“Isn’t that what I just said?” Charlotte huffed.
So Harriet had lied to him when she said she had never been to Phineas’ apartment. What else was she lying about, he wondered.
Charlotte leaned forward and took a biscuit off the tray. “Lady Rushcliffe even had the audacity to have her lover approach me and bribe me,” she revealed. “As if I could be bought off so easily.”
“Lord William approached you?” Greydon asked.
“Yes,” Charlotte said with annoyance on her features. “Are you even listening to me?”
Greydon kept his voice calm as he replied, “I am. Please proceed.”
Charlotte waved her hand in front of her. “He offered me ten thousand pounds to end things with Phineas but I sent him on his way.”
Rising, Mr. Moore said, “Thank you, my lady. You have been most helpful.”
Charlotte beamed. “You are welcome.”
After they departed from the drawing room, Mr. Moore said, “I take it that you gleaned some new information from Lady Charlotte.”
“I did,” Greydon replied. “Harriet claimed she never went to Phineas’ apartment nor did she disclose Lord William’s role in all of this.”
“It makes you wonder what else she is lying about,” Mr. Moore mused.
“Precisely the thought I had.”
Enid sat in her bedchamber as she read a book on her settee. She was waiting for Marigold to wake up from her nap so she could take her on a walk through the gardens.
A knock came at the door.
“Enter,” she ordered as she placed the book down.
The door opened and her brother stuck his head through the opening. “Are you still angry with me?” he asked.
“Possibly,” Enid replied.
He smiled, as he usually did when he tried to disarm her. “I brought you something that might change your mind.” He stepped into the room, holding a plate of biscuits. “I had the cook prepare some biscuits for you.”
“You aren’t playing fair,” she remarked. Malcolm knew she had a weakness for biscuits.
Malcolm came and sat down next to her. “Would you care for one?” he asked, holding the plate up.
She reached for one and said, “I am still somewhat angry at you.”
“I can work with that,” Malcolm responded.
Enid took a bite of the biscuit and savored the delicious taste. “This offering does make me less annoyed at you.”
He chuckled. “Then my devious plan worked.”
After Enid finished the biscuit, she asked, “How could you have forced me into an arranged marriage with Greydon?”
“I daresay that Greydon had no objections, unlike you.” He paused. “Why is that? It is obvious that you care for him.”
“I do care for him,” she readily admitted, “but that doesn’t mean I should marry him.”
“Whyever not?”
Enid pressed her lips together. How could she explain to her brother that she was apprehensive about ever marrying again? She’d sworn that she would never be so stupid to ever put herself at the mercy of another man.
