“You are hurting me,” Lord William whined.
The guard held the door open as Greydon shoved Lord William out the side door. Lord William straightened himself in the alleyway. “That was uncalled for, Greydon,” he shouted. “Who do you think you are?”
Greydon came to stand in front of Lord William and said, “I just need to ask you a few questions and then you can go home and drink it off.”
“Why would you think I would answer your questions?” Lord William asked as he stuck his haughty chin in the air.
“If you don’t, then I will let John have a go at you,” Greydon said.
Some of the defiance left Lord William and his shoulders sank some. “You wouldn’t dare,” he said with uncertainty in his voice.
“I wouldn’t test me; not today.”
“What do you want to know?” Lord William asked, resigned.
“Did Phineas ever speak of a Lottie?”
Lord William gave him a baffled look. “Yes, I heard him utter that name, once or twice, but I never met her. Which is unusual since I knew most of the women that Phineas had dalliances with.”
“Do you know where I can find her?” he pressed.
“Why?”
“Just consider me curious.”
Lord William brought a hand up to his forehead. “I don’t,” he said. “Do you mind asking your questions in a quieter voice?”
Ignoring his request, Greydon pressed forward. “Did my brother ever mention Lady Eugenie?”
Lord William huffed loudly. “Lady Eugenie was a nuisance to Phineas. She would come around at odd hours to harass him. It did not surprise me that he died at her hand. She was never going to release him from her grasp.”
“Are you sure?”
Lord William nodded decisively. “I am, and that is what I told Sir David Abbott when he came around.”
Greydon resisted the urge to groan. “When did he question you?”
“The day the news broke about Phineas.” Lord William grew somber. “God rest his soul. He died entirely too young.”
A man emerged from the gambling hall and emptied the contents of his stomach next to the door. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and went back inside.
Lord William scrunched his nose. “I think it is time we depart from this wretched alleyway,” he said before he walked away.
Greydon followed Lord William as his mind started whirling. Something wasn’t adding up, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was.
Enid sat in the darkened coach as it traveled to the opera. What was she thinking when she had agreed to come? She had no doubt that this was a mistake. Thetonwould never accept her back into their ranks. She would forever be an outsider looking in.
Rosamond’s voice broke through her musings. “It will be all right,” she encouraged.
“I doubt that,” Enid responded. “I don’t know why you brought me. Your reputation will be tarnished, right alongside mine.”
Malcolm reached for his wife’s hand. “I dare anyone to say a disparaging word about my wife,” he said in a firm tone.
“Yes, but thetoncan turn on anyone,” Enid pressed. “One minute you are in their good graces, and then you find yourself on the outs. They can be ruthless and unforgiving.”
“Thetoncan be manipulated, just like anything or anyone else. You must trust us on this,” Malcolm said.
Enid glanced down at her clasped hands in her lap. She did trust her brother, but even he couldn’t control how thetonwould react when they saw her at the opera. She had loved being the center of attention when she was a debutante but it was different now. She was a widow and a ruined woman- in the eyes of theton.
