After several minutes, he lifted his head and their eyes met. Neither of them could keep the broad smiles from their faces. Alex spoke, unable to keep her feelings quiet after his bold confession. "Gavin ... I've never felt anything like this.
you’ll
never be my friend again, never my surrogate brother. If I am the standard to which you hold the women in your life ... then you are more than that for the men in mine. How
will
I ever find someone to compare to you? You, with your bold smiles and your
brilliant
mind and your handsome face ..." She touched his cheek, running her fingers along his jaw. "You have quite ruined me for
all
others."
They kissed again, languishing in the feel of each other, before he raised his head and spoke, his voice deep and soft, "Now that you've wheedled your way into my heart and mind and tricked me into confessing my feelings for you, don't you think you ought to be on your way ... before someone finds us and I've damaged your reputation beyond repair? Although, I confess, right now I could think of worse ways to end this evening than betrothed to you ... despite your opinions on the subject of marriage."
The words sent a
thrill
down her spine even as she realized that he was right. She stepped out of his arms, looking up at him with concern in her eyes.
"Are you sure you are quite safe here?
will
you not consider spending the night at Worthington House?"
He shook his head at her question, offering a reassuring smile as he tucked a loosened curl behind her ear. "No need. Don't worry about me, Alex. I would prefer you forget everything you heard this evening."
She
rolled
her eyes. "I cannot simply pretend I didn't hear it, Gavin. Your uncle plotting against you is not something I'm going to easily forget."
"My uncle?"
The surprised interest in Gavin's voice set off warning
bells
for Alex as she realized that he did not know everything there was to know about this particular evening. She had deliberately refrained from mentioning the fact that she'd overheard Lucian
Sewell
plotting against Gavin earlier
—
both because she hadn't been sure how to do it tactful
l
y and because
she was certain that if she explained everything, he would be
unwilling
to leave the house quickly. "Alexandra. My uncle?"
She paused, unsure of how to proceed
—
of what words to use to share this terrible information. Taking a deep breath to shore up her courage, she plunged into her explanation. "The conversation I overheard, it was in the library annex of the house, on the way to the orangery?" She pushed on as he nodded in recognition. "There were two men in the room, but the door was closed, so I couldn't recognize them by voice alone ... they were too muffled. I hid in the orangery, just inside the door, in the dark, until they emerged and, while I didn't recognize the first man to exit, I did recognize the second." She stopped, making sympathetic eye contact with Gavin before her final revelation. "It was your uncle Lucian."
He stood stock-stil
l
for a brief moment before speaking frankly, "You are mistaken."
It was Alex's turn to be surprised. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, there is no possible way that my uncle is plotting against the Blackmoor line. You did not see what you think you saw."
"But I did, Gavin. I saw your uncle exit that room."
"No, Alex, you couldn't have. My uncle Lucian is many things, but he would never betray his family. Of that, I am certain."
Indignation was rising in Alex's chest; she was beginning to feel warm with defensive ire. "With
all
due respect, my lord, I witnessed something that points to the opposite."
"I am sure that you believe you did, Alex. But I'm
telling
you that you were wrong. I don't doubt that you saw someone who appeared to be my uncle.
However, it was not he. Of that I am certain."
"I know what I saw. You are in grave danger. And Lucian
Sewell
is a threat to you and to the Blackmoor line. He admitted to
killing
your father, Gavin."
She saw the cool response in his eyes. "You do not believe me."
"I don't doubt what you heard. Only its source." Noticing her rising anger, he attempted to calm her. "Alex, my uncle Lucian adored his older brother
—
he was the first of the family to arrive at the Blackmoor estate once we found my father's body. He has been infinitely helpful in assisting me with the transition to earl. He has been an active part of the discussion relating to my father's death and the potential threat to me. He's an
all
y.
Not a vill
ain."
"But isn't it possible that
all
those things make him the
perfect
vill
ain?" Alex's voice rose in desperation as she saw Gavin's expression darken.
"Perhaps he was first to the Essex estate because he was
already there.
Have you even considered that his
assistance
in your transition to earl was merely a ploy to get closer to whatever information your father had garnered? And, Gavin ... you must stop including him in any discussion of your safety.
He is not to be trusted."
She watched him as he leaned against his desk, arms crossed over his broad chest, and her frustration brought tears to her eyes. She refused to cry in his study. Taking another deep breath, she spoke, her voice quivering, "I risked my reputation to come here tonight. I came out of nothing but the deepest concern for you and your family's
well
-being. I would never
ever
suggest something so damaging if I did not believe, with
all
my heart, that it was true. And you owe it to me
—
and to yourself
—
to at least consider it a possibility."
His expression was dark as he leveled her with a cool, grey gaze. "You are right that you have risked your reputation coming here tonight, Alex. It seems you have also risked my family's good name in doing so. I think it best you return to the
ball
and forget everything you saw. I assure you that we have this situation
well
in hand."
She was shocked by his cold dismissal.
Was it possible he was offended by her concern?
