“The truth is that you are the reason I believe in love, but I am terrified to try again,” Enid admitted.
Greydon’s face softened. “I will wait for you, then. This is not a passing whim for me. I want you as my wife and I will take you as you are. For when I look at you, I see a lot of things: my best friend, my soulmate, my confidant.”
How could Enid explain what she was feeling? She wanted to throw herself into his arms, to love him, wholly and unconditionally, but the fear crept in. It always did. It was always the fear that paralyzed her. She knew what she wanted to do, but she was unable to do so, despite everything she had ever wanted was right in front of her.
“You aren’t ready, and that is all right,” Greydon said. “I just want to be able to tell you that I love you, and often.”
Enid’s voice was soft as she admitted, “I have no objections.”
“Then we are in agreement.”
“I suppose we are.”
Greydon offered her a boyish smile. “I like it when we agree on something.”
“I wouldn’t get used to it,” she responded cheekily.
The amusement on his face faded as he said, “I wish we could continue as we are but I’m afraid I am the bearer of bad news.”
“Which is?”
Greydon hesitated. “Sir David informed me that Lady Eugenie confessed to the murder of my brother.”
Enid gasped. “Why would she do such a thing?”
“I don’t know, but I was hoping you would tell me,” Greydon replied.
“She must be trying to protect her sister in her own way. We must go speak to her at once!” Enid exclaimed as she started to walk towards the townhouse.
Greydon easily caught up to her and placed a hand on her sleeve, turning her to face him. “There is no point. By now, she is in the wing where they keep the condemned.”
“We can’t let her do this,” Enid declared.
“I know, but the only way we can help her is to have the real murderer confess, and quickly,” Greydon said.
“Do you know who killed your brother?” she asked him with wide eyes.
“I suspect it was my sister-in-law, Harriet,” Greydon replied, “but now I have to prove it. The difficult part is that Sir David has threatened me with arrest if I continue to investigate the case.”
“Doesn’t he care that Lady Eugenie is innocent?”
“He doesn’t care who is convicted as long as someone is held accountable for the crime.”
“That is awful, and not at all right.”
Greydon dropped his arm to his side. “I never said it was right, but coroners tend to only care about their own political careers. Truth is just inconvenient to them.”
With a shake of her head, Enid said, “I refuse to accept that. I won’t let Lady Eugenie die without a fight.”
“I agree, wholeheartedly.” Greydon glanced up at the sky. “I have things I need to see to first, but I’m hoping to formulate a plan that will catch a killer.”
“You will.”
Greydon brought his gaze down to meet hers. “You seem to have a lot of faith in me. I hope it is not misplaced.”
“I know it isn’t.” Feeling bold, Enid went on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. “If anyone can figure this out, you can.”
He stared at her, open wonder and amazement on his face, as if he couldn’t quite believe her bold behavior. But she didn’t care. She did not regret the kiss, not one bit. She had wanted to kiss him for far too long. If anything, it was past due.
