“It does break my heart,” Lucas croaked out. “Worse, it would break…”
“Diana’s,” Stalwood said, his tone pained. “Does she know your suspicions?”
Lucas flinched. “No. What she told me was not told as part of the investigation. I didn’t reveal to her what I thought when she said that name…Caldwell. And I won’t. I won’t tell her.”
“That’s for the best,” Stalwood agreed. “Until we know for certain, keep the communication open. We may need more details that she would be loath to share if she thought they would destroy her father’s memory.”
Lucas wrinkled his brow.Thatwas not why he was keeping his thoughts secret from Diana. After everything she’d lost, he had no intention of stealing her love for her father, her belief and faith in his goodness. Not until they knew everything. Perhaps not even then.
If he could protect her, he would.
“Willowby?” Stalwood said, sharp.
He jolted. “Of course. Of course I will not tell her,” he said.
“Good.” Stalwood smoothed his hands over his waistcoat. “Bloody hell, I hate this. I’ll return to my office and do some work on my end. I’ll reach out to you as soon as I can to further this investigation.”
The two men locked eyes, and then Lucas motioned to the door for his superior to leave first. He followed, his hands shaking as he tried to regain composure before he returned to the ballroom where he’d have to face the world, his friends and Diana.
Diana hid in the shadowy dark of an alcove in the hallway, watching as Stalwood and Lucas headed toward the ballroom. She leaned heavily against the wall, for her own legs would not hold her.
There had never been an intention in her mind to eavesdrop on the men. She’d had every plan to simply join them in their discussion and add whatever information she had to Lucas’s. Because she’d been foolish enough to see herself as his partner in this investigation. To believe him when he said she was. To believe in him at all.
But when she’d begun to open the door, she’d heard her name. Her father’s name, and the wordtraitor. It had shocked her so much that she’d stood there, silent and dumbfounded as the two men talked about the evidence Lucas saw against her father. About how he’d gleaned that information fromher.
She’d listened as he’d danced around the edges of her secrets so that Stalwood couldn’t possibly misunderstand them. Tears filled her eyes and she fisted her hand on the wall as she fought not to let them fall.
She’d trusted him. With her body. With her past. With her heart. And here he’d been using her in order to sully her father’s name. Her heart ached and she wanted to scream in response.
She wanted to run away from this and him and never come back. And yet that wasn’t possible.
“Diana, is that you?” She turned to find that Emma had come up the hallway while she’d been lost in her thoughts. The pretty duchess reached her, and her expression softened. “Oh, dearest, what is it?” Emma caught her hands and drew Diana closer. Her kindness was so honestly meant, and yet Diana wanted to run from it, too.
She forced herself to remain calm and said, “I-I was a bit overwhelmed and got lost on my way to the retiring room.”
Emma wrapped an arm around her and guided her down the hallway. “You know, I’ve lived in this house for over a year and a half and I am still getting lost from time to time. Let me take you there, for I could use a moment, as well.”
Diana nodded and let herself be taken to the room where the ladies took their air and gathered themselves. Only she knew there would be no gathering herself. Not today. Perhaps not ever.
Lucas forced a smile as Diana and Emma entered the ballroom together. Once again, seeing her with the wives of his friends made him feel comfortable somehow. He didn’t want to think about that overly much. Just as he didn’t want to think about Stalwood, who had already left to follow up on Lucas’s theories.
He would have to face that when the time came. Have to decide what to do and what to tell Diana if his ugly theories were correct. But for now, he intended to enjoy the time they had together.
He left the refreshment table and crossed to Emma and Diana, who lifted her gaze and watched him as he approached. With each step, his heart sank, for there was something…changed in her gaze. Empty. Pained.
He reached them and bowed slightly. “Ladies,” he drawled as greeting. “Wherever did you two run off to?”
“The retiring room,” Emma said with a concerned glance at Diana. “We were both a bit overcome by the warmth of the ballroom.”
Diana shot her a brief, grateful look, and Lucas held back a curse. Something had obviously happened to her tonight, while he was distracted by his work. Perhaps someone had been unkind to her or she’d been reminded of something painful in the surroundings. Either way, he wanted to help.
“Perhaps you would grant me this dance, Miss Oakford,” he said, holding out a hand. “A bit of movement might relieve some of your discomfort.”
She stared at him a beat. Another. The coldness didn’t leave her expression. “Of course, Your Grace. I see no way to refuse such an offer,” she said at last.
He wrinkled his brow at her carefully chosen words, but smiled at Emma and guided Diana to the floor. The music began and they swayed into the steps. He was a bit slower than those around them, perhaps. After all, his arm and his leg were still pained, especially after getting so little rest for them today. But he was pleased that he was still capable of at least a modicum of grace.
“What is wrong?” he asked at last, when they had settled into the movements.
