Chapter 29 #2
“Be careful,” she said again.
For a moment, he looked at her with an expression she could not quite read. Then he took both her hands in his and held them, and everything she had been carrying all evening quieted for just one moment.
“Do not fret,” he said. “This may mean we are one step closer to finding Arabella.”
He let go and moved down the stairs into the crowd. Clara stood, watching him go, and felt the absence of his hands as though he had taken something with him that belonged to her.
* * *
Julian made his way through the ballroom without losing sight of Devereau for a moment. All around him, people spoke of the waltz, of what a handsome couple they made, of the kiss, of when they might be introduced to the child. He let it wash past him.
Devereau stood near the arches speaking to a gentleman Julian vaguely recognized.
He was at ease. Entirely, deliberately at ease.
He was confident; that much was clear. Was it real or a facade?
Did he fret inside because this territory had to be dangerous for him, or was he so sure of himself he did not care about such things?
“Devereau,” he said, when he was within range.
The man turned. “Your Grace” A smile. “What a pleasure. It has been some time.”
“It has. The last occasion, I believe, was Southampton. My birthday celebration. You came with your cousin.”
“That is right. Ole Steven could not make it tonight. Silly man fell of off his horse,” Devereau said. “And I recall your cousin was there also. What was her name again, Annalise?”
Julian kept his hands loose at his sides.
“Arabella,” he said. “I am surprised you do not remember. I understand the two of you spent some time together in Dover about a year ago?”
“Dover?” Devereau shook his head. “No, I scarcely go to Dover. I much prefer Southampton. A superior port.” He paused. “You mistake me for someone else. So, I take it, she is not here? Your cousin?”
“Unfortunately not. And I must correct you, you were at Dover with her. She told me so.” A bold-faced lie. Would the man buy it?
His eyes held Julian’s with perfect steadiness. “So you are telling me she was in Dover, and you believe I saw her there?”
“I am telling you nothing,” Julian said pleasantly. “I am asking a very simple question.”
“And I have given you a very simple answer.” He spread his hands.
“I have not been in Dover for a very long time.
I do not even know your cousin. I do not know why you would think I do?
He tilted his head slightly. “Although I would counsel care, Your Grace, with the manner in which one poses such questions. Raising suspicions against people one does not know well can be a dangerous game.”
“Indeed, it can,” Julian agreed, “as can underestimating a man’s resolve to keep his family safe.”
Devereau looked at him for a moment then he stepped back and bowed, shallow but correct.
“This has been most informative,” he said. “And a pleasur, as always.”
He turned and moved back into the crowd.
Julian watched him go. He was shaking slightly, not from fear but from the effort of standing there with his hands at his sides while this man looked him in the eye and lied with the smooth confidence of someone who had been doing it for years and had never yet had cause to regret it.
That would change.
He turned and made his way back towards the stairs.
He returned to the ballroom where Gideon and Nathaniel had joined Clara, Marianne, Helena, and Evelyn.
“And?” Clara asked eagerly.
“Well, I asked him if he had been to Dover with my cousin. I said that was what Arabella told me.”
“You lied to him,” Helena said. “Very clever. That way, he could not catch you out.”
“Yes, but that way you also admitted that you saw Arabella,” Gideon chimed in.
Julian nodded. “Yes, I am well aware of that, but it was a risk I was willing to take. He was going to assume that she had come to see me anyhow. This way, at least, hopefully he will believe me when I say that I do not know where she is, and he will move on and attempt to find her.”
“We shall have to have Stanhope follow him,” Nathaniel said.
“Yes, I agree,” Julian said. “I will write him a note as soon as I can.”
“You didn’t finish telling us what happened,” he prompted. “What did he say when you asked him if he saw Arabella?”
“Well, he denied it of course,” Julian said. “Claimed not to have been in Dover in a very long time on account of Southampton being a superior port. I cannot deny that Southampton is the superior port. However, he is lying, and there is a reason for it. Clearly.”
“What are we going to do now?” Marianne asked. Julian noted that she had slipped into the group quite naturally, as though she belonged there. And at least for this venture, she did. “Aside from having Stanhope follow him.”
“I do not think that there is much else that we can do,” Nathaniel said.
“We know who the man is now. We have his full name. Mrs. Holt here is certain that he is the man she saw. Julian saw him dancing with Arabella at his ball, so we can confirm that is true as well. And Clara has confirmed that he is just the type of gentleman Arabella would like.”
“Yes,” Julian said. “We shall have to wait and see. The best we can do is send our man after him. Have him trace his steps and hope that he will lead us to Arabella.”
“Yes, but we must also hope that he does not find Arabella before we find him.” Clara closed her eyes and shook her head.
He shook his head. “No. We won’t let that happen. I will send word to Stanhope tonight.”
With that, the group dispersed once more, leaving only Julian and Clara. He turned to her. “Clara, whatever else has happened between us, we are united in this. We want to find Arabella, and we will now.”
“I believe you,” she said, “but once we have resolved that issue—once she has been found, and she and David are safe—we must talk about our future.”
He squeezed her hand and looked her in the eyes. “And we will. I promise we will.”
And with that, the two of them followed their friends down the hall and into the ballroom. As they stepped into the crowd, Julian looked at Clara, and they both placed the masks of a happily married couple back upon their faces and joined the revelry in their honor.