She resumed her meal, placing a spoonful of coddled eggs in her mouth, before glancing back at him with a raised brow.
Derek jerked his head in the direction of the footmen standing nearly invisible against the walls.
“Leave us,” Dorothea ordered.
The footmen scurried from the room.The door clicked shut.
Finally, he met Dorothea’s patient gaze.“I killed Lord Pennington this morning.”
She gracefully scooped another portion of coddled eggs with her spoon and ate it before looking back at him.“Then I say the world has now been made a slightly better place.”
Derek’s eyebrows shot up.
“Don’t give me that look, young man.That man was vile, a rodent scurrying over the feet of the ton.You did his wife an immense favor.You would not believe what that poor woman has had to endure…” Her chin set in a hard line, and she glared out the diamond-paned windows at the fog-draped street.
She shook off whatever had come over her, and her steely eyes met his.“And there is no way it’ll be tied to you?”
“Everything has been taken care of.”By Ryker.Thank bloody Christ for that man.“His body will be found floating in the Thames soon enough.”Exhaustion fell on Derek then, a yoke weighed down by bags of sand.
She looked back at him, nodding toward his hands.“Not everything.You are still covered in blood.”She squinted while examining his face.“I believe it is all over your face as well.It looks as if you were misted with blood.How disgusting.”She went back to her meal, piercing a piece of melon with her fork, clearly not disgusted in the least.
“Does this”—she waved her forkful of melon in his direction—“have anything to do with that little blue-eyed miss you were growling over at dinner last night?”
Warmth crept over his cheekbones.He hadn’t realized he’d growled out loud while watching Miss Forester eat dessert.
Dorothea’s eyes widened.“My goodness, Derek.Are you blushing?Oh, this is quite interesting.”She cocked her head at him as she chewed thoughtfully on her melon.“I must get to know her better.I never had the chance to speak with her last night; she retired so early.”
Derek ground his teeth as the events of last night resurfaced.“Yes, sheretiredbecause Pennington abducted her, drugged her, and attempted to rape her.”He dragged a hand through his waves, snagging on the tangled mess it currently was.“Thankfully, she was saved in time.By pure bloody luck.”If Pennington hadn’t taken Livy toThe Devil’s Eye…If Ryker’s servant hadn’t noticed anything suspicious… If Ryker wasn’t someone who didn’t tolerate that kind of villainy—a rarity in Ryker’s line of work… Pennington would have had no trouble getting away with his plan.Fuck.He couldn’t think of that.He drew in a slow, measured breath.
“Mmm,” Dorothea hummed thoughtfully.“The murdering makes more sense now.Especially”—she stabbed the air with her fork in his direction—“after that blush.”
She said it so casually.Not in the least perturbed.By murder.By attempted rape.Derek feared the reason for it.
“You need to be cleaned up, and those clothes need to be burned.Go be a dear and pull the bell.We will have you cleaned up in no time.Then I want to discuss you attending the theater with me next week.You have skipped out on me far too many times in the past month.Raffy is off at…” She paused, and her features contorted.“Ironcrest.”
And there was the reason.The reason why nothing seemed to faze Dorothea.Whatever she and Rafe had endured back there.
“I have been quite literally abandoned by you boys,” she said, her usual flare back in her voice.
Derek snorted at Dorothea’s dramatics.He stood, then immediately winced as his muscles pulled tight.His knuckles were bruised, and his arm burned like it was on fire with even the slightest movement.
“I suppose I can provide some leniency for ridding the world of Pennington.”
Derek’s lips twitched as he pulled the bell before heading back to the table.“I apologize, Dorothea.I have been a tad distracted this past week.But last night, did I not promise I would see you on the morrow?”He opened his arms wide.And his muscles immediately screamed at him for the movement.Bloody hell, that had been daft.“And look, here I am.”
“Yes, covered in blood,” she muttered.
He arched a brow.“You never specified otherwise.”
The door to the breakfast room opened, and Rogers stood at attention.“You rang, Your Grace?”
Her eyes on Derek, Dorothea said, “You can assume from now on, Derek, that I always mean sans blood.”She turned to Rogers.“Rogers, please deal with the boy.He needs to be cleaned up, and from the looks of it, needs a nap.Escort him up to his usual room.”
Derek huffed out a laugh and trailed after Rogers.
“Oh, and, Derek?”
He paused, turning back to Dorothea and cocking his head.
