The two women said nothing. They looked from Gabriel, to Ryan, and back to Gabriel.
“Of course you would never berudeto the man I’ve dragged from his home and work tosave us,” Ryan bit out impatiently.
Eventually, the women bent heads and bobbed in greeting. Gabriel lowered his own head.This, he realized, was the reaction he’d expected from his sister Elise. He felt a wave of love for his sister; for her openness and lack of judgment. She’d not batted an eye when he’d bounded onto her stoop.
“And he will not come inside the house?” whispered Charlotte, eyeing him.
Ryan cleared her throat. “Until we understand what the imposter intends, we feel it’s best for Gabriel to keep out of sight. As I’ve told you, he’s a hand we’ll play when the timing is most strategic—and not before.”
“Was Maurice aggressive with you, Ryan?” Gabriel asked lowly. “Lady Charlotte, Lady Diana, you’ve not been threatened or harmed since he’s returned?”
Slowly Charlotte shook her head.
Diana said, “He’s playing cards with the men who travel in his caravan—his steward and his herald and his equerry and such.”
“Travels with that many, does he?” asked Gabriel.
“He is very important,” Diana said, rolling her eyes.
“The salon has the largest fireplace,” said Ryan. “It’s brightest and warmest, and that is where they play cards at night. As long as Utley, our footman,keeps them in drink, they should remain in the salon until they stagger to their beds.”
“We are safe if we keep close to our father,” provided Diana. “We take our meals in his room; we sleep on cots beside his bed. Papa has suffered a fall recently and cannot rise without the help of his valet, but he is awake. To do us harm in the presence of our father and his valet would require a boldness that Maurice does not possess. That said, we cannot remain locked in Papa’s room forever.”
“I told him,” Ryan blurted out.
“What?” Gabriel asked.
“Maurice,” explained Ryan. “He caught sight of me between his dinner and his game, and he demanded to know where I’d been. And so I told him. I said I’d been married—to a friendly correspondent I’d known for years. A man from the mainland. As such, I told him, ‘I cannot marry you because I’m married to someone else instead.’”
“What was his response?”
“Honestly? He responded like I was a child who threatened to run away from home. He asked, ‘What friendly correspondent?’ He wanted to know what had become of this nameless man. He said he didn’t believe me. He called me impertinent and told me I was disrespectful and a disgrace to both our families. He asked to see the ring, and I flashed my hand. But Gabriel? When he stepped closer to study it, I think heknew. I think he recognized some feature on it, because he turned a very strange shade of pink and his eyes bulged. He swiped for my hand, but I jerked away before he could touch me. And then I told him I expected him to take his leave tomorrow. I told him Ihad legal precedent on my side, that betrothals do not pass down like houses and land.”
“God, Ryan, your courage is a marvel. I’m sorry you were forced to do this on your own.”
She was shaking her head. “I wanted to be the first to tell him—and I wanted to be the one to do it. He has underestimated me in every way. Why stop now? He was unnerved by the ring, perhaps, but he’s retired to the salon for his game. I heard him laughing as if he hasn’t a care in the world.”
“He simply accused you of lying and left it?” Gabriel asked.
“Well, he told me I was fatigued. That I should go to bed. That we would speak of this again in the morning. He said he didn’t appreciate my fresh boldness and would not tolerate insubordination. He urged me to reflect on the ancient bond of our two families.”
Beside her, Diana tapped her fingers and thumb together like a yapping mouth, the universal gesture of someone droning on. “He is insufferable,” Diana said.
“Do you feel comfortable with him under the same roof?” Gabriel asked.
“Far more comfortable than we’d feelin thestable,” said Diana. Her shyness, Gabriel realized, was waning.
“There’s not even a cot in the stable, Ryan,” Diana pointed out. “How is he meant to sleep?He could—”
Ryan raised her hand. She turned to Gabriel. “I think word of what happened on the drive—with the old servants bowing down—will have reached Maurice’s entourage by morning. I’ve already noticed far more whispering and corner peeping than before. When Maurice looked at the ring, he wasn’t shockedand confused, as one would expect. It was more like uneasy.”
“Uneasy?” asked Gabriel.
“Suspicious,” Ryan clarified.
“Perhaps word has spread,” said Gabriel. “In my uncle’s court, gossip was valuable currency. When you ask the world to believe you are divinely appointed, rumor can be a dangerous thing. Regardless, I don’t like you under the same roof with him. You should not have to face him alone.”
“Well, I hope you don’t expect her to also sleep in the stables,” said Diana.
