But today wasn’t about the past. It was about paying off a debt and creating a path forward to a future he would endure blessedly alone and free from obligations.
‘You’ve had a rough go, Thomas. I’ll no’ argue that. But you canna’ judge all women by just one example. Lissandra was never right for you, but I’ll never understand her choice to destroy your marriage.’ Lachlan sipped whisky from a crystal glass.
Thomas pushed back the anger and shame, working hard to keep his voice steady. ‘She isn’t to blame. The fault lies with me. That was determined in court when they agreed to grant her a divorce.’ His smile felt like it might crack his skin and reveal the monster beneath. ‘Not an easy thing to do.’
‘No’ easy or cheap.’
‘Yet Lissandra was able to convince the judge of her claim.Infidelity and desertion. Serious crimes for which I was found guilty.’ Eight years had dulled the sharp edges of gossip, but nothing would restore either of their reputations completely. Thomas had been begrudgingly welcomed back into society’s arms, and Lissandra’s speedy remarriage to a wealthy earl from an old and prestigious title – after stirring up the gossips once more – eventually forced even the most petty peers to forgive, although they would never forget. It was something Thomas could not do. Forgive himself. He did not deserve such grace.
MacDougal pounded his fist on the table, causing raised eyebrows from several men drinking at a nearby table. ‘I can hold her responsible for lying. And I can hold you responsible for no’ defending yerself. Why didn’t you refute her claims? I know you are many things, but you’re no libertine and you certainly did no’ desert her.’
Thomas’ chest tightened. MacDougal was one of his few remaining friends, a man who had proven his loyalty time and again, but still, Thomas couldn’t admit the truth. ‘I fucked my way through most of London and didn’t see her for over two years.’
‘At her request.’
Thomas shook his head. ‘It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. I have no wish to relive it. We have more important matters to discuss than my failed marriage.’
MacDougal opened his mouth to say something, but clamped it shut again, to Thomas’ relief. There were no words to fix what was broken within Thomas.
Better to focus on a task he was able to accomplish. Like finding Violet Beachley.
‘Your niece wants to speak with Viscount Beachley’s daughter. The poor girl was in the house when the murder happened, but she was in the nursery in a sickbed. She is not more than nine years, correct?’
MacDougal nodded confirmation.
‘What possible information could she give us that would warrant me seeking an invitation to speak with her? She wouldn’t be privy to the happenings below stairs, and it is indelicate to ask questions of someone so young. Children are just as prone to flights of fancy as women who think they can assist in murder cases.’
Lifting a heavy brow, MacDougal crossed his arms over his barrel chest. ‘Or maybe they are just as underestimated, letting important evidence remain undiscovered because we are too arrogant to believe a child – or a woman, for tha’ matter – might have eyes in her head or thoughts in her brain.’
Thomas slid his gaze to the side, not ready to admit MacDougal might have a point. ‘Where is the girl now?’
‘With Beachley’s sister. Lady Diana Langley, Duchess of Devon.’
Thomas raised his brows. ‘The Duchess of Devon?’
‘Surely you’ve heard of her.’
Leaning back in his chair, Thomas allowed a small smile to tip the corners of his mouth.
MacDougal’s gaze sharpened. ‘I’ve seen tha’ look. You know something and you’re no’ telling. Out with it, lad.’
‘Her Grace is a close personal friend of my sister’s. We don’t run in the same circles, but I’ve met her at a few events my sister hosted.’
MacDougal’s face broke into a grin that made him look ten years younger. ‘I knew you’d be worth the trouble.’
‘Don’t say that until you know just how much trouble I am.’
Thomas hated to ask any favours of his sister. She had stood by him through the entire divorce debacle, even when he urged her to step away and preserve her own reputation. Her response to that still brought a smile to his lips.
‘I dare any member of the beau monde to disparage you in front of me. I will destroy them before the tea cools.’
A delicate flower, his sister. The last thing he deserved were any more favours from Lady Cynthia Burrows, Marchioness of Kentmore. But his sister was the only person he knew who could grant him an audience with the Duchess of Devon.
‘Can you get yer sister to arrange a meeting with the duchess?’
Thomas tapped his fingers on the table in a quick rhythm. ‘I’ll ask.’ Though even if she were able to arrange a meeting, he doubted it would bring any meaningful information to light. MacDougal might think his niece was a crack investigator, but Thomas would need a lot more convincing than the skewed opinion of a fond uncle.
3
