A Perilous Perspective (Lady Darby Mystery #10)(69)

I stepped back, allowing my gaze to sweep over his appearance from head to toe.

His lips quirked at the corner. “Will I do?”

Returning to his side, I smiled softly up at him. “Always.”

I arched up onto my toes, meeting him halfway as he bent to press a tender kiss to my lips.

“But we should hurry,” I declared, pulling away. “Lest they begin dinner without us.”

“Hungry?” Amusement lightened his voice.

“Ravenous!”

“Then let’s not dawdle.”

“What of Mr. MacCowan?” I asked as we made our way down the corridor, arm in arm.

“Not at home.”

“So no progress made there either.” I glanced sideways at him. “Did Anderley tell you about our afternoon?”

“Briefly. Oh! He did ask me to mention that he’d learned the direction of Barbreck’s former butler.”

I met his gaze eagerly.

“Elgin.”

“In Moray?” Two hundred miles away.

He nodded.

“Well, that hampers our ability to question him.” I’d assumed the man had retired to a cottage nearby, but apparently, I was wrong. Maybe he’d gone to live with family.

“Is it important?”

I opened my mouth to explain, only to snap it shut as Lord Ledbury exited the chamber immediately to the right. We checked our steps as he closed his door with a decisive click. He nodded over his shoulder to us once curtly and then strode down the corridor.

“It appears the earl hasn’t softened toward Mallery or his family,” Gage murmured under his breath.

I agreed, my voice hardening. “And if he continues in this vein, he’s going to throw a wet blanket over the entire wedding and extinguish all of Charlotte’s joy.”

“An apt description.”

“I wish I knew how to help.” I paused. “Other than solving this murder.” I sighed. “But I’m not sure even that will be enough.”

His arm tightened around mine. “Well, don’t let him extinguish your joy for your friend and cousin. They’ll both need it to tend their own fires over the next few days.” His gaze sharpened as it focused down the corridor toward where the earl had turned to disappear down the stairs. “As for Lord Ledbury, let me have a crack at him. After all, I am supposedly known for my charm and diplomacy,” he added with a self-deprecating grin.

“That you are,” I replied in gratitude.



* * *




*

Unfortunately, Lord Ledbury showed every indication that he refused to be influenced by that legendary charm. He scowled through dinner, and his scowl was still in place when the men joined us in the drawing room following their after-dinner port. When he retired soon after, I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from uttering “Good riddance” aloud.

As a consequence, everyone’s spirits were dampened to some degree, especially Charlotte’s and Lord Barbreck’s. Though I suspected Barbreck’s mood was due more to the forgeries and ongoing murder investigation than Lord Ledbury. I was pleased to see how attentive Rye was to Charlotte, clearly sensing her distress every bit as much as I did, and the worry in her eyes seemed to soften by degrees whenever he took her hand in his.

When they wandered off together shortly after Ledbury retired, hopefully enjoying a stroll in the gloaming and a moonlit kiss, I decided it was safe for me to withdraw as well. It had been a long day, and weariness made me push to my feet slower than I wished. Gage materialized at my side, as attentive as my cousin had been, and we made our way to the door only to be brought up short by the appearance of Wheaton.

“Mr. and Mrs. Gage.” He bowed. “You are just the people I was lookin’ for.”

I arched my brows in query.

“Your manservant, Mr. Anderley, asked me to inform you that he has somethin’ urgent to relay.” His eyes sparkled with a curiosity he was struggling to mask. “He asked that ye meet him and Miss McEvoy in the chapel.”

Gage and I shared a look of surprise before he thanked the butler, and we hurried to answer Anderley’s summons. The small chapel was located on the opposite side of the manor from the drawing room in an extension off the main block. Rising two stories, it boasted six stained glass windows, each depicting events from Christ’s life, from His birth to His resurrection. The stonework was of the finest quality, with intricate tracery around the Gothic arched windows and vaulted columns supporting the roof, and the wooden pews and rood screen were topped with fleurs-de-lis and representations of the twelve apostles.

Anderley was waiting for us outside the doors. He didn’t wait for us to address him before answering our most obvious question. “It’s Liam. He wishes to talk.”

I inhaled sharply, more relieved than I’d anticipated to discover that the first footman was uninjured and willing to speak. I supposed part of me had harbored some fear that he might have come to harm himself, though I’d refused to allow myself to contemplate it.

One of the doors was swept open by Anderley, allowing the scent of candles and old stone to sweep out and engulf us as we entered the hushed interior. I had only entered the chapel once, on my initial tour of the manor, and without the benefit of sunlight streaming through the tall windows and casting patterns from the tracery across the floor, the chamber was dim and shadowy. Several braces of candles had been lit near an alcove on the left, their flames flickering as we disturbed the air with our passing.