“I don’t need to,” she said softly. All four of them turned to stare at her. “Mr. Teasdale said he overheard them arguing in Mr. Lioncroft’s office, that he overheard a crash. An office is not a bedchamber. And pillows do not crash.”
Mr. Teasdale gaped at her. “You’re defending the honor of a violent man who fully admits to having threatened the life of a man who subsequently turned up dead?”
Evangeline nodded. “I am. There were no pillows in that office for Mr. Lioncroft to smother Lord Heatherbrook with. And even if there were, he would’ve had to carry his body down one wing, up the stairs, through the guest quarters, all the way to the Heatherbrook bedchamber without being seen by anyone. Pardon me if I find that scenario unlikely.”
“Unlikely,” Edmund scoffed, “but not impossible. How do you know whether or not there were pillows in Lioncroft’s office that night?”
“I—”
“Miss Pemberton,” Mr. Lioncroft interrupted, latching his long fingers around her elbow. “May I speak to you alone for a moment?”
“No.” Mr. Teasdale shook his cane at them. “Of course you may not. This is exactly the sort of inappropriate behavior I mentioned earlier. You expect us to just continue walking to supper while you slip into an unchaperoned room with Miss Pemberton to have a little ‘discussion’?”
Mr. Lioncroft kept his hand tight around Evangeline’s arm. “Yes.”
“I am going to have to put my foot down at that nonsense.” Mr. Teasdale slammed his cane against the floor. “I am going to have to—”
“Go,” Lady Heatherbrook interrupted softly. “You and Edmund go on to dinner. I’ll stay with them. Nothing untoward shall occur if I am at my brother’s side, do you agree?”
Although Mr. Teasdale’s expression indicated he felt equally as reluctant to leave Mr. Lioncroft alone with two women as with one, he had no choice but to continue walking to the dining room with Edmund.
Mr. Lioncroft led Evangeline and his sister into the closest room with lit candles, which turned out to be the library. He motioned them into seats while he closed the door behind him.
Lady Heatherbrook perched hesitantly on the edge of a wingback chair. Evangeline settled on one side of a sofa. Mr. Lioncroft joined her. Not on the opposite side, as would’ve been proper, but right next to her, so his hip pressed against her hip, his thigh warmed her thigh, his knee brushed her knee.
“Gavin,” Lady Heatherbrook managed. “Honestly.”
He ignored her.
“What were you going to do?” he murmured urgently to Evangeline. “Confess you spent a portion of the evening alone with me in my office?”
“I did, didn’t I?” she murmured back.
“Much as I hate to admit it, Edmund’s right. Attention from me hasn’t done your reputation any favors. If you go home ruined because I spent extra time with you in public, how much worse would it be if people knew I spent extra time with you in private?”
“I’m not going home, remember? I’m leaving. I’ll never see any of them again, so what does it matter? Besides, I was never part of Society anyway. What do I care about their views of my so-called reputation?”
“Icare about your reputation. I want to help you, not ruin your life. I want—”
“That’s enough whispering,” Lady Heatherbrook called out nervously. “Scoot to your side of the sofa, Gavin.”
He hesitated for a fraction of a second before taking her advice. He lounged against the opposite corner, one arm on the armrest and the other along the back, legs relaxed, knees spread wide.
“I was just informing Miss Pemberton,” he said at a normal volume, “that I’d prefer not to ruin her life.”
“Oh.” Lady Heatherbrook paused. “That seems a worthy goal.”
Evangeline glared at him. “You’re not going to ruin my life.”
He raised a brow. “Trust me, I’ve had plenty of practice at ruining lives. Ask my sister.”
Evangeline cut her glance to Lady Heatherbrook, who blanched.
“You didn’t ruin my life,” she protested weakly. “I thought Papa did at first when he forced me to the altar at seventeen, but I’ve been blessed with four beautiful children I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
“Score one for Father, then.” Mr. Lioncroft paused, as if waiting for his sister to continue speaking. When she did not, his tone turned sardonic. “Are you saying I’ve never ruined lives?”
Lady Heatherbrook exhaled a long, slow sigh. “No,” she admitted. “You have.”
