His eyes glittered. “If you were in my rooms, the state of my floors would be the last thing you would be thinking of.”
“And what would be the first?” A lock of his dark auburn hair twisted upward, and she felt the oddest urge to smooth it back down.
“You wouldn’t be thinking at all.” He frowned. “Just as I am not now.” He released her and stepped back. “I trust you are uninjured after your misadventure with the bow. Shall we continue?”
Something in Eleanor’s chest pinched, but she shook out her skirts and set her shoulders. “Let’s.” Without giving him another look, she started on her way. When they reached the double doors of the Tea Room, she turned left, down the long hall that led to the Great Room at the back of the club. The room where Lady Richford was found. Eleanor turned into a room on the left, three doors down from it.
“Here.” She swept her hand over the sitting room decorated in cool blues and stark whites. It was supposed to feel like one had stepped into ancient times, and the Greek and Roman busts that sat in small alcoves that were carved into the walls helped with that immersion. Scattered tables held historic games liketabula,terni lapilli, andtali. Golden thronelike chairs were interspersed with low-slung chaises.
Eleanor led him to one such chaise longue that was angled across one corner of the room. “We sat here and talked.” Her eyes dared him to disagree with her description of events.
Mr. Rollins fingered a screen made up of large palm fronds sewn together which partially hid the seat. He moved the screen a foot, and the door was obscured from sight. “You thought itout. Didn’t want anyone to observe you if they happened into the room.”
“Nothing untoward happened,” she said stiffly.
“You were trying to seduce him,” he reminded her.
“I wanted his help.” She crossed her arms under her chest. “There might have been a kiss”—or two—“but we didn’t…I didn’t know how….” She stopped herself just short from stomping her foot. As a proper, youngish miss, it was humiliating admitting to such impropriety. As a woman, it was even more shameful admitting that she’d failed. “Nothing happened.”
“Was the door open or closed while you werespeakingwith Bobby?”
Eleanor kept her voice even, but she could do nothing about the color that rose to her cheeks. She was not, by nature, a blusher, yet she spent half her time around Mr. Rollins with her cheeks burning. It was most infuriating. “It was closed.”
To his credit, Mr. Rollins didn’t focus on the implication of the closed door. “So you and Bobby wouldn’t have seen anyone walking past. Are you sure you didn’t hear anything? No cry? Not even footsteps?”
“Nothing.” Her heart had been pounding so hard at the time, it would have been difficult to hear anything over it. She’d never tried to seduce a man before, and Bobby had seemed quite aware of her lack of experience. It had been embarrassing. An unmarried woman of her station should be inexperienced, but she had seen much more of the world than was typical of her station. Going from a pampered young miss to a pauper when her family had lost their money had been devastating. Having to find employment to keep a roof over her head had been eye-opening.
She knew the trouble a woman could get into. Had seen it happen to more than one daughter of the tradesmen she had become friends with in that life. Had even had hushedconversations where the act was described in full, shocking detail. She should have been more worldly. Should have been able to persuade a footman to help her by using her feminine wiles. She’d witnessed the flirting among the servants whom she’d worked with. Fended off enough advances of her own.
The fact that relations happened outside of marriage no longer surprised her. Perhaps that was why she had been willing to give up her virtue in order to save her mother.
And perhaps because, deep in her heart, she’d felt her actions to be wrong was why her attempt to seduce Bobby had failed.
“Wait here.” Mr. Rollins exited from the room, closing the door behind him.
Eleanor stood for a few moments, unsure of his purpose. When she had just decided to sit, a muffled sound came through the door. She hesitated. Was that a shout? Had something fallen?
He came back before she could investigate, crossing the room to her. “Did you hear me call?”
“I heard something, but I didn’t know it was you calling. Was I supposed to go to you? You told me to wait here.”
“No need for petulance.” He absently rubbed his jaw. “I went to where Lady Richford was found and shouted for you. Fairly loudly. That door is thick and heavy, but you still heard something.”
“What does that prove? I didn’t hear anything that night.” Showing that she could have heard a noise but hadn’t didn’t seem to add anything to their understanding.
He proved her wrong. “It suggests that Lady Richford didn’t scream as she was being attacked. Either she was taken completely unawares, or she knew her killer.”
Eleanor paused. She hadn’t really thought about it before, but as she’d sat here and fumbled with the footman, a woman was having the life choked out of her. A chill shivered down herback. Her head went light. If she had left the room a minute earlier, would she have run into a killer?
Mr. Rollins gripped her upper arms. “All you all right? You’ve gone quite pale.” His eyes narrowed on her face.
She inhaled slowly, trying to calm her nerves. His clean, woodsy scent helped. He was standing quite close to her. It only made sense, as he appeared worried she was on the verge of toppling over. For once, she didn’t find his presence irritating. It was oddly comforting, instead.
A fact she would never admit to him. She locked her knees and stepped back. “I am well.” Any strong, capable man would have felt just as comforting. It was nothing special to Mr. Rollins.
He must have noted her cool tone, because his expression changed to match it. “Did you know we’ve met before?” he said casually. “I knew I recognized you, but it took several hours looking through past files to remember from where.”
Eleanor cocked her head. “I don’t remember.”
