“Two Johns remain on my list, and I shall prioritize them,” Rawlins said. “Thank you all for your contributions. Now, I have one further question, and it is for Mr. Godwin.”
Although Conrad knew the question, he waited.
“Do you know of anyone who might wish you harm?”
Competitors, a former lover, family…take your pick.
“I am a powerful man,” he said evenly. “Powerful men have enemies.”
Rawlins’s gaze sharpened. “Are you aware of specific enemies?”
When he did not reply, Gigi said, “Do you know of people who would try to harm you, Con—I mean, Mr. Godwin? If so, you must tell the constable.”
If he were alone with Gigi, he would share his secrets…at least some of them. When the time was right, and she was his, he might even tell her everything. The long and sordid history of what—and who—had shaped him into the man he was today. He would not, however, expose any of this in public. Doing so would compromise the plans he’d meticulously laid out and jeopardize his long-awaited vengeance against the two bastards who’d wronged him.
“The constable has enough to do,” he said. “Rawlins, after you have interviewed the remaining suspects, I expect to be apprised of your findings.”
“Certainly, sir.” The constable’s face was grave. “But if you know of any threats to your well-being, I must advise you to share them.”
“We want to help,” Gigi said haltingly. “You trust us…don’t you?”
I trust you. But only you.
He hated how crushed she looked. Yet he saw her papa’s rigid disdain and her mama’s worry. Her brothers were ready to pound him to a fare-thee-well. Anything he had to say to Gigi would have to be done in private.
“Rest assured, I will be returning to London shortly to handle the matter.” Conrad bowed to the group. “Again, I thank you for your hospitality. If you’ll excuse me.”
He exited before the shock and hurt in Gigi’s eyes could change his mind.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“He didn’t,” Duffy breathed.
“He did.” Gigi gave the pink satin she was examining an annoyed twitch. “He said he’s going back to London to ‘handle the matter’ and left the room without another word. Who knows if he’ll even say farewell? At any rate, I am done with the bounder.”
“You don’t mean that. And I’m certain he will contact you before he leaves.”
Duffy cast a discreet look around his shop, and Gigi did the same. After Rawlins shared yesterday that talk of the village’s curse had been reignited, she had decided to visit Chuddums and try to put out fires. Mama had joined her on the mission. When they ran into friends from London at the tea shop and the milliner’s, they’d laughed off the curse as an old wives’ tale used to scare small children. Gigi had emphasized the true moral of the story: the love between Thomas Mulligan and his Rosalinda. With any luck, their efforts were paying off. At present, Mama was a few rows down, chatting with another acquaintance.
“What makes you so certain about Mr. Godwin?” Gigi asked.
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Like you’re the only thing worth seeing and he resents having to tear his gaze from you for even an instant. That fellow is as head over heels for you,” Duffy said quietly, “as you are for him.”
“I am not in love with him.”
When Duffy arched a brow, she huffed out a breath.
“All right, I was beginning to fall for him and thought we were coming to an understanding. But that is over now.” She buried the pain beneath indignation. “Clearly, he has been keeping secrets from me. There have been two attempts on his life, and he will not even tell me who his enemies are.”
Although Mr. Rawlins had cautioned that it was best to refer to the incident as an “accident” for now, she had shared the truth with her friend, whose discretion could be trusted.
“Perhaps Mr. Godwin has issues with trust,” Duffy said.
“Perhaps?” Gigi squinted at him.
“I was trying to be optimistic. Have you confronted him about it?”
“Since I foolishly told my parents that Mr. Godwin and I had formed an attachment, they are watching me like hawks,” Gigi muttered. “They’ll never let me be alone in his company. The only reason they let me out of the manor today was because of exigent circumstances.”
