Merton. Hillhouse.The two names at the very top of Wrexford’s list of possible suspects.
“I’m so sorry,” said Charlotte. Murder was like a stone thrown into a calm lake—the impact sent waves rippling out far from the point of impact.
“As am I.” A flicker of unreadable emotion tightened Jeremy’s features, but it was gone in an instant. “I hope to provide some comfort while they are here in London. The atmosphere inside a house of mourning can be oppressive.”
Especially as, according to Wrexford, there was no love lost between Ashton’s widow and her late husband’s assistants.
“A walk in the park may be a balm for the spirits,” he finished.
“Perhaps Miss Merton would welcome the company of another woman,” said Charlotte slowly.
His face wreathed in a smile. “That’s exceedingly kind—”
Honesty compelled her to interrupt him. “I’m not merely being altruistic, Jem. You know I’ve been working on a series of prints entitledMan versus Machine. So for professional reasons, I should very much like to hear her viewpoint on the subject—and that of Mr. Hillhouse.”
It wasn’t a lie, simply a partial truth, in which she left her part in the murder investigation unsaid.
“If they are friends of yours,” she went on, “I’m sure they will be both thoughtful and articulate.”
Jeremy hesitated. “They are. And I think you would all like each other very much. However . . .”
“However scandal is my bread and butter,” said Charlotte softly. “And you fear I may make a meal of them.” She watched a dappling of the north light skate across her desk top. Howironic that it was known for its piercing clarity. With each passing moment she felt herself being drawn deeper and deeper into the tangled murk of secrets within secrets.
“I understand the demands of what you do,” replied Jeremy. “And ought not make you decide between friendship and earning a living.”
“I would have thought you know me well enough to know which will always come first,” she said slowly.
He reached out and slowly uncurled her fisted fingers. “I’d trust you with my life, Charley.” His faced paled. “In fact, I have. We both know that.”
“Just as I’ve entrusted you with my deepest secrets.” Charlotte hardly dared ask the next question. “I’ve never regretted it for an instant. Have you?”
A ripple of emotion darkened his eyes. “No. Never.”
Her insides unclenched. “I may use my pen as a barb to puncture the pompousness of those who think themselves above the rules. But in cases such as Ashton’s death, I hope I am always a voice for truth and justice.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Jeremy pressed his palms to his temples. “But the truth can be twisted by others.”
What is he so afraid of?Charlotte thought it a strangely pessimistic comment for someone who had mastered the art of graceful good cheer. But for the moment she forced the question from her mind.
“All the more reason to introduce me,” she pressed. “I can, you know, be a powerful force in shaping public opinion—for good as well as for bad.”
An involuntary laugh slipped from his lips. “I daresay the Prince Regent himself quakes in his boots at the thought of becoming a subject of your drawings.”
“Prinny quakes—and quivers—because he consumes far too many rich pastries and bottles of claret,” she responded, hoping to ease the tension in the air.
Jeremy laughed again. He rarely stayed blue-deviled for any length of time, though he had, she well knew, his own personal demons to wrestle with.
Don’t we all?
“True,” he said in answer to her quip. “But I happen to know that he took to his bed for several days after seeing your parody of his shopping for corsets.”
Charlotte carefully shifted the boxes of her pigments. “I have never turned my pen on innocent people. Your friends have nothing to fear from me.”
Unless, of course, they were guilty of murdering the inventor. In that case, she believed that Jeremy would also agree that truth must triumph, no matter the personal cost.
And yet....
Their gazes met and held for a long moment. It was he who looked away first, and while it might have only been a quirk of light, a flicker of shadow seemed to cloud his eyes.
