not ominous, but certainly not friendly.
“I’m leaving,” Sebastian said.
Margaret went very still. Something similar to panic seemed to be rising in her.
“Without finishing the job?”
“It’s finished. The culprit has been found, it’s just not what you were expecting.”
“Explain.”
His lips turned an ironic slant. “I spoke with my father again. He took me into his confidence merely to put the matter to rest. I had to assure him what we spoke of would go no farther. So you’re simply going to have to trust me on this, Maggie. No one is trying to kill him.”
She was relieved, and yet annoyed that he wasn’t going to tell her why, which prompted the remark, “That’s asking a bit much, don’t you think?”
He raised both brows, actually seemed surprised. “You don’t trust me?”
She did, of course, but she reminded him, “You say one thing and then do another. That isn’t a strong basis for trust.”
“What are you talking about?”
The blush was immediate. She was not going to mention that conversation where he’d agreed not to touch her again— then later that night barged into the bathroom and joined her in the tub.
But he guessed, and snorted. “There are times in a man’s life when he throws all caution to the wind. When he’s in the grip of lust is one of those times.”
How crude. Lust, not love. She was such a fool to keep trying to switch the two around.
She put down the muffin she’d been eating and said coldly, “A gentleman would have phrased that much more delicately.”
He gave a short bark of laughter. “A gentleman wouldn’t have mentioned it a’tall. Give it a rest, Maggie. You know I don’t fall into that category anymore.”
She sighed and followed his advice to drop the subject. “If Douglas was willing to take you into his confidence, does that mean you’ve patched things up with him?”
“No.”
He said that too abruptly, and his expression turned inscrutable again. She had a feeling that no amount of prying would get him to reveal his thoughts on the matter.
She asked him pointedly, “What about Juliette?”
“What about her?”
“Did you find out why she set the duel in motion?”
“No,” he replied. “And frankly, I’ve concluded that her motive is never going to come to light, so there is no point in pursuing a dead end.”
“You must be joking!”
“Maggie, the longer I stay here, the more certain I am I’ll end up killing someone, and for no purpose. It won’t bring Giles back. It won’t erase the last eleven years.”
“So Denton doesn’t know either?” she pressed. “You asked him?”
“Yes, I asked, and no, he doesn’t know why, or he simply won’t speak of it. It’s hard to tell which it is with him, since he is hiding something that causes him a great deal of guilt. By the by, do you know where he is?”
“London,” she said tonelessly.
Margaret’s sense of panic was growing stronger. She was running out of reasons for Sebastian to stay, had only one last wild card that she could play, but she doubted it would work.
He appeared frustrated by her answer, had probably wanted to say good-bye to his brother. Would that be enough to keep him here a little longer?
“When did he leave?” he asked.
“This morning. Juliette left for London at dawn. Denton followed an hour or so later, whether to bring her back or finish the fight that sent her off, no one knows.”
“Does she usually hie herself off to London when they fight? Or is she just making sure she doesn’t run into me again before I leave?”
“She has been known to spend a week or two in London after they have a really loud fight, but since no one mentioned anything more than raised voices, you might have the right of it.”
“Someone should let her know then that I’m gone.”
So much for that delay. “I take that to mean you plan to leave immediately?”
“Indeed.”
She chewed on her lip. For a wild card, it was rather pathetic, but that sense of panic prompted her to play it anyway. “I need to ask you... a favor.”
“Maggie—”
“Hear me out,” she cut in. “I know you probably feel you’ve done me enough favors, but I really wasn’t expecting you to leave this soon, and it’s going to put me in quite a pickle if you do.”
He was already frowning. “Why?”
“The dowager duchess’s party. If we don’t both show up for it, she’ll never forgive me.”
“So?”
“So the quickest way to court social ruin is to get in her bad graces. Getting a divorce won’t be nearly as ostracizing as earning Alberta’s disfavor.”
His scowl darkened. “Why do I have the feeling you aren’t joking about this?”
She tsked. “Because I’m not. And it’s just one more night in England, Sebastian. You can leave the morning after the party.”
He made her wait for a few moments before he said, “Very well, but only if we both return to White Oaks immediately. You can send someone back to tell your maid to pack your bags.”
“That’s rather extreme, isn’t it? It would take me only a few minutes to find Edna to tell her.”
“Now, or we don’t have a deal.”
“What about your grandmother?” Margaret asked. “Aren’t you going to say good-bye to her?”
A pained expression flitted across his face. “Where is she now, the conservatory?”
Margaret nodded.
“What is your rush?” she asked in exasperation as she stood up to leave the table.
“My father is going to be coming down those stairs any moment now. Whatever convalescing he still has to do, he refuses to do in his room. And I am not going to be here when he finds out the man you married is me.”
“I see,” she said tightly as she walked out of the dining room. And she did see. The man wasn’t going to take any more chances on being forced to marry her for real.