“You think there’s a murderer among us?” Mr. Arnold stuttered. “I hope not.”
“We know nothing for sure,” Darcy spoke soothingly but with authority. “But we take everyone’s safety very seriously.”
“You must be so concerned about everyone, especially your staff. I hope we're not in danger.” Daphne proclaimed, gesturing toward our party. "You do feel your staff are trustworthy?"
Frustration flushed through me. How dare she try to blame our staff, especially if she was guilty herself. She knew none of them. “We have a highly trusted staff who’ve been with us for years, and I’m sure none of them are dangerous. I’m going to retire for the evening. I’ll see you all at breakfast.”
I left the room, mind spinning. But before I’d made it a few yards out of the gallery, a strong hand caught my shoulder. I spun around to see Henry standing behind me.
“You’re just going to leave?” He looked wounded.
“Oh, sorry. No, I just needed to get out of there.”
“Okay, I just… well, can I at least walk you back to your room? With Darcy's announcement, I'm worried everyone may be in danger now.” Henry's blue eyes darkened.
“Yes,” I whispered. “And I have an idea.”
Once we’d made it back to my sitting room, I closed and locked the door behind us.
“Did you catch what Darcy said?” I asked, curling up on an armchair. “He told everyone where the body is.”
Henry nodded. “The money.”
“I doubt he accidentally dropped that, either. He’s probably trying to trap the killer.” I frowned.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked. “I mean, you’ll all be safe and they’ll catch him.”
I sighed and pulled in a deep breath. The sweet pine-scented air reminded me of my childhood Christmases. “Darcy is usually responsible. But he can be self-sacrificing for people he cares about. I’m worried he’ll put himself in danger.”
“I see. Well, I’ll offer to help him. But, Georgiana, you’ve already been through too much today. I know you’re acting like you’re fine, but your injuries were severe. You’re safe here in your rooms. I could stand guard.”
I shook my head. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”
Henry grinned. “Yes, I do. But you can’t blame me for trying. So since we’re obviously going to beinvolved and trying to stop you would be futile, what’s your plan? The least I can do is support you.”
At that moment, I knew I wanted Henry in my life for a very long time, no matter who objected.
“Nothing too drastic. We’ll just watch and wait.” I shrugged.
“Sounds cozy,” he said.
“We might not have to do much of anything. I just want to make sure Darcy doesn’t get in over his head.”
Chapter 12
Duringthistimeofyear, we kept the fireplace in the grand hall lit 24/7, which made it convenient if we wanted to watch what was happening on the main floor. If Bradford tried to sneak out to the stables, we’d see him from our hiding place on the third-floor balcony.
Henry and I lay on our stomachs on the marble floor, next to a Christmas tree, facing the marble balcony railing. Equipped with a few pairs of opera glasses, we surveyed the main corridor through the holly and ivy-covered balusters. Though I knew we had binoculars somewhere in the house, I didn’t want to risk asking for them and alerting the staff of our activities. So we had to make do.
Unfortunately, I didn’t expect lying on my stomach next to Henry to be so romantic. He smelled of soap and cedar, and his arm next to mine was warm in contrast with the cold stone floor.
“Is this way too awkward?” I asked.
“Nope.” By the light of the Christmas tree we used as a cover, I could see the grin on his face as he peered through the opera glasses. “It’s perfect.”
I scanned the areas around us and below with my opera glasses. “Hey Henry, what did you mean byit’s probably best you’ll never knowin your note last week?”
He cleared his throat but remained silent for a moment. “I guess I didn’t think you’d ever know I’d written them, so I was a bit too free with my words.”
