Chapter 2
Asher waited impatiently in front of his solicitor’s office door.
He didn’t appreciate the request to meet here. This was a matter that would have been far better dealt with in his own home, where no one would be aware of the meeting.
But the solicitor had been adamant that this would be for the best.
Finally, two minutes too late, the door opened.
“Your grace, thank you for coming,” Mr. Pine, the solicitor said, holding the door open wider. “Please accept my apologies for my tardiness and my thanks for meeting me here.”
“I am still uncertain as to why that is,” Asher said as he took a seat in front of the solicitor’s desk, causing images to flash back in his mind of the days he sat in front of his father’s desk rather than behind it.
“When I learned of your issue, I was quite surprised,” Mr. Pine said, taking a seat behind his desk.
“You and I both,” Asher said wryly.
“The issue is surprising, but so is the fact that you are not my only client to receive such a note,” Mr. Pine said.
“You mean to tell me that someone else is receiving mysterious, threatening notes?”
“Precisely. Regarding the same incident.”
“How can we both be accused of the same crime?”
“That, I don’t know.”
There was a short rap on the door. “Ah. Here they are now.”
“They?”
Before Pine could respond, he was welcoming a slightly older and certainly much taller man, while the figure behind him was most decidedly feminine.
When the older man stepped out of the way, Asher froze.
It was her.
“Lord Stratford, Lady Evelyn, it is good to see you again,” Pine said, ushering them in. “Are you acquainted with the Duke of Ravenscar?”
“We have met in the past,” Lord Stratford said, with the slightest of bows to Asher. “Your grace, I knew your father and your brother. My condolences.”
“Thank you,” Asher said woodenly. “Mr. Pine, perhaps an explanation is in order?”
“Of course,” Pine said. “Let us all have a seat. Now, you have each contacted me regarding a note you received. One rather… threatening.”
Had Stratford received a note? And why was his daughter here?
His very beautiful, if slightly aggravating daughter.
Asher glanced over at them, but all he could gather was that Stratford was concerned, his brow pinched as he stared at his daughter with some trepidation.
She appeared just as relaxed as she had when she had been staring at the tapestries, as though nothing in the world could ever bother her.
Intriguing.
“Your grace, you contacted me because you received a threatening message suggesting that you were to blame for the theft of the Paragon Diamond, correct?”
“Yes,” Asher said through gritted teeth, displeased that they had an audience for this discussion. “Which is ludicrous.”
“As it happens, so too did Lady Evelyn.”
“You were there?” he said, addressing her with some disbelief in his tone. How had he not noticed her at the party?
“I was,” she said, with a smirk that told him she was clearly thinking the same thing. “The note said that all would be revealed in time, but to know that I was suspected.”
“That is similar to mine, although it said it was due to my interest in the piece.”
“Were you interested in it?” she asked, the two of them speaking directly to one another as if there was no one else in the room. He liked that she wasn’t intimidated by him, that she did not drop her eyes or hide herself, but rather faced him as nearly an equal.
“My mother always had a particular penchant for it, I believe, because my father always seemed to. He made a point to see it the few times it was put on display,” he said. “But there are many other items in this world just as beautiful.”
Damn it, he had looked at her as he had said that, and her eyes had lit up in interest.
“What options do we have at the moment?” Asher asked, returning his attention to Pine, who was watching them with great curiosity and a glint in his eyes.
“There is no threat within the note, so perhaps we just wait and see if you receive anything further,” Pine said. “I am curious… have you had any previous dealings with one another? Any reason why the two of you would have been targeted?”
“None whatsoever,” Asher said confidently, not missing the hardness that crossed Lady Evelyn’s face.
“I compared the wording of both of the messages, and they are the same handwriting, seal, style, and threat, so we can say with confidence they came from the same sender,” Pine continued.
“I know that doing nothing is difficult, but what I would suggest for now is to not show the note to anyone, even trusted servants. You know how it is — if there is an inkling of scandal, it will grow. Watch for others receiving similar accusations. There is no reason to think that it is just the two of you involved. This could be part of a wider plot. I would also hesitate before approaching the Marquess of Eastclere. I have learned that he has already hired a detective to search for the diamond, and it is best not to be involved. Approaching him could make you appear defensive, unnecessarily implicate you, and tip off the culprit.”
“You suggest we do nothing, but I assume you will handle this?” Asher said, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest.
Pine looked at him with a brow raised, appearing unintimidated.
“Allow me to make discreet inquiries. I will speak to clerks, ask printers if they recognize the paper, and quietly check who might have recently purchased this sealing wax or stationery. It is most important that the two of you avoid behaving as though you have anything to hide. Attend events. Be seen in public. And contact me if you have any further concerns.”
Asher nodded grimly.
He had experienced a paucity of control for most of his life, and just when it was starting to return, he was forced into this.
A situation where he lacked any control at all.
He hated it. Meanwhile, Lady Evelyn just sat there, as though she had not a care in the world. He supposed she didn’t, besides deciding which gentleman to marry. He didn’t know why he considered others vying for her hand so infuriating, and he rose to his feet abruptly to hide his annoyance.
“I will be going then,” he said. “Good day.”
