“With you.”
“I do not know what you—”
“Why did you come?” He pressed his elbows on his knees, leaned forward. “You must have known Mother’s ploy.”
“You need not worry. I had every intention of persuading her otherwise.”
“She is not one who can be persuaded.”
“Neither am I.”
He glanced at her face—her sad eyes, the disturbing quiver at her lips, the way her curls swayed with the cool evening breeze. “What is wrong?” he asked.
“I did not imagine it was so obvious.”
“Tell me.”
“It is too much to tell.”
“Then you came for naught.” He straightened. “You will return without having unloaded your burden—and without dinner too.” He expected a smile from her, a small laugh at the very least.
But when her eyes slid to his, face closer than he was prepared for, only torture echoed in her stare. “What do you wish me to do, Simon? Say the words?”
“What words?”
“That I came for you…that I could not help myself.” She covered her face with her hands. “It is so terrible. I am so confused. The only thing I kept thinking, all day long, was that if I could just get to Simon then perhaps everything would—”
“What is terrible?” Tightness swarmed him. “What has happened?” “There is so much you do not know.”
“Tell me.”
“I cannot.”
“Georgina—”
She sprang to her feet and hurried down the steps, but he beat her to the bottom and blocked her way. “Someone has bothered you. The same one who threatened my children.”
“No.”
“Then what?”
She stood in front of him, head down, breathing fast enough that her chest worked up and down.
“Georgina.” He touched her arms. He shouldn’t have. He should have stopped his words from pleading, whispering, softening, as if he were affected by her. “Georgina, look at me.”
She obeyed him. Of course she did. Was she not always everything he needed of her? For once, could he not be something she needed of him?
“Papa killed himself. I found him.”
Shock bruised him. Then pity.
“But now it does not make sense. I do not know. It was so dark in the library and the window was open. I thought Papa opened it that night because of the smoke…his pipe…but what if he had not been alone at all when he…”
“What are you saying?”
“I think someone murdered him.” She slid her eyes shut and turned her head. “And I think that someone just married my mother.”
If only he would say something.