She opened her mouth to speak again, but he cut her off before any sound could escape. "I have heard what you have to say, Alex. You needn't repeat it. I encourage you to leave, and be quick about it. I would prefer that my uncle's character be the only one maligned this evening."
"Gavin
—
"
"Good night, Alexandra."
She watched him turn away from her, tears
well
ing in her eyes. "Gavin
—
" He paused, not turning back, but clearly focused on her next words. "Be careful. Please."
And, with that, she turned and pushed the window open wide once more, enough for her to sit on the edge and swing herself out into the flower bed below. He made no move to help her exit and she landed off balance in the moist, soft soil, one knee sinking into the fresh dirt.
She didn't care about her ruined gown, or her filthy slippers, or the tears that were threatening to pour down her face.
all
she cared about was getting back home and finding someone who would believe her.
She did not have to go far.
Once back in the Worthington House gardens, she retraced her steps to the balcony of the music room. She crossed the darkened space as though in a trance, not knowing to whom to go or what to say. She opened the door to step into the
hallway filled
with guests who had left the
ball
room for quieter conversations or a moment's rest, and Vivi and
Ella spilled
into the doorway, barely catching themselves from
falling
at her feet. The two had obviously been standing with their backs against the door, waiting for her to return.
If Alex hadn't been so shocked by her encounter with Gavin, she would have burst into laughter.
Vivi righted herself first, whispering harshly, "Thank goodness! We've been worried to death!"
"And curious to death,"
Ella
added.
Vivi looked at
Ella
oddly. "That's not even a phrase." Returning her attention to Alex, she continued, "We were just wondering whether we should
call
in the cavalry."
Ella
drawled, "By that, she means her father."
"As angry as he would have been that we let Alex storm off into the night," Vivi pointed out, "I think 'cavalry' is a perfectly acceptable description."
The two looked up at Alex and spoke in unison, "What happened?"
And, with that, as she looked into the curious, concerned eyes of her best friends in the world, Alex did what she'd wanted to do since leaving Blackmoor on the balcony earlier in the evening. She burst into tears.
Ella
and Vivi shared a quick anxious look before rushing forward and herding Alex back into the music room and closing the door firmly behind them.
"Are you
all
right? What happened?" Vivi asked urgently, guiding Alex to sit on a
small
tufted stool while
Ella
lit some nearby candles.
"I think we've established that she's not
all
right, Vivi,"
Ella
piped in, crouching down beside her tearful friend. "Alex? Are you hurt? Has Blackmoor done something to deserve a thrashing?"
Alex sniffed and responded with a watery smile. "Yes. Would you go deliver it?"
Ella
smiled back.
«Well,
I'm happy to see that you can
still
find humor in this situation. I would go try for you, you know it. But he is rather significantly larger than I."
"Yes, he is. But mainly he's just insufferable." Looking at her friends, Alex continued with pleading in her voice, "I don't want to go back to the
ball
. I want to go to my bedchamber and drown myself in my pathetic sorrow."
«Well,
considering the condition of this dress, I don't think you would be able to return to the
ball
even if you wanted to. What on earth did you do to yourself? You're covered in dirt. And your slippers are ruined,"
Ella
pointed out.
Vivi chimed in, "You look like you've
fallen
in a flower bed."
Alex looked down at her skirts with sadness,
pulling
them up to inspect her slippers. With a sigh, she spoke, her voice tiny, "I did
fall
in a flower bed."
"This sounds like a fascinating story,"
Ella
teased, "but let's wait until we're above
stairs to
tell
it,
shall
we?"
"Indeed." Vivi whirled into motion, ever the problem solver. "
Ella
, you sneak Alex up and I
shall
take care of everything."
"How?" Alex asked. "My mother
will
be livid that I left the
ball
so early."
Vivi turned a regal look on Alex. "Never you mind. Have I not taught you yet that I never fail?" She kissed her sad friend on both cheeks and continued as she cracked the door to leave, "I
shall
see you soon."
And, with that, Vivi left the room, off to convince everyone in Alex's life that it was perfectly normal for her to have disappeared during a
ball
hosted in her own home.
Ella
took her task very seriously and, within moments, the two girls were in Alex's bedchamber.
Ella
had helped Alex strip down to her chemise so that the offending gown could be hidden from view prior to the extreme cleaning it was going to require. As for the slippers,
Ella
shoved them deep into the recesses of Alex's wardrobe, hoping that no one would come looking for them. Turning back to her friend, who had already crawled under the coverlet looking sad,
Ella
kicked off her own slippers and threw herself across the end of the bed.
She landed just as the door to the bedroom opened and Vivi entered, a smug smile on her face, announcing, "Problem solved. No one
will
come looking for you, Lady Alexandra, until the morning."
"You're a miracle worker!" Alex said with a shocked look on her face. "How did you manage that?"
"Easily enough. I enlisted Freddie's help in
telling
everyone that you'd felt sick just before your scheduled dance, and that he'd passed you off to us.
