The Unlikely Lady (Playful Brides #3)(30)

Jane pulled open the door and smiled widely at her friends. “To what do I owe the pleasure so early in the morning?”

Lucy and Cass entered stealthily as if they were sizing up the situation, much like Mrs. Cat when she’d first come to breakfast.

“We’re sorry if we woke you, Jane,” Cass said. “I know how much you like to stay up late reading.”

Jane shook her head. “It’s quite all right. I was awake.”

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. “Where did you go off to last night, Janie?”

Jane’s palms began to sweat. She pressed them against the front of her dressing gown. Did they know something? No. They couldn’t know anything. She and Upton had been completely alone. She was certain of it. They hadn’t been the ones who’d closed the door. She’d decided that had all been a figment of her guilty imagination. Besides, Lord knew, if Lucy had been the one to discover them, she wouldn’t have silently shut the door and backed away. She would have burst in and demanded an explanation. No. Lucy didn’t know, but her question had been quite direct. Guilt was making Jane read too much into it.

“I was—erm, in the library, reading,” she offered.

“Reading? In the library?” Lucy continued, walking in a slow circle around her as if she were a barrister examining a witness.

Cass remained silent but her bright eyes were trained on Jane’s face and she looked worried.

“Yes.” Jane didn’t meet Lucy’s gaze. Lucy was clever. She might discern that Jane was lying with one glance. “The music from the masquerade ball was a bit too loud for me. I’m sorry, Cass. I tried to stay. I truly did.”

Cass ignored that last bit. “How many teacakes did you eat last evening?”

Jane blinked. She wrapped her dressing gown more tightly around her waist. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Cass managed a half-shrug. “I usually see you occupied with a plate of teacakes and I didn’t see that last night.”

Jane snorted. “What are you accusing me of, Cass? Not being hungry enough?”

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest again and paced across the carpet. The look on her face was entirely suspicious. Oh, lovely. They suspected something. Upton hadn’t mentioned anything, had he? No. He hadn’t known who she was. How many times must she remind herself of that?

“So, you ate no teacakes and you went to the library where you spent the rest of the evening reading?” Arms still crossed, Lucy tapped her fingers along her opposite elbows.

“I didn’t say I ate no teacakes,” Jane replied, pushing up her chin. “I adore teacakes. I ate three before I went to the library.”

“The library?” Lucy looked down her nose at Jane.

“Yes, the library.” Wasn’t her philosophy to solve one problem at a time? That was all there was to do now. Lie and stand firm. Even though Lucy and Cass obviously suspected something, they had no proof. Did they? Had they gone to the library and not found her?

“The library?” Cass echoed.

Jane considered the possibilities. It was all or nothing. She had to see this through. “Yes, the library. You do know where the library is, don’t you?”

“Of course I know where the library is.” Cass plunked her hands on her hips.

“Did you count the teacakes?” Jane asked, her lips twitching from suppressed laughter.

“What a silly question,” Cass replied. “Of course I didn’t count the teacakes. You’re free to eat as many teacakes as you like.”

“I’m glad to hear it because it seems the two of you are accusing me of something. Perhaps something duplicitous, involving teacakes?”

“Accusing you of something? Whatever do you mean?” Cass put her hand to her throat, but she was a rubbish liar. It was obvious she was attempting to play ignorant.

“What might we be accusing you of?” Lucy interjected.

“I don’t know,” Jane answered. “You tell me.”

They faced off, staring at each other, Jane daring Lucy to ask a bold enough question to get to the bottom of this interrogation. Surprisingly, Lucy broke first. “We merely came up to ensure you were well, Janie. We were quite worried about you when we couldn’t find you last night.”

Jane breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for checking on me. I’m quite fine.”

Cass crossed over to her and gave her a quick hug. “I’m so glad.”

Lucy whirled and narrowed her eyes on Jane. “Did you, ah, happen to see Garrett last night?”

Jane pressed her palms together to keep them from shaking. She counted three and took a deep breath. They knew something. But she’d come this far and she refused to back down. “Upton?” she said in the most disinterested voice she could muster. “Are you asking if I saw Upton in the library? Because the answer is most assuredly no. I doubt Upton even knows what a library is.”

Lucy’s smile was catlike. “You didn’t see Garrett at all then?”

“If you’re interested in Upton’s whereabouts last evening, you might try asking Mrs. Langford. She seems to be quite taken with him, though goodness knows why.”

Distraction. It usually worked on her mother. Would it work on Lucy?

Obviously dissatisfied with that answer, Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but Cass patted Jane’s hand. “We’ll see you later for the picnic on the lawn, won’t we, Jane?”