As the son of a man who had given up his birthright for the woman he loved, as the brother of sisters who were happily married to good, honest men, Matt felt shame.
He had slept with another man’s wife, and he’d justified doing so in his mind because Letty hadn’t loved her husband.
Standing among the glittering company of theton, Matt felt a fraud. This was not the man he wanted to be. Worse, his weakness had enabled Hardesty to manipulate him.
He pulled the note Letty had given him from his pocket. Hardesty had plotted the meeting. He wouldn’t have put it past the man to have arranged for Willa to come upon them.
Matt needed more answers, and the best person to give them to him was Letty. He returned to the ballroom to seek her out. He also wanted to seek out the Minotaur footman who had delivered the note to him, and ask a few questions.
Letty was nowhere to be found. He searched all the rooms, however, it was as if she had vanished.
He was stumped.
“You look so lonely, Your Grace,” Lady Evanston’s voice said behind him. There was a hint of invitation in her tone.
He confronted his hostess, a smile fixed firmly on his face. “I’m not.”
Her lower lip curled. “That is unfortunate. However, if you ever do feel you need company, think of me.” As she moved past him, she reached for his gloved hand and pressed a folded note into it. She didn’t pause but kept walking.
The paper was the same sort that Hardesty had used. Lady Evanston had written,See me upstairs, first floor, third door, right after midnight.The handwriting was different.
He went after her. Before she could go too far, he caught her arm.
She acted pleased that he’d given chase, until he said, “Where did you write this note?”
“What note?” she asked brightly, and looked around as if checking to see if someone overheard them. Matt was having none of it.
“This paper, where did you find it?”
Lady Evanston’s frown said that wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. Nor did she appear pleased he was waving her invitation around in such a public forum.
He kept his voice quiet and carefully neutral. “I need to know, and if you don’t tell me, then I shall ask your husband.”
Her chin lifted. “Richard doesn’t care.”
“I am not concerned if he cares or not. I want to know where you keep this paper.”
“In the study.”
“Take me to it.”
The light of interest returned to her eye as if she was imagining he was playing some lover’s game. “What is in it for me, Your Grace?”
Matt wanted to answer that doing so would mean he didn’t throttle her, but that would have been an empty threat. One couldn’t throttle ladies in their own ballrooms, more’s the pity. “We shall see, won’t we?” he answered with his own touch of flirtation.
She couldn’t do enough for him then. “Meet me at the hall door, by the card room. Five minutes.”
“And the study is where?”
Lady Evanston made an impatient sound. “Down the side hall. Five minutes,” she repeated, and charged off into the crowd.
Matt had no intention of following. The study was obviously the name for the sitting room where he’d met Letty. Anyone could have gone there to write notes.
Hardesty was at this party.
He studied the faces in the crowd. Would Hardesty be as old as his grandfather? Or much younger?
What did a blackmailer look like? What was the face of a thief?
