“What subject would that be?”Edward asked.He accepted the glass Adrian gave him and took a seat in one of the vacant armchairs that faced the wide oak desk.
Instead of claiming the chair on the opposite side of the desk, Adrian chose the one next to Edward’s, then angled himself toward him.“Your fondness for Evie.I now regret not bringing it up before.Perhaps if I’d done so, you would have realized you had my blessing.Maybe then, you’d have asked her to be your wife and she would not have met such a brutal end.”
“I loved her beyond compare,” Edward said while frowning into the glass he held between both hands.
“And she loved you.”When Edward raised his gaze to Adrian with utter defeat in his eyes, Adrian assured him, “It showed every time she looked your way, when the pair of you danced, and even at the sound of your name.”
Edward shook his head then took a long sip of his drink.“I don’t understand how this happened.The lie in the paper is one thing, but what would have made her leave the safety of her home unescorted?I never would have believed she could be so reckless.”
It was a point Adrian had gone over endless times since.He firmly believed Evie’s death was his fault, that it could have been prevented if he’d just paid more attention instead of being preoccupied by the need for bedsport.
Disgusted with himself, he’d ended things with Veronica Miles as soon as he’d left the morgue.
“You know as well as I she was trusting.It was the best of her since it made her kind, but it was also the worst of her because of the naïveté it led to.”Adrian drank a measure of brandy then set his glass aside on the edge of his desk.
“Clearly, her killer – undoubtedly the same man who saw to Miss Fairchild, Lady Camille, and Miss Irvine’s demises – made a mistake in this instance.He thought her a wanton because of the gossip the newspaper chose to spread.But I can say with certainty that they were wrong.Not because my love for my sister has blinded me to the possibility of her having such inclinations but because the results of the examination the coroner gave her proves it.”
Edward stared at him.“What are you saying?”
Adrian was fairly sure his next words might result in Edward punching him in the face.Or worse.“I had to be certain, so I asked for a thorough report.Evie’s maidenhead was intact.”
There was the briefest of pauses before Edward shot to his feet, hurled his glass at the fireplace, and grabbed Adrian by his lapels.Gripping the garment so firmly it tightened across Adrian’s back, Edward lowered his head until their faces met at eye level.
“What the hell is wrong with you,” he growled.“You had no right to have her defiled in such a way.”
“Of course I did,” Adrian countered.“She was my unmarried sister and as such, she was under my protection.Not yours or anyone else’s.”
Edward held his gaze for a long, insufferable moment before shoving him backward, releasing him in the process.With a loud and very uncivilized curse, he stalked to the sideboard and poured a fresh drink for himself.
“If I am to solve this case and find the man who killed her,” Adrian said while straightening his jacket, “I need all my questions answered.”
He’d known in his heart that Evie would never play the harlot, but now he had proof.The paper, however, claimed otherwise, and since this was what had gotten her killed, the article they’d written about her suddenly looked like much more than the possible mistake they’d agreed to investigate.
As far as Adrian was concerned, this had been a deliberate attack on her life.Though he still had trouble grasping the notion.
“I don’t suppose she ever mentioned a falling out to you,” he asked Edward.
“Your sister had few friends due to your father’s overbearing manner.”
Adrian couldn’t dispute it.Evie’s life had been horribly sheltered.Even he had likely frightened away more than one potential suitor.Not that Evie would have had eyes for anyone other than Edward, but perhaps the attention would have been nice.
He cast that thought aside.If she hadn’t had enemies, then why had that terrible lie been concocted?To hurthimperhaps?Whatever the case, he’d stop at nothing until the responsible party paid for this crime.To Edward, he said, “If anything else comes to mind, please let me know.”
“So you can pass it on to Bow Street?”
No.He didn’t dare rely upon them, and while Edward’s question suggested he had some inkling of this, Adrian still nodded.Revealing how far he was willing to go when it came to his sister would be unwise.
At best, it would upset Edward’s stomach.At worst, it would cause psychological damage and alter the one remaining relationship Adrian valued.
“I’ve gone over every conversation I had with her.”Edward kept his attention on Adrian.“Nothing pertinent comes to mind, but I’ll keep trying.”
“Thank you.”
In his pocket was the button he’d found at St.Bartholomew’s church when he’d gone to leave a rose in her memory.Concealed beneath leaves of ivy, it would have been hard for Kendrick and his Runners to spot in the early hours of the morning.He’d only glimpsed the item because the sun had been in the right position to bounce off the gilded edge.While it wasn’t much for him to go on, it was a start.
“I trust you’ll let me know if you learn anything?”Edward said.“I’d like to be kept up to date, if possible.”
“Of course,” Adrian promised, choosing to keep the button a secret.
