No one said anything to that, which is just as well because it was clear to Lucas that his job of protecting her had just gotten that much harder. Geoffrey had already killed his own father. Nothing would stop him from killing Diana and getting his hands on that money.
Chapter Fourteen
What to do?
Diana stood in the middle of her bedroom, completely frozen with indecision. Her family wanted her to leave for the safety of Elliott’s home. The constable wanted her questioned for murder. And she wanted to hide away from it all, in a place where no one spoke to her of anything beyond what sweet to offer at dinner. How could anyone kill their own father? How had she become so important that her life was threatened? She couldn’t comprehend it.
In less than twelve hours, she’d been attacked, held by Lucas, and her husband had been murdered. The doctor, the constable, and now the undertaker were here. She’d managed to write notes to Oscar’s children. They would likely arrive soon, and the idea of facing Geoffrey made her sick with dread.
But as much as Diana wanted to run, she knew she couldn’t. As the eldest daughter of an earl, every aspect of her life had been proscribed by duty to family, duty to her husband’s title, and duty to future generations. It was why she married and how she convinced her husband to turn over the estate management to her. Geoffrey certainly wasn’t going to be an appropriate steward. Which meant she couldn’t run away on the very day her husband perished.
How would she manage? Her knees could barely support her, and her hands trembled when she did the smallest task.
“Shall I tell the modiste you need more dresses in black, my lady?”
Diana turned to her maid with a confused frown. When had she walked into the room? “What?”
“You have only the one,” she returned kindly as she gestured to the gown Diana already wore. “You’ll be needing more.”
Of course, she would. “Oh, yes. Thank you, Tina.”
“And shall I pack you a bag? So that you can stay with your brother?”
Yes!The word echoed in her head, but she couldn’t voice it aloud. That wasn’t where her duty lay. But rather than say the word, she mutely shook her head.
“No one would think less of you—” Tina began.
“I would,” she said tartly. “I would think less of me.” Oscar deserved as much from his wife. He’d been murdered, likely by his own son. She would stand by his side in his death as she had throughout their twelve years of marriage. It was what a proper woman did.
Tina took the rebuke well, dipping into a curtsey, and Diana saw respect in the woman’s eyes. Diana would do her duty even if it meant Geoffrey had an easy target here. He’d managed to get poison into her home. Should she start questioning everything she ate now? Did she worry that every cup of tea now held a lethal dose of arsenic? What about the eggs she ate for breakfast? The bread that came with every meal? How did she cope with a life where everything was suspect?
The thought had her dropping into the chair between the fire and the window. She barely noticed when her maid left. She just sat and remembered the many hours she’d spent here as the days of her life slipped by. She’d often wondered if her life would ever change. Well, it had, and now she wished it would stop.
She heard footsteps as someone entered the room. She knew who it was even as he shut the door and came to kneel down before her. She didn’t open her eyes. If she did, her vision would be filled with him, the man she had been holding while her husband lay dying. The man—if truth be told—she still wanted to touch. But more than that, she wanted to be in his arms while he held the rest of the world at bay.
“I will go away if you want me to,” Lucas said, his words like the first step into a warm bath. She felt surrounded by his voice.
“Stay. Please,” she said. She wanted to sit here while he spoke to her in that way. It didn’t matter what he said, only that he used that special timbre of voice.
“The constable is interviewing everyone. He still tries to implicate you, but the staff is adamant in their love for you. They do not believe you could possibly hurt his lordship.”
“I wouldn’t. I never—”
“I know.” His fingers slid up her forearms to stroke the back of her arms just past the elbow. It was a strange place to be touched, and yet she felt it as deeply as any other caress in her life. “I’ve been speaking with everyone as well. I think I know who did it.”
Her head shot up as she looked into his eyes. “Who?”
“You have a footman named Donald Fisher?”
She nodded. “Yes.” Then she grimaced. “He gambles foolishly. I warned him that he would lose his position and worse if he continued to play. I’ve seen other men destroyed by it.” Men like Geoffrey.
“I don’t think he listened. In fact, I think he gambled against Geoffrey and lost.”
“Oh.” Such a foolish boy. “Where is he?”
“I have sent one of my best men to look.”
She shook her head. “You must find him. He could tell the constable who is behind this. He could testify—”
