She was lovely still. She could never be anything but lovely to Samuel, despite his resentment toward her, but something had changed, something so subtle no one who hadn’t spent hours looking at her face wouldeven notice it.
Samuelhadspent hours looking at her face, but even he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Her eyes were as bewitching a blue as they’d always been, her hair the same silky gold, her lips their usual tempting red, but her practiced charm and coquettish glances, that teasing quirk at the corners of her lips were all gone. It was as if her features had been scrubbed clean, or—
Yes, thatwas exactly it.
The truth struck Samuel like a blow to the chest. The hard, glittering masque meant to charm, entice, distract hadbeen torn away.
She wasn’t Lady Emma Crosby anymore. She washisEmma.
That is, not his Emma, but…Emma Downing. Emma Downing was the lady who’d kissed him in Lady Tremaine’s rose garden. It had been Emma Downing who’d marched bravely into the Pink Pearl to save Helena Reeves, and Emma Downing who bore the evidence of a past tragedy etched into her hands.
Without realizing he did it, Samuel rose slowly to his feet. Every head turned in his direction, and a hush fell over the room. Samuel gathered his breath and opened his mouth to say…something, some words that would sooth this gnawing ache in his chest, that would miraculously put everything to rights again—
“Good morning!” Lady Flora burst into the breakfast room, looking like a sunbeam in her yellow gown, her face wreathed in smiles, but they vanished when she saw them all standing about like statues, gloweringat each other.
“Flora, my dear girl, don’t stand in front of the…oh.” Lady Silvester came to an abrupt stop behind her granddaughter, peered around her shoulder and took in the scene with wide eyes. “Oh, dear. What’s happened? Have we run outof chocolate?”
Lady Lymington followed after Lady Silvester. “My goodness, is everyone up already, even Lord Lovell? How wonder…” She trailed off when she noticed the expressions on the assembled faces, and turned to herson. “Samuel?”
Another tortuous moment passed with the entire party frozen, but then Lovell managed to gather his wits. He rose to his feet, clearing his throat. “Good morning, Aunt, Lady Silvester, and Lady Flora.”
Lady Lymington hurried toward him. “Lancelot. Is everything all right?”
“Yes, yes, perfectly fine.” Lovell gave her a pained smile. “Lymington and I were just about togo for a ride—”
“Lady Lymington,” Samuel interrupted. “I wish to see you and Emmain my study.”
“Or not,” Lovell muttered.
“At once.” Samuel’s voice was calm, but once again every head jerked toward him, as if he’d just fired a pistol in the middle of the breakfast room. He offered them all a stiff bow, then strode to the door and waited, as if it never occurred to him either his mother or Emma would dareto disobey him.
Nor did they. Emma cast a nervous glance at Lady Crosby, but she followed Lady Lymington out of the room, avoiding Samuel’s gazeas she passed.
The three of them maintained their tense silence as they made their way from the breakfast room to Samuel’s study, but Lady Lymington spoke up as soon as he’d closed the door behind them. “I don’t pretend to know what’s happened between you and Miss Downing, Samuel, but I refuse to tolerate any more of your scowling and barking orders. You seem to have forgotten you’re a gentleman.”
“I agree, madam.” Samuel offered Emma a stiff bow. “I beg your pardon,Miss Downing.”
Deprived of her righteous indignation, Lady Lymington visibly deflated. “Yes, well, that’s better. I do hope you’ll keep a civil tongue in your head from now on, Samuel, because whatever your personal feelings about Miss Downing may be, we need her help. I can’t bear not knowing what’s happened to Amy and Kitty amoment longer.”
Samuel’s first childish impulse was to declare thathedidn’t need Miss Downing for anything at all, but he bit the words back, ashamed of himself. He didn’t want Emma here at Lymington House, but there was no arguing with his mother’s logic. Whatever his objections to Emma’s presence, she’d already proved that she knew a great deal more about his missing housemaids than he did.
“Again, I agree, madam. I’ve called you both here so we can tell Miss Downing all we know about Amy’s and Kitty’s disappearances. I thought it might be helpful to her.” The sooner they pieced this puzzle together and brought the culprit to justice, the sooner Emma Downing could be gone from Lymington House.
That was what Samuel wanted, for her to begone. He could already feel himself weakening toward her. If she remained under his roof much longer, it would only be a matter of time before he was inviting her to walk in the gardens with him, then the next thing he knew, he’d be feeding her hothouse strawberries at breakfast every morning, or something equally ridiculous.
“That would be helpful, indeed.” Emma continued to avoid Samuel’s eyes, addressing herself instead toLady Lymington.
“Please do sit down.” Samuel waved them toward a seating area near the fire, and crossed the room to pull the bell to order a tray, since he’d dragged both of them off to his study before they could have a bite of breakfast.
His mother and Emma carried on an excruciatingly polite if stilted conversation while they waited for the tray to arrive and the footman to arrange the dishes on the adjacent table, but once the servant had gone and his mother had poured the tea, Emma didn’t waste any time. “It would be helpful, Lady Lymington, if you could tell me what you know about Amy and Kitty first.”
Lady Lymington set her teacup aside with a sigh. “I’ll tell you what I can, but I don’t know how much help it will be.”
“Even the smallest detail could prove useful, my lady. You’d be surprised at how often the most insignificant things can shed light on a mystery such as this.” Emma gave her an encouraging smile. “Just take your time, and tell mewhat you can.”
“Yes, all right. Amy Townshend was a good girl. Oh, a trifle silly, perhaps, in the way of many young girls, but sweet-natured, with a pretty face and pretty manners. She disappeared in late August, as nearas I can tell.”
Emma frowned. “As near as you can tell? Is there some confusion over the date shewent missing?”
