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‘Compare the two. Compare it with the notice about the dancing classes. Prove me wrong.’ He reached into his pocket and thrust the other notes into her hand.
Henri gingerly plucked the papers from Robert’s fingertips, being careful not to touch him. Her name was boldly scrawled, including the distinctive H she used. Nausea rose in her throat.
‘Why would I write about the other forfeit? I had agreed the treasure-hunt picnic needed to be held elsewhere. I understand about the scientific method and what you are trying to achieve. You said to look at facts, and right now you are ignoring them. You have decided that I’m guilty when, in fact, I’m innocent.’
The silence pressed down on her soul, but she kept her head high, stared directly into Robert’s eyes and willed him to believe. A myriad of emotions washed over his face.
‘My son did send a note over to your house earlier,’ her aunt said, breaking the silence. ‘He didn’t say who wrote it or divulge its contents.’
Robert closed his eyes. A sliver of hope sliced through him. Maybe Henri hadn’t behaved badly. All of his instincts told him to fold her into his arms and apologise, but he couldn’t, not until he knew for certain.
‘One must be logical about these things,’ he said finally in a flat voice. ‘Logic before emotion.’
Their eyes met for a long moment and then Henri dropped her head and examined the carpet.
‘No, you are right,’ she said in a voice devoid of emotion. ‘The reason why you came over this morning has no meaning now. My mistake, such as it was, was not to ask to see that note then. This entire affair might not have happened if I had.’
Henri was proud of the way her voice remained steady. Inside, her stomach ached with searing pain. Her pleasant dream of a quiet affair with Robert lay in ashes at her feet. There could never be anything between them because of the trick Sebastian had played. If Robert had not come over here, if they had not made love, Sophie might not have been ruined. She knew it and Robert knew it. What might have been was already over.
‘What does he intend for Sophie? Marriage to clear his debts?’ Robert’s voice came from a long way away.
Henri wrapped her hands about her waist. She wanted him to hold her and to tell her that this time she was not alone and Sebastian had not gone too far. That everything would end happily. But long ago, she had given up wishing for the moon. She gave her head a shake and tried to concentrate on the matter at hand rather than what might have been. ‘He mentioned that he thought her an angel and the idea of marriage had crossed his mind.’
‘I see.’ He nodded towards her aunt. ‘Forgive the intrusion, Lady Cawburn. I had hopes of finding my ward before her reputation was irreparably damaged. But I see I was led along a false trail.’
Or she was condemned to an unwise marriage. The unspoken words hung in the air.
‘You don’t see and you are wilfully misunderstanding.’ Henri grabbed his sleeve. He looked down at her with cold hard eyes and she released him. ‘You are looking at it all wrong, just as you always do. Sometimes you have to trust your instincts.’
‘Instinct leads you down false paths.’
‘My ideas are better than your blind logic!’ Henri cried.
Robert shook his head. He stood in the middle of the room, taking huge gulps of air. His hands clenched and unclenched, but he made no move to touch her. He appeared lost and alone, a little boy instead of the angry man, the boy who had idolised Sophie’s father and given him his promise to look after his daughter. The young man whose father had committed suicide rather than face the disgrace of his new wife leaving him for another man. And she knew how seriously he took his responsibility. Despite everything, she wanted to gather him in her arms and hold him. She wanted to wring Sebastian’s neck for doing this.
‘You never give up. Even now,’ he said in a low voice.
Her head throbbed with pain. Logic. She had to think and find a way to see her way out of this tangle. ‘I want to know why Sophie lied to me about Doctor Lumley. Why she pretended to be my friend and then implicated me in this. They deceived us both.’
Robert stood there, a muscle twitching in his cheek. Henri watched him with her heart in her throat. He had to believe her or otherwise everything they had shared counted for nothing.
‘Why did Cawburn take Miss Ravel in this clandestine manner? Why didn’t he court her openly?’ her aunt asked.
‘His creditors,’ Henri answered without hesitation. ‘He was being pressed. He’d tried to win the money back at the gaming table and lost heavily. He will have seen her fortune as the only way to free himself. But in his own way, I am sure he thinks he loves her. I truly believe that.’
