“It was a matter of honor.” The voice was filled with righteous indignation.
Another voice he didn’t recognize cut through the others. “Enough about the girl. We are here to discuss the journal. We need to know if he found it. What he knows. Each one of us is at risk.”
“Hartwick was a crafty bastard. He wouldn’t have left it lying around. I sent my man to look for it at both homes. And he came back empty-handed. I still think the boy doesn’t know anything.”
They were talking about his father. This was his chance to find out who killed his father. He started toward the room, but Lucy’s hand grasped his arm. “No,” she whispered furiously. “We don’t know who is in there. You can’t just walk into the lion’s den unprepared.”
He stared down at her hand clinging to him and tried to think logically. What risk would she be in if he went charging into a room? The men in there were all likely peers. The best he could do would be to challenge his father’s murderer to a duel. He flexed his right hand into a fist. He would be as good as dead with this blasted bad shooting arm. He raised his gaze to meet Lucy’s frantic one. He would not leave her unprotected. Revenge was best served cold.
She pulled him across the corridor. Opening the first door, she yanked him inside. They pushed the door almost all the way closed, leaving a crack to peer into the hall. “First, we need to find out who is in that room.” She kept her voice low.
“I recognized Blackpool’s voice. I just met with him, so it’s fresh in my mind. But I can’t place the other voices,” he whispered back as he tried hard to listen to the voices down the hallway.
“I tell you, he knows something.” Fear threaded through the man’s voice. “He wouldn’t be asking so many questions after all this time if Galey hadn’t betrayed us.”
“But does he have the journal? I say we tie up loose ends.”
“I forbid it, James. How many more of us are you willing to sacrifice? We have always protected each other, and we can continue to do so without taking such drastic measures.”
The slam of a door hitting the wall reverberated down the hall. Hart froze as he watched carefully out the crack. The Duke of Lavensham stalked past. After another moment, the Earl of Blackpool and the Duke of Fleming followed. Lastly, the Earl of Rawlings and Viscount Griffen, heads together, walked past their conversation low and impossible to decipher.
Hart waited several long moments before carefully shutting the door the rest of the way. He leaned back against the wall and stared across the room. His father’s murderer had been one of those men, one of his father’s closest friends.
“Everyone in that room seemed to know exactly what happened to your father and brother. They have been hiding the truth.”
“For five years.” He closed his eyes. “Galey said that they were powerful. He broke ranks to try to tell me what happened.”
When he opened his eyes, Lucy was pacing in front of him. “But we still don’t know which voices belonged to whom. Which of these men is the killer.”
“Two men, you mean. The first man reproached a second man for killing the boy. I assume he meant Robert,” Hart replied. Christ, why had they killed Robert?
“Yes, and what did he mean about his daughter? None of it makes sense.”
Hart tugged on her hand; her pacing increased his own anxiety. What secrets did these men keep at such a high cost of killing one of their own? Hauling her close, he wrapped her in his arms.
Panic began to claw at his chest. “I’m worried I have pulled you into something that is far larger than I thought. Perhaps I should send you to Belstoke. You would be safer there.”
She pulled back to look up at him. “And who will protect you? No, absolutely not.”
“But—” he began.
“No. Hart, your life has been endangered twice now. They are clearly worried you know some of the secrets they are keeping, so they will try again. I will not let you deal with this alone. You need me.”
He squeezed her tight. “I need to keep you safe. Why are you so fierce, sweetness? Let me take care of you.”
“I have lost every single one of the people that I loved in this world. I will not lose you, too.” Her eyes began to shine with tears again.
He could not stand to see the pain shimmering in them. He battled against his instincts to hide her away. To keep her from harm. A bead of sweat rolled down his back as his panic intensified. They needed to leave this house. They needed to go home.
“All right. But we will have a discussion about adding some extra protection when you go out.”
“For you as well.” Lucy raised an imperious eyebrow.
He sighed. “For me as well. For now, let’s get back to the party and say our farewells. I want to go home and tuck you into bed.”And never let you leave it.He sucked in a deep breath and prepared himself to walk back into the crowded party. He would master this tightness in his chest for her. He would get Lucy home safe.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lucy padded downstairsaround eleven that night. The light from her single candle flickered and pushed against the shadows. Once she had reached the main level, the ever-present Herbert straightened from his watch near the front door.
