“I understand, my lords,” the doctor said, rising from his chair as well. “I’m only glad to have been of service.”
Bell nodded again. “If you think of anything else, doctor, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” He pulled a calling card from his inside coat pocket and handed it to Dr. Landry. Then he and Phillip turned toward the door to leave.
“There is one other thing I didn’t mention,” Dr. Landry said.
Both Phillip and Bell stopped and turned back to face him.
“Would you like the name of the first doctor who examined the body?” Dr. Landry asked.
Phillip and Bell exchanged a stunned look.
Phillip arched a brow. “First doctor?”
Chapter Fourteen
Lady Clayton came floating into the blue salon at the front of her town house and smiled prettily at Sophie. “Good afternoon, Miss Payton. A pleasure to see you.”
Sophie swallowed and lifted her chin. “Thank you for taking my call, Lady Clayton.”
“Please call me Thea.”
“Very well…Thea,” Sophie replied, nervously tugging at her gloves. Why did she suddenly feel so out of place? She’d decided to pay Lady Clayton a visit this afternoon to see if the viscountess could provide any additional information on Phillip’s circumstances while he’d been recuperating at her country estate. But now that Sophie was here, sitting in the fine lady’s drawing room, she felt like a fool for having come. Lady Clayton—no, Thea—had seemed quite kind and reasonable the night of the Cranberrys’ ball when she’d escorted Sophie down to the drawing room to meet Phillip, but that hardly meant she was willing to tell Sophie secrets about her friend.
Both ladies took their seats, and Sophie cleared her throat. She might as well get this over with. “I cannot stay long. My stepmother will be looking for me,” she began.
Thea’s brow furrowed. “You didn’t tell her where you were going?”
Sophie concentrated on sipping the tea that she had been served. She didn’t meet Thea’s gaze. “I try not to tell her much. We do not get along well.”
Thea’s brows shot up. “I hate to hear that, Miss Payton.”
“It’s quite all right. I’ve learned to live with it.”
Thea opened her mouth as if she was about to speak, but she shut it again before finally saying, “I suspect your visit has something to do with Phillip.”
“Erm, yes, it does have to do with…His Grace,” Sophie managed, feeling slightly envious of the fact that Thea got to call him Phillip.
“I thought so,” Thea replied, still smiling.
Sophie took a deep breath. At least she hadn’t been tossed out on her ear, yet. She might as well proceed. “The truth is…I’ve come to ask you a question.”
Lady Clayton eyed her with clever, inquisitive gray eyes. “What’s that?”
Sophie took a deep breath. Now that the moment was at hand, she squirmed in her seat. She scratched her cheek. But she finally forced herself to out with it. “Why didn’t His Grace, er, Phillip, come back to London? After he was well enough to, I mean?” Once the words were out, Sophie bit her lip and plucked nervously at her peach-colored skirts. The question seemed to hang in the air like an awkward cloud of smoke.
Lady Clayton blinked and looked away briefly, while Sophie’s forehead began to sweat. It was stifling in the drawing room. She plucked at the neckline of her gown.
“He was recuperating,” Thea finally offered, the hint of a smile on her lips as if what she’d just said was a complete explanation.
“Yes,” Sophie replied quickly. “He said as much, but when I last spoke to him, it seemed to me there was something about his recovery that he didn’t want to share with me. He said…” Sophie decided to tell the whole truth. It might make the viscountess more willing to share. “He said he would no longer make me a good husband.”
Thea glanced away, looking as if she was contemplating whether to answer the question or run from the room to escape. “Miss Payton, I think your question is best asked of Phillip,” she finally replied softly.
Sophie kept a steady gaze trained on the viscountess. She’d come this far. She wasn’t about to back down now. “But Phillip won’t tell me. I was hoping you might.”
Thea turned back again and searched Sophie’s face, before setting down her teacup and pressing her hands to her knees. “Miss Payton, will you allow me to be frank?”
“Please do,” Sophie replied, folding her hands in her lap in a similar fashion and mentally preparing for the worst. Nothing good ever came after the words “allow me to be frank.”
