“The evening has been perfect. I imagine he has merely been detained by someone eager to speak with him.”
Beatrice hesitated. Then, after a moment, she nodded.
“Very well,” she said. “But do not wander too far. If the orchestra begins another set without you, half the room will follow you out in search of their duchess.”
Margaret smiled more fully at that.
“I promise to return shortly.”
Beatrice stepped aside to let her pass, though her thoughtful gaze followed Margaret as she turned into the corridor. The music of the ballroom faded behind her with every step, replaced by the quieter hush of the house’s interior halls.
And as Margaret walked deeper into the shadows of Ravensmere, the uneasy chill that had begun with Arabella Vaughn’s words settled more firmly in her chest.
And when she opened the door to the library, she wished that she had not.
CHAPTER 28
The ballroom doors had scarcely closed behind him when Nathaniel heard his name.
“Your Grace.”
He turned to see Miss Arabella Vaughn standing at the edge of the corridor, half in shadow, her hands clasped before her as though she had been waiting some time. The light from the ballroom caught in the pale shimmer of her gown, but her expression was unusually serious.
“I do not have time for this,” he warned.
“Nathaniel,” she said more quietly. “May I have a moment? It is about your sister.”
The words halted him at once.
“Eliza?” he asked, frowning slightly. “What of her?”
Arabella glanced toward the open ballroom doors, where the music and voices of the gathering swelled warmly into the hall.
“Not here,” she said. “It is delicate information, and I cannot risk it being heard. Regardless of what you think of me, I have always been fond of her. I wish to protect her almost as much as you do.”
Nathaniel hesitated only a moment. Eliza’s future had been a matter of quiet concern these past months, and if Arabella truly possessed information, he had to know of it. In spite of her sudden appearance after his wedding, he did not hate the girl. He felt for her, and he knew he had done wrong, and so if she wanted to help despite that, he could not turn her away.
“Very well,” he said shortly.
She led him down the corridor and into the library. The door closed softly behind them, muffling the orchestra until only a distant murmur remained. Nathaniel turned toward her at once.
“Very well. What is it you wished to tell me?”
For a moment Arabella did not answer. She moved a few steps into the room, her fingers trailing lightly along the back of a chair. Then she looked at him, and something in her expression had changed.
“There are so many people here tonight,” she said softly. “It is almost overwhelming.”
Nathaniel’s patience thinned immediately.
“You said this concerned my sister.”
Arabella smiled faintly, though there was something strained in it.
“Yes. Of course. Eliza.”
She stepped closer. Nathaniel remained where he was.
“But I must admit, I have been watching you tonight,” she continued. “You and your duchess. The perfect couple.”