That, combined with a quick chat with Kit, explaining that you hadn't wanted to upset or worry your mother, did the trick." Vivi's slippers joined
Ella
's in a pile on the floor just before she climbed onto the bed next to Alex. "Stanhope wants you to send him a note tomorrow to assure him that you are fine and, quote, 'that Blackmoor isn't a rogue who deserves to be
called
out.'"
Ella
giggled and
rolled
her eyes. "Male bravado
really
is ridiculous."
Alex closed her eyes and said aloud, "I've had just about enough of the stuff tonight."
"Are you going to
tell
us what happened?"
"Which part? When Blackmoor told me that kissing me was a mistake? Or when he told me that he knew someone was trying to
kill
him? Or perhaps when I told him that the someone in question was his uncle Lucian and he didn't believe me?"
"What?!" The word came out on
Ella
's surprised exhale. Her wide eyes looked as though they would pop from their sockets.
Vivi sat up, eyeing Alex very closely. Slowly, she suggested, "Why don't we start from the beginning? You seem to have had quite a busy evening."
And so Alex started from the beginning, trying not to leave anything out
—
not that
Ella
would have
all
owed that. As she told her tale, Vivi and
Ella
listened intently, hanging on every word while she traced the events of the evening from Blackmoor's dance with Penelope to their argument and her ungraceful exit from his study.
As soon as she finished, they pounced, firing questions to obtain more details. "So you think the man who
killed
the earl was Lucian? Not the other?"
Ella
asked.
"I can't know for sure, as I couldn't make out the voices
—
but he certainly had a hand in it."
Vivi was next. "And Blackmoor knows someone is out to
kill
him?"
"Yes. Apparently he's known for a fortnight."
"And our fathers as
well
?"
"It seems that way," Alex said without emotion.
"But no one knows what information the former earl had?"
Ella
pressed.
"No." Alex shook her head before shrugging her shoulders. "At least, not that he told me. It seems they're waiting for the
villain
to lead them to whatever information the earl had."
"But couldn't Lucian have already found the information and
all
this be
—
a red herring?" Vivi spoke, searching for clarity.
"That wouldn't explain Montgrave's skulking about,"
Ella
said to the room at large.
"Or the fact that the two men I overheard were clearly anxious about others beating them to the hiding place," Alex pointed out.
"You mean Lucian and Montgrave,"
Ella
said firmly.
"I don't know it was Montgrave in the room. I didn't see him. And ... if Gavin is to be believed
—
"
"Blackmoor is a dunderhead,"
Ella
interrupted.
Vivi nodded in support. "Precisely."
Alex pushed on. "Al
l
the same
—
if he is to be believed
—
"
"He's not," Vivi pointed out.
"Quite,"
Ella
agreed, adding, "Dunderhead."
Alex
rolled
her eyes. "Fine." Looking
carefully
at them, she continued, "You both believe me? You believe it was Lucian?"
"Absolutely!"
Ella
exclaimed.
"Without doubt," Vivi chimed in.
"Then why didn't he believe me?" Alex asked,
falling
back into the
pillows
on her bed.
Ella
opened her mouth to speak from her spot at the end of the bed, but before she could get a word out, Alex raised a finger in the air and spoke in warning, "
Ella
... don't
tell
me he's a dunderhead."
Ella
closed her mouth, then raised her head to look at Vivi for support.
"I rather think I
understand," Vivi said carefull
y.
"I beg your pardon!"
Ella
sat up, leveling Vivi with a glare. "That's not exactly supportive, Vivian."
«Well,
I do. After
all
, Gavin's uncle is almost
all
he has left of his father. Losing a parent is awful enough. I cannot imagine what it would be like to then, just as quickly, discover that a person you trust is behind
all
that pain."
"Even so ... it doesn't excuse his complete stupidity in not believing Alex,"
Ella
pointed out.
"No, of course not," Vivi
all
owed. "Although I imagine he
’ll
come around to realizing that she is right."
"Of course he
will
,"
Ella
said imperiously, "because we're going to prove her right."
Alex lifted her head from her
pillows
. "We are?"
"Indeed."
Ella
was in one of her moods
—
she was not taking no for an answer.
"I considered going to our fathers immediately," Alex said, shaking her head. "I wanted to
pull
mine away from the
ball
and reveal everything that I had overheard. But Gavin didn't believe me
—
what if my father doesn't either?"
"That's
silly
. Of course, your father
will
believe you," Vivi declared with certainty.
"I suppose so." Alex didn't sound as if she
really
believed her own words.
And she didn't. Gavin's response had thrown her off
—
upsetting her more than she could have imagined it would. She was hurt and confused by his cold reaction, as though she were an errant child who had fabricated the tale to garner his attention. She was devastated
by his lack of trust and faith
even if Vivi was right and this was
all
a part of a larger issue that had little, if anything, to do with her. It didn't matter. She was desperate for someone to believe her; she had information that pointed to the murderer of the Earl of Blackmoor, for goodness sake! Wasn't that enough?
"There's only one way to be certain that everyone believes us,"
Ella
said thoughtful
l
y, reading Alex's mind. "We have to find the information before they do."
Vivi and Alex shared a surprised look. "How do you suggest we do that?" Vivi asked.