“And if I believedthat, I’d even now be in Oxford with my son and daughter, and bar the door to you, because it would mean you still loved the dratted woman.” She drew in a breath. “I have to be confident that you do not.”
“Love?” I said in astonishment. “I neverlovedMarguerite. It was a brief affair, the aftermath of battle, me scorning convention and gloating about it. Love never entered into it, on either of our parts.”
Donata’s smile was savage. “And I am jealous enough to be terribly pleased by that.”
“My dearest Donata, do you believe that my tenderness can be aroused by any lady but yourself?” I pressed my hand to my breast, wanting to make her laugh.
“Do not overstate things, Gabriel. Youhaveloved other women—your first wife, Gabriella, your mother. You also must have had many youthful infatuations.”
I waved away the callow passions of my young years, all gone in dust. “Believe what you will. Marguerite never loved me, or I her. She seems to be very fond of Gibbons, I am happy to report.”
“There you are, then. Why on earth should Mrs. Gibbons summon you to help her slay Isherwood and then leave you to be arrested? You helped her in Salamanca, she liked you, and from what you’ve told me, you parted amicably. By all evidence, she married happily instead of living all these years nursing resentment—so why would she exact this sort of vengeance on you?”
I rose, unable to keep still. “I have no bloody idea. Marguerite was never the most prim and proper of women, which is likely why Isherwood wanted her gone. Her vivaciousness and lack of respect for idiot senior officers had caused Isherwood to be called on the carpet more than once. I suppose he finally decided he cared for his career more than his wife—always did, I suspect.”
“She was well rid of him then,” Donata said calmly. “Once she realized that, she’d hardly wish to kill him, would she?”
I made myself resume my seat, my knee chiding me for my energetic pacing.
“Lord Armitage tried to tell me she was a spy for the French.” I massaged the offended knee as I spoke. “That would give her another motive for getting rid of Isherwood. If Isherwood found out, or suspected … He’d not only put her aside but threaten to reveal her duplicity, and she’d be executed as a traitor. He could hold that over her for years. Perhaps Marguerite decided to end the threat.”
“Armitage is not the most reliable of informants,” Donata said. “He loves to spread gossip about others, presumably to keep them from repeating the stories about him and his own wife. Did Mrs. Gibbons seem a likely spy? What sort of information could she have obtained from you?”
“Nothing.” I had argued this with Armitage. “I was not high enough in the chain of command to know anything of importance.”
“Therefore, she did not throw herself at you to discover secrets to pass to the French marshals.” Donata drummed her fingers on the desk. “It is likely Isherwood himself whispered that rumor to justify his leaving her. When a woman knows her own mind, and says so, gentlemen will spread all sorts of falsehoods about her.”
She spoke from experience. Few women knew their own mind better than Donata.
“I can discover whether the rumors began with Isherwood,” I said. “I will buttonhole Forbes, who was Isherwood’s friend longer than anyone.”
“Buttonhole him, but do not bloody his nose,” Donata advised. “Let us not forget about the Regent. Isherwood’s death might have nothing to do with Mrs. Gibbons, her husband, and what happened in Spain. Your lad Clement reported that the prince was at the Pavilion at the requisite time.”
“Yes.” I returned to that with some hope. “Why the Regent would kill Isherwood, I cannot fathom, but the two might have quarreled. I do not know why Isherwood was even invited that night.”
“Grenville could find this out. I can have a chat with Lady Hollingsworth—I’ve known her for years. His Highness might have confessed all to her.”
“If it wasn’t simply a horrible accident,” I said. “The Regent, showing off his prowess with a sword, runs the man through. I can envision such a thing.”
“Unlikely. Colonel Isherwood wouldn’t have let him. As I said before, Isherwood was a strong man, and the Regent can barely stand with his gout.”
“True. But Isherwood should have been able to fight offanyattack,” I finished glumly. “Which is why I return to Marguerite once more. Isherwood might not have believed his danger, either from her or from me, and so did not defend himself.”
Donata fixed me with her stubborn look. “I do not believe you killed this man, Gabriel, no matter what. And I will prove it, whether you wish me to or not.”
* * *
I’d learnedwhen to cease arguing with Donata. She set her mind on a course, and she would not be dissuaded. I’d leave her to ferret out any details from Lady Hollingsworth, welcoming whatever help she could give me.
I descended to the sitting room to write my letter to Colonel Brandon, asking him to tell me what he remembered about events in Salamanca. I gave the missive to Bartholomew, who would send it off by quickest post.
Brewster arrived after that, having gone home once he’d seen me safely inside. He looked gloomy. “His Nibs wants to see you.”
“Again? Is he not satisfied with my lists?”
“How should I know? He asks to see you, and I fetch you.”
I did not fight him, knowing the futility of it. Brewster led me out, not to his own lodgings, but to another row of new houses that faced the sea.
