“Wow, that’s quite a feast.”
“Why I’m saying” — She nodded curtly at Pierre’s sandwich — “You’d better be hungry. Everyone is sitting together, even Nicole. No dinner in her rooms tonight. She’s joining the table now that the” — Cook mimed quotation marks — “The son of His Lordship will be present.”
Pierre’s hand pressed convulsively hard and squashed the bread over the plate, making the filling ooze out. Nicole wasn’t leaving anything to chance. She was going to supervise everyone even at dinner in case anyone said anything out of place.
Something crashed outside, then the garden door opened, and a breathless Millie ran in, her bicycle lying on ground outside the door, one wheel still turning. Without acknowledging anyone in the kitchen, she ran through. Pierre followed, but Millie was already flying up the stairs and into Lord M’s room.
Gabriel, on his way down, and had to flatten himself against the wall to avoid colliding with her.
“What was that?” he said when he reached Pierre.
“I don’t know. Wasn’t she supposed to be at the Casematess with Laura trying on her wedding dress?”
“Oh,” he said, glancing up to where Millie had gone.
“What?”
“I think…” He paused.
“What?”
“I might be wrong, but I suspect Adam managed to find a way round Lord M’s prohibition.”
They looked at each other for a long moment until Pierre put it together.
“Through Laura?”
Had they not had so much to worry about, the fledgeling romance between Laura and the doctor would have been big news and even bigger gossip. Pierre herself had no idea if it was a real romance or just a fling. But both had looked very happy that morning.
Gabriel nodded. “She wasn’t one of the people in the study this morning. So, technically, she could speak freely to Millie.”
Of course. “Adam probably discussed Lord M’s health with her last night, before the big prohibition.”
Yes, that was what lovers did. They talked at night, they discussed things freely. She couldn’t be happier for Laura. Well, she could be happier if she didn’t have so much else on her mind. Starting with the man standing next to her.
“There is something else; I think I want you to know.” His tone was very serious.
“About what?”
His eyes flicked up the stairs towards Lord M’s room. “Come with me.” He cupped her elbow with his hand and steered her towards the conservatory.
Nineteen
It would have taken a superhuman effort to say no to the gentle pressure of his warm hand on her arm. To the warmth of his voice and to the worried look in his warm honey brown eyes. Everything was too warm, her cheeks, her throat, and the erratic beating in her chest.
So, she let him lead her into the conservatory, let him close the door and take her to the far corner. They stood together, facing out onto a sunny spring afternoon. The trees, no longer naked twigs, were bumpy with buds ready to burst into flower and leaf.
“Do you remember your question to Liam yesterday?”
No, she couldn’t.
“About your job?” he explained.
Ah yes, yesterday; so much had happened since then. She nodded.
“I think,” he started, “I might know why Lord doesn’t want you to go on with more research. It’s not about your job.”
“Then what?” This had better not be more inside information via Nicole. She really couldn’t bear it.
