But Rosina hardly heard him. Her attention had caught on that precious endearment, and her pulse began an irregular beat. Did his feeling for her truly run so deep? She said the only thing in her mind. “What did you call me?”
Raith’s gaze softened. “If you look at me like that, I can’t recall anything I said.”
“You said—” She found herself unable to repeat it. She swallowed. “Never mind it. What can Mr Ottery do?”
“A great deal,” came from the lawyer behind them. “Better, I feel sure, than what I suspect to be your intended solution, my lord.”
Rosina pulled away, and turned quickly to face him. “What do you mean, sir?”
But it was Raith who answered. “He means that, left to myself, I will slaughter the villain.”
“You mean to call him out? But he may as readily kill you, Anton — and I should die then!”
“If you care so much, how could you leave me?”
“If you care for me, how can you put yourself in danger?”
The lawyer intervened. “My dear sir, there is no need for any such foolishness. I have the matter well covered.”
“Then, if it will change her mind, for pity’s sake, tell her what you may do.”
Ottery retired behind his desk, and sat down. “The most obvious thing would be to go to Mr Cambois and extract a written statement of the true version of events.”
“You may rely on me for that! What else?”
“If you will hand into my safekeeping all the pertinent correspondence, I will face Lord Forteviot with the intelligence that I am in possession of sufficient evidence to have him up on a charge of attempted blackmail.”
“Will that suffice?”
“Oh, I think so, my lord. He cannot raise a scandal without involving himself in a public exposure of villainy. If her ladyship is pilloried, we will have enough counter-evidence to support an attack upon his own reputation. I doubt Lord Forteviot will take the risk for a paltry twenty thousand pounds. Men of his stamp drop that much in one night’s play.”
“By thunder, you’re right, Ottery! There will be no point in it. I will see to it that Cambois keeps mum.”
Rosina heard it all with a leap of the heart. She had not thought it possible there might be a solution other than the one she had sought. Her veins were rioting, and it was with a burgeoning of hope that she saw Anton turn to her again.
“Rosy, what do you say now?”
She glanced at the lawyer. “May we — can we speak alone?”
“At last!” Raith seized her hand, and led her hastily to the inner door. “With your leave, Ottery.”
“You are my guest, my lord.”
A moment later, Rosina found herself in a little chamber behind the lawyer’s office, with the door closed, and her husband leaning against it. She moved into the room, pausing by the desk and turning to face him.
“Well?”
She bit her lip. “Anton, after last night—”
“Oh, sweet heaven, last night!”
Rosina flushed, and looked away. “You — you had not the intention to make me your wife in truth, I know that.”
“Does that rankle?” He came away from the door. “Rosy, believe me, though I asked Ottery yesterday to free me, it was not for lack of faith.”
“How can I blame you? After what that doctor said.”
“It is true that I did waver. I was seduced into the idea you had married me—”