And with a tight jaw, he left them all behind as he walked out into the cool light of the day.
That was awfully rude.
Evelyn and her father stood and politely thanked Mr. Pine before making their way to the door.
“Evelyn, would you give me one more moment to speak privately to Mr. Pine?” her father asked with a gentle smile.
Evelyn nodded, of course, as confused as she was, for as far as she knew, her father told her everything.
All that was left of her family was the two of them, but her father remained as aloof as ever, his interest directed more toward his books and societies.
She sighed as she stepped out into the slightly cool morning air, leaning against the brick wall of the office behind her.
She closed her eyes for just a moment, surprised when she opened them to find the Duke of Ravenscar standing there, staring at her — again.
“You will follow his advice, will you not?” he demanded.
“What do you mean?” she asked as her eyes ran over his face, not allowing her annoyance at him to show.
He was tall, his shoulders broader than most although not so wide that they felt intimidating.
His gaze was hard, his face drawn, as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and yet she felt that within those blue eyes of his was a twinkle that could re-emerge if he ever allowed it to.
“When he said to keep silent, you must keep silent. I am not pleased by the fact that my reputation is resting on you and your father’s ability to keep this to yourselves, but here we are.”
“I have no wish to spread gossip about you, your grace, but silence is a reaction. It makes us appear guilty.”
He bristled. “Nothing is gained by reacting in any other way.”
It was her turn to bristle, for it seemed that he had no regard for her opinion, but rather, was only telling her what he wanted her to do.
Evelyn lived the life she chose, one that was creeping closer to spinsterhood, directly because she wanted no one telling her what to do. She was not going to let some duke whose fortunes had accidentally become tied to hers.
“Pine said he would make inquiries, but perhaps we might do some of it ourselves. No one can be more motivated to discover the truth than we are.”
“Give him some time,” Asher said.
Evelyn heaved a sigh. “I will consider it. Although I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for us to compare information. When did you receive your note? Was it delivered by a footman or post?”
“I-I couldn’t say. My butler delivered it with my morning letters yesterday.”
“Was there a smudge on the lower corner? Did you notice indentations along the margins?”
“Not that I can recall,” Asher said, clearly affronted.
“What did you do with it, then?” She asked, her hands going to the side in exasperation.
“I threw it on my desk and summoned the solicitor.”
Likely in anger, she gathered, although he didn’t seem inclined to say that. Meanwhile, she had analyzed and memorized every bit of it, as though it could help her.
“The writing was with a heavy hand,” she continued, pacing back and forth in front of him.
She didn’t miss the curious stares that were sent their way from passersby on the busy street.
Most young women her age would have given anything for a few moments alone with the Duke of Ravenscar.
He was the most eligible bachelor in all of London – and the most standoffish.
There were friendly wagers within the young ladies as to who could capture his attention for long enough to earn a few words from him if they were fortunate to obtain even one dance with him.
“The night of the spring soiree, where were you before the chandeliers were lit?”
“On the edge of the dance floor, like everyone else.”
“Who was near you?”
He narrowed his gaze at her, as though she was accusing him, but she was merely trying to put together a timeline of what had occurred.
“I was standing with Lord Julian Hartford,” he said. “We were in discussion. I assume my mother and sister were also nearby, although I cannot recall how close they were.”
“Did you leave the gallery before the chandeliers were lit? Did anyone see you?”
Asher stood tall in front of her, and Evelyn realized how wrong she had been about him not being intimidating.
In a cool tone, he looked down his nose at her.
“Are you questioning me, Lady Evelyn?”
“I am merely gathering information,” she said, annoyed that he would think otherwise. “Unless you have reason to be defensive?”
“I do not,” he said in a curt tone. “I am merely concerned that a scandal should come of this. It could put the dukedom in peril. There could be political repercussions, not to mention what it would do to my family name. I have a sister to think about.”
“Ah yes, Lady Thalia. I quite enjoy her.”
She saw surprise light in his eyes that she knew his sister. There was so much this duke was not aware of.
“Do not think I have nothing to lose, your grace,” she said, tucking a strand of wayward hair back into her bonnet.
She noticed him watching the movement of her fingers.
“My father has an academic reputation, as well as financial vulnerability. We cannot risk becoming the center of society’s gossip. ”
He was silent for a moment, staring at her, assessing. “So, we both have much to lose.”
“That we do.”
For the first time, the look they exchanged was not one of distrust, but understanding.
“Someone wants us to feel isolated. To panic. To behave irrationally,” she said.
“Which is precisely why we must do nothing for now.”
“Or why doing nothing is exactly what they expect,” Evelyn countered. While they might share motives, clearly they thought about things differently from one another.
What she did appreciate was that the Duke of Ravenscar seemed to respect her intelligence, if nothing else.
Footsteps sounded beyond the door of the solicitor’s office, and the duke stepped closer to her.
“There is one thing the solicitor was right about. We must keep in touch and share information.”
“So would you call us allies now?”
He hesitated, staring down at her, and when his lips quirked, she wondered if that dimple in his cheek might deepen if he ever fully smiled.
“Reluctantly,” he finally agreed.
“Good. Reluctant allies tend to be the least sentimental and the most effective.”
He almost smiled. Almost.