“I said I would.” She stayed near the door, arms folded. “You wanted to talk.”
“Yes.” He gestured to a chair by the fire. “Please, sit.”
She hesitated, then crossed the room, perching on the edge of the seat. He took the one opposite, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He was close enough that she could see the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw.
“You left rather abruptly last night,” he began, quietly. “After… everything.”
“My dress was torn by your admirer, if you can recall that.” She met his gaze defiantly.
“My admirer?” he echoed, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. “That’s one word for it.”
Silence stretched between them, thick with things unsaid. Deena looked at the clock on his wall and silently prayed for time to slow down.
He broke the silence first. “Tell me about the blackmailer. Anything. A name. A motive.”
“I don’t have a name.” She looked down at her hands. “I only have notes and letters. The first one came in Paris, and the latest arrived yesterday.”
“May I see them?”
Deena frowned at him. “Yes, but why would you want to look at them? What information can you hope to glean from--?”
“It is about me; I have a right to see them.”
“All right, but I only have one letter with me,” she lied and reached into her reticule for the most recent letter.
Deena did not enjoy beginning their conversation by telling falsehoods, but she withheld information because she was not ready to expose Penelope’s secrets to the Velvet Duke. He took the letter from her hand gently, opened it, and read it quickly.
“One week?” Austin’s brow furrowed in thought.
“Yes,” she said simply.
He leaned closer to her, and she held her breath. “I will be keeping this letter.” He left no room for argument.
Deena nodded slowly.
“Dee, what do they think I’m hiding?” Austin continued as he turned the paper over, trying to find more clues, but Deena had already studied it and found nothing more than what was written.
“I don’t know.” She lifted her eyes to his and found him reading and rereading the note. “Truly. I only know they will ruin someone I care about if I do not comply.”
“Who is thissomeone?” His eyes turned sharply to hers.
Deena shook her head, focusing her attention on the flames in front of them and refusing to answer.
“Is it a lover?”
Her head snapped towards him. “No. I told you it’s a friend.”
He exhaled slowly. “And you won’t tell me who?”
“I cannot.”
Austin sat back, frustration flickering across his features, and Deena was not sure why she felt guilty for not trusting him.
“I’m getting no answers from you. So, either you’re not being honest, or you don’t trust me,” he said as if he could read her mind.
“I’m being as honest as I can, Austin. It is not my secret to tell.”
She had to protect her friend more than she protected herself. There was no question about it.
