It didn’t make sense. How could this tremor in her body, this sick feeling in her stomach, this unbearable pain in her heart belove?Thishorridness was what Sophia and Cecilia had been going on and on about over these past few months?Thiswas why the two of them wore such dreamy smiles, and floated about as if their feet no longer touched the ground?
Lady Crosby, who didn’t seem to notice Emma’s distress, finished off her sherry and reached for the bottle. “I’m glad of it, for my part. Lord Lovell is a sweet young man, of course, but he’s no match for you, is he, dear? No, you and Lord Lymington are muchbetter suited.”
Emma leapt up from the settee. It wasn’t a wise choice, given the nausea roiling in her stomach, but she couldn’t bear to listen to another word. “Sam—that is, Lord Lymington and I arenota match, my lady.”
“Well, perhaps notquiteyet, dear. These things take time, you see, but I’m certain soon enough you’ll find—”
“We’ve no time left.” Emma’s knees wobbled, and she fell back onto the settee with a clumsy thud. “Lord Lymington told me tonight that he’s returning to Kent immediately, and taking his family with him. I’d hoped we’d find our way to Lymington House with them, but there’s no question of that now.”
Lady Crosby frowned. “What do you mean?”
Emma had no wish to relive those awful moments in the carriage with Samuel, but this discussion was inevitable, and she wanted it over as quickly as possible. “I mean Lord Lymington informed me just now that our, er…friendship is over. I believe he also said something about…” Emma’s lower lip began to wobble, and she sucked in a quick, desperate breath to calm herself. “He may have added he hoped never to see my face again. Under the circumstances, I don’t think we can expect an invitation to Lymington Houseanytime soon.”
“Oh, dear. Thatisa wrinkle, isn’t it?”
Less a wrinkle than an enormous, gaping rent, but then one person’s wrinkle was another’s heartbreaking catastrophe. “A bit of one, yes.”
Lady Crosby’s brow furrowed. “Don’t lose heart just yet, my dear. Lady Flora may be able to persuade Lord Lovell to invite us to Lymington House.”
“It’s Lord Lymington’s estate, notLord Lovell’s.”
“Yes, but Lord Lovell grew up at Lymington House. Surely both he and Lord Lymington consider it his home. I doubt Lord Lymington would begrudge his cousin a visitor or two.”
“That depends on the visitors. Lord Lymington may take one look at me and forbid me to crossthe threshold.”
“Nonsense.” Lady Crosby handed Emma’s sherry glass back to her. “I’m certain things can’t be as bad as that.”
Theywereas bad as that, and worse. Emma was tempted to lay her head on Lady Crosby’s shoulder and let the story flood from her lips in all its ugliness and hurt, but before she could move, the front door opened, then thudded closed again.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, then Daniel entered the drawing room. He wasn’t given to melodrama, but his face was a mask of murderous fury, tempered with an emotion Emma had never seen there before.
Anguish.
“Daniel!” She shot to her feet, her heart crowding into her throat. “Dear God, what’s happened? It’s not Helena?”
“Nay, lass. The girl’s tucked up safe withLady Clifford.”
Emma let out a long breath, but her relief was short-lived.
“It’s t’other one. Caroline Francis.”
Lady Crosby rose unsteadily to her feet, her hand going to her throat. “She’s been found?”
“Aye, she’s been found.”
Emma could read the awful truth on Daniel’s face, and she reached out to steady herself with a hand on the backof the settee.
Another man might have tried to soften the blow, but Daniel wasn’t the sort to skirt the truth, no matter how terrible it was. He and Emma were alike that way. That was how she knew what Daniel was going to say, before he spoke a word.
“She’s dead. Found strangled to death inOrange Court.”
Lady Crosby gasped, her face going white.
Emma thought of the bruises on Helena’s neck tonight, the same size and shape as a man’s fingers, and nausea rolled over her again. If she’d lingered at Vauxhall Gardens with Samuel for another moment—if she’d allowed him another kiss, another caress, Helenawould be dead.
“Orange Court,” Emma repeated faintly, digging her fingertips into the settee. “That’s only a few blocks off Drury Lane.”
“Aye. Our kidnapper’s turned murderer. Like as not he’s been a killer all along, but now there’s a body to prove it.”
