Celia and Rosalinde exchanged a glance, then nodded together. “Very well,” Celia said. “Let’s talk about the end of the engagement.”
Gray stretched his back as he stood. It had been an hour since the four of them had started this conversation about their next step. There seemed to be few good answers for what they would tell the others about the broken engagement, but at least he knew Rosalinde and Celia would be safe for the time being. Stenfax had agreed to let them stay a week and to keep Fitzgilbert away from them if he returned.
Everything else was still to be worked out, but he wasn’t about to reveal his plan in front of everyone. He wanted to talk to Rosalinde alone.
“I’ll have supper sent up to you,” Stenfax said with a smile for the women. “And I’m sure no one will be surprised by your absence after all that has happened today.”
“They’ll whisper more,” Celia said with a shake of her head. “But if it buys us more time to come up with a story, then I suppose I have to accept that.”
Rosalinde squeezed her hand. “We’ll find something to say.I’lltake the blame.”
Celia didn’t seem convinced, but she smiled at the two men as she left the room. Rosalinde followed, but stopped before she exited.
“Gray,” she said softly, meeting his gaze from across the room. It was like she had tied a string between them. He couldn’t help but take a step toward her, pulled toward her by their powerful connection.
“Yes?”
“Thank you again,” she whispered. “You saved my life.”
He could think of nothing to say in the face of her bald emotion. So he merely nodded and watched as she left.
When he could find the strength to move, he turned back to his brother and found Lucien staring at him, arms folded. “Close the door,” Lucien said.
Gray wrinkled his brow. “Very well.” He did as he had been asked and then returned to Lucien. “You have more to discuss with me?”
Lucien laughed, but the sound held no humor. “I have so many questions that I hardly know where to start. I suppose first must be, how long have you known that Elise was a widow?”
Gray froze. Lucien’s mouth was a hard line and his hands were fisted at his sides as he waited for the answer to his very direct question.
“Elise is a widow?” Gray repeated, more to buy time than because he intended to lie.
“I didn’t think you knew—I thought it was a secret until you said that marrying Celia wasbestfor me. That word, your sudden about-face on the topic of my fiancée revealed you, Gray. So don’t sport with my intelligence. How long?”
“Only since yesterday,” Gray admitted. “Who told you, Folly and Marina?”
Lucien let out his breath in a burst. “No. But of course they would know. And they hid it, too. With friends like these…”
Gray shook his head. “You want to pretend you don’t know exactly why we didn’t tell you? Why the three of us might want to keep such information from you?”
A cloud crossed Lucien’s expression and he nodded. “Very well, I understand your reasons, I suppose. I have reacted imprudently in the past when it came to Elise.”
“Imprudently?” Gray repeated. “You call nearly killing yourself imprudent? It was one of the most horrifying experiences of my life.”
Lucien swallowed. “The point is, you kept it from me. In fact, you decided Imustmarry because of it.”
“I know you and I knew you wouldn’t go to Elise if you were wed. You wouldn’t break vows like that, it isn’t in your nature.”
Lucien shrugged. “But you think I’d go to her now that I’m free. Or soon to be.”
“Will you?” Gray asked, leaning forward as he awaited the answer.
Lucien rubbed a hand over his face. “What would I have to say to that woman, Gray? Nothing. She is nothing to me and she never will be again. Her being a widow changes…it changes nothing.”
Gray frowned. There was something in the way his brother’s voice caught that made him doubt the veracity of his statement. But it was done now.
“If Folly and Marina didn’t tell you, who did?” he asked.
“I overheard one of the women whispering about it. The family may be trying to keep whatever happened quiet, but it’s about to explode.”
