Lady Clifford closed the drawing room door and seated herself in the chair beside the settee. “I won’t deny Lord Gray’s a bit troublesome, but we need him still.”
“What do you mean, my lady?” Sophia asked, then cringed, heat flooding her face at the hopeful note in her voice. “That is, who needs him? Notme, certainly.”
Lady Clifford’s brow rose, and a faint smile touched her lips. “Oh no, of course not, Sophia. But I didn’t mean just you, my love. No, what I mean to say is, if we want to find out what’s at the bottom of this business at St. Clement Dane’s Church, we need Lord Gray.”
Emma, who didn’t care for the idea of needing anyone, particularly a man, frowned. “I don’t see why. Jeremy’s safe. Isn’t thatan end to it?”
“Certainly, if one doesn’t mind a murderer running amok in London. After all,someonekilled Henry Gerrard.” Lady Clifford gave Emma a mildly chastising look. “Then there’s the matter of Peter Sharpe, who’s no doubt being paid well to accuse innocent men of theft. Not quite thething, is it?”
“But Lord Gray’s the sort to cause trouble,” Georgiana warned,her tone dark.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Lady Clifford acknowledged with a sigh. “It’s a trifle tedious, but think of it in terms of access, girls. As a former Bow Street Runner and an earl, he has a great deal more of it than we do. He got Sophia into Newgate, didn’t he? Then there’s the matter of his living next door to Mr. Everly, who, I think we all agree, is somehow entangled in this affair.”
“He won’t help us. Just before he left, he said…” Sophia’svoice hitched.
There’s no reason for us to ever meet again.
Lady Clifford studied Sophia, her gaze thoughtful, then turned to the other three girls. “Leave us alone for a bit, won’t you, dears? Sophia will join you soon, and then you may fuss over her as much as you like.”
Lady Clifford never ordered anyone to do anything. Every wish was phrased as a polite question, but her students knew a command when they heard one. Cecilia, Georgiana, and Emma rose from thesettee at once.
“We’ll wait for you upstairs, Sophia.” Georgiana and Emma paused at the door while Cecilia dropped an affectionate kiss on the top ofSophia’s head.
“Now, Sophia,” Lady Clifford said when the girls were gone. “You look a bit downcast, my dear. Why don’t you tell me what Lord Gray said to you?”
To Sophia’s horror, tears stung her eyes. She leapt up from the settee and retreated to the fireplace to hide them. “He thinks I used him. He said he wouldn’t be surprised to findhewas my target all along, and notPeter Sharpe.”
“Did he, indeed? Well, we both know that’s not the case. What else did he say?”
Sophia bit her lip, but it didn’t stop the torrent of words. “He knows Jeremy isn’t dead, and that we’re behind his escape. He said because he was the one who brought me to Newgate, I’d implicated himin the crime.”
“Hmmm. I hadn’t thought of it quite that way, but I suppose there’s some truth to it.” Lady Clifford shrugged. “Anything else?”
Sophia hesitated. “Ought we to have done that? Implicated him, I mean?”
Lady Clifford gave her a serene smile. “Oh, I shouldn’t worry about Lord Gray if I were you, dear. Mr. Hogg is the only one who witnessed his involvement, and he isn’t likely to reappear in London, is he? In any case, Lord Gray is more than capable of taking care of himself. Now, did he sayanything else?”
Sophia wandered back to the settee and settled in next to Lady Clifford. “He said this was an end to it, or something of that nature, and then he said there was no reason for us to ever meet again. He meant it,too, my lady.”
His eyes had looked like two chips of cold, hard gray stone. When she’d looked into them, she could hardly believe he’d been kissing her with mad passion just amoment before.
Once again, Lady Clifford looked more thoughtful than concerned. “Yes, I’m certain he thought he did, but I’m not quite ready to dispense with Lord Gray’sservices yet.”
Sophia gave her a blank look. “I don’t understand.”
“Peter Sharpe is a dangerous man, Sophia, and he’s had a good look at your face. Aside from the question of access, there’s the issue of your safety. Daniel is off tending to Jeremy, so we no longer have his protection. Lord Gray may not be pleased with you, but he’s far too honorable to allow anything tohappen to you.”
Sophia jumped to her feet again, more agitated than she cared to admit by this observation. “Certainly, he will. I daresay he’d be pleased at it. You didn’t see his face this morning, my lady.”
“He’s angry, Sophia, and I daresay he feels betrayed. One can’t blame him, really, but he’s wrong, of course. You and Lord Gray still need each other, despite what he may think. I suggest you return to Great Marlborough Street tonight, my dear.”
“Tonight!” Sophia cried. “How will I manage that? It’s not as if I can simply stroll into his townhouse as I did yesterday. He’ll have me turned away at the door.”
Lady Clifford smiled. “My dear child, who said anything about the door?”
* * * *
“Well, Gray, here you are,” Lord Lyndon announced, pausing in the doorway to Tristan’s library. “I’ll have you know Tribble lied to me. Told me you weren’t home,the scoundrel.”
