He switched his attention between the three ladies. Each one looked as desolate as the other. The news was devastating, and Tristan could hardly grasp the concept. He’d never approved of some of the things Elliot did in his life. The man was too wild.
Curiosity niggled at Tristan as he studied each of the ladies in the room, and he wondered how they all knew Elliot—enough to have the news of his demise affect them in such a way.
“Lady Dashwood,” he asked. “What exactly did you hear?”
“Oh, it was just awful,” she began as she took a seat next to Diana. “My cook had gone into town for supplies and heard the rumors. Apparently, Lord Elliot was found in the stable without a stitch of clothes with stab wounds all over his body.” She squeezed Diana’s trembling hand. “Just as you had found your husband.”
Tristan nodded. Clearly the person who had killed Hollingsworth had taken Elliot’s life as well. Another similarity between the two dead men where that they were both womanizers and loved to gamble.
“This cannot be good,” Diana whispered. “People already suspect me of killing Ludlow. Now they are going to believe I killed Lord Elliot.”
Inwardly, Tristan groaned. He’d almost forgotten that she was under suspicion for Hollingsworth’s death just as Tristan was. A nagging thought pounded in his head. Would they suspecthimof Lord Elliot’s death as well? The only dealings he had with his cousin had been that they’d played cards on a few occasions. In fact, three nights ago, they’d had a futile argument during a game, but they were both drunk and hot tempered. Both of them were asked to leave the game. Tristan’s friend, Lord Hawthorne, was given the privilege of escorting Tristan home that night.
Tabitha’s grumble pulled him out of his thoughts. She stood, her hands bunched into fists, her lips tight in irritation. Her blue eyes blazed with fury.
“Well forgive me for not holding my tongue, but men like Lord Elliot don’t deserve to live.”
Both Lady Dashwood and Diana gasped. “Tabitha, really!” Diana scolded. “You should not speak ill of the dead.”
“I meant every word,” Tabitha countered. The hatred in her eyes made them even darker. “All that man ever did was drink, gamble, and beat his servants. The world is a better place with him gone.”
Although Tristan agreed with the maid, he couldn’t help but wonder how she knew this about his cousin. He narrowed his gaze on her. The only way she would have known that about the man was if she’d been a servant in his home. So if she was the man’s servant, what was she doing with Diana?
“Not to worry, my lady,” Tabitha said as she stood behind Diana and rested her hand on her shoulder. “I will tell the authorities you were here the whole night.” She glanced at Tristan. “He could even back up my story.”
“I thank you, Tabitha,” Diana said. “But neither of you know for certain that I was here all night since we all slept in different rooms.”
“Diana, there is no reason the magistrate will suspect you.” Lady Dashwood shook her head.
“Why can I not fully believe that?” Diana arched her eyebrow and glanced at Tabitha before moving her focus back to Claudia.
The other two women hung their head. Tristan found it strange that nobody answered Diana’s question or at least tried to convince her otherwise. For certain, something was going on here that they didn’t want him to know about. Curiosity got the better of him, yet he didn’t dare voice his thoughts. He’d wait until he could get Diana alone and talk this out with her—and only her.
A small groan of despair came from Diana as she rubbed her forehead. “Let’s pray that I’m not a suspect. I fear I wouldn’t know how to talk my way out of this one.” She looked up at Lady Dashwood. “I’m grateful you came here to let me know.”
The lovely blonde woman nodded. “You were the first person I thought to tell when I heard the news.”
“Please, return to your house and please keep me informed on anything else in regards to Lord Elliot.”
“Indeed, I shall.” Claudia met Tristan’s eyes and nodded. “Lord Tristan, it was a pleasure to see you again. I hope all is well with your family, and your mother.”
“The last time I checked they were doing splendidly.” But the last time he saw them was the day before the wedding. It surprised him that Diana’s friend didn’t question him about his disappearance yesterday morning at the church. Obviously, she had known what Tabitha and Diana were up to the whole time.
“I shall take my leave now.” Lady Dashwood stood. “I’ll pay you a visit tomorrow.”
Diana took a deep breath and met her friend’s eyes. “I look forward to it.”
Nothing was said after Claudia left. Tabitha cleared up the dishes and continued to clean the kitchen. Tristan stood. Diana’s gaze followed him.
“Diana, would you join me in the sitting room? I believe the sofa would be much more comfortable to sit on than these chairs.”
“You are correct.” She stood. “I suppose we can have that much needed talk about our past now.”
*
Diana’s legs shookas she walked into the other room. Between the lack of sleep and the shocking news, her body—and emotions—were a mess right now. A headache throbbed, but she couldn’t let that stall her talk with Tristan.
She sat, and he scooted himself on the sofa right next to her. In a way, she wished he had chosen a different chair. Being this close to him played havoc with her emotions, and especially the feelings she thought had been put to rest.
