Felicity lifted her brow. “You two are calling each other by your given names now?”
“We are partners,” Simone reminded her, “and it is perfectly acceptable to do so.”
Taking a step back, Felicity asked, “Shall we get youdressed as I try to discover who you are trying to convince? Me or yourself?”
Simone rose from her seat. “I will admit that Caleb and I are friends, but that is all.”
“All right.”
She continued. “After all, we are both determined not to ever wed because we are agents of the Crown.”
Felicity bobbed her head. “I believe you.”
Simone took a breath before adding, “If I ever did decide to marry, I would never marry Caleb. He vexes me.”
“So you say,” Felicity remarked.
“Lastly, Caleb and I would never make each other happy,” Simone added. “He makes everything unnecessarily difficult by teasing me. He is relentless at it.”
Felicity walked over to the settee and picked up the gown. “How unfortunate you must deal with him then,” she said, her voice light.
“It is awful, just awful,” Simone remarked.
As Felicity helped her dress, she asked, “Dare I ask why Mr. Bolingbroke thought your mother’s death was suspicious?”
“He found the timing to be odd, especially since it was so close to my grandmother’s death,” Simone explained.
“But your mother drowned, and your grandmother died from cancer,” Felicity said. “Those two are in no way connected, and did you not conduct your own investigation?”
“I did.” Simone turned to face Felicity. “Besides, my father did not benefit from my mother’s death. There was no reason for him to kill her.”
Felicity dropped her hands to her sides. “True, but your father might killyouif you don’t hurry and meet him for breakfast.”
Simone laughed. “That was terrible.”
“I got the point across, did I not?” Felicity asked.
“You did,” Simone replied before she headed into the corridor.
She walked with quick steps towards the dining room on the main level but stopped when she saw Clarke standing in the entry hall.
Clarke tipped his head at her. “Good morning,” he greeted.
Stepping closer to him, Simone revealed in a hushed tone, “I saw Lucy yesterday.”
“You did?” he asked, surprise etched on his features.
“I did, and she warned me not to trust my father. Do you know why she would say such a thing?” Simone asked.
Clarke gave her a baffled look. “I’m afraid not. Your father may not be an overly affectionate man, but he does love you. I am sure he has your best interests at heart.”
“I’m not quite sure if that is true anymore.”
“Why do you say that, Miss?” Clarke inquired.
Knowing her father was still waiting on her, Simone gave him a weak smile. “It is just a feeling I am having, but I must run along. My father is waiting for me in the dining room.”
Simone headed down the corridor until she arrived at the dining room. She was pleased to discover that her father was still eating his breakfast.
