“Send for my maid, please.” Eve tried to lift the veil away from her face, but her arm was too heavy.
“She’s confused.”
“I think, perhaps, we ought to wait until Mrs. Mossant is feeling better?” The vicar suggested.
“If you value your position you’ll continue with the ceremony.”
But the ceremony would, indeed, be delayed.
The heavy door flying open sent Eve jumping. She didn’t move far, however, as the hand holding her squeezed even tighter.
It seemed, one of the guests was late to arrive.
Niles.
Even through the veil, she knew it was him in an instant. She’d always recognize his stance, his posture. Like a knight to her rescue, his sturdy frame filled the doorway.
Her man of business, but so much more.
“Pardon my interruption, vicar.” Niles sauntered across the room quite unperturbed.
Eve cheered inwardly at the sound of that calm soothing voice she’d come to love.
“The groom has requested some papers from me. I do believe he’ll be quite interested to look at them before making any rash decisions.”
Eve had no idea what Niles was nattering on about, but it didn’t matter.
He was here.
“Explain yourself, Waverly.”
Darius loosened her arm to swipe the papers away from Niles, leaving Eve standing on her own. She wavered and then leaned against a chair.
“The investments? Her accounts?”
Niles chuckled softly. Eve felt not one iota of concern that Niles would hand over the information Darius wanted.
“What’s left of them.”
“What do you mean, what’s left of them?” Darius Mossant’s voice shook.
And then Eve somehow managed to push the veil over up and over her head. “Yes, what do you mean, what’s left of them?” Surely, Niles wouldn’t have been careless with her money.
“Sometimes investments pay off.” Niles shrugged. “And sometimes, they do not.” He didn’t look all that worried, or contrite for that matter. He turned to Eve, looking quite adorable despite his alarming announcement—frustrating man that he was.
“That shipment we discussed, remember? It would have tripled the value of your shares, Mrs. Mossant, and I really hadn’t foreseen much risk but…” He shrugged again. “The Estonia went down last month. I’m sure you heard about it. The news has been all over the papers.”
But they’d decided not to invest there! Oh!
Oh!
“My money’s all gone?” Eve would play along. Her dear, sweet, Mr. Waverly was making all of this up.
“How in the hell am I supposed to afford this damn estate then?” All of the pride and bluster seemed to flee Darius Mossant in that moment as he dropped into a nearby chair.
“You could try learning how to run it properly. A little work never hurt anybody.” Lord Carlisle spoke up from the doorway. When had he arrived? If he was here, then surely Rhoda could not be far away.
Niles was by her side now, leading her to the only settee in the room.
