Page 94 of A Lady’s Guide to Mystery and Mischief

“Then I’m afraid I must disappoint you,” he said. “He is engaged for the remainder of the day.”

“Is he? With what?”

“Would that I could tell you,” Mr. Hawkins said dryly. “There are times when Montgomery is a man of few words and today was one of those times. Would you like to leave a note?”

Farah tried very hard not to let her disappointment show. “No, thank you. I’ll return later.”

Mr. Hawkins accompanied her to the exit, seemingly intent on checking to see if she had a carriage waiting for her. When she had been safely deposited inside, she allowed a sigh to rise from her chest as she slumped on the bench.

“Where to, miss?”

Giving her aunt’s coachman a half-hearted shrug, she said, “Rosewood, please.”

A short trip later, and she was knocking at her cousin’s door. The butler answered, his weathered face breaking into a smile at the sight of her.

“Miss Rafiq,” he said, the greeting warm. “What a surprise.”

“Hello, Hughes,” Farah said. “Please tell me Kalila’s here.”

Hughes took Farah’s bonnet. “She is in her laboratory, as always.”

Thanking him, Farah made the familiar trek to Kalila’s favorite room of the pretty house. The door was open, revealing a scene Farah had witnessed more than once—Kalila, her dark hair piled atop her head, lecturing a group of enraptured scientists. When her cousin’s clever hazel eyes met Farah’s over the heads of her listeners, she gave a nod of acknowledgment.

“That’s all for today, gentlemen,” she said as soon as she’d finished her thought. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow.”

They filed out obediently, recognition flickering across a few of their faces as they passed Farah by. It didn’t surprise her, as she’d visited Rosewood many times since Kalila had settled here.

Once the room had been cleared, Kalila drew Farah into a hug. “I didn’t know we were expecting you.”

“You weren’t,” Farah said into Kalila’s dress. “I’m in need of some help.”

“Are you well?” Concern came over Kalila’s features as she stepped back, hands on Farah’s shoulders, to study her.

“I’m fine.” Farah wiggled out of her cousin’s grip to prop herself on a stool. “It’s Helena that needs help.”

“I thought your lecture was supposed to go on for another thirty minutes,” came Oliver’s voice from the hall. When he came into view, he offered Farah a boyish smile. “Hello, you.”

“Hello, Oliver,” Farah returned with some weariness. “We may as well get your input on this, as well.”

“Input on what?” he asked, moving into the room to check on the snake in the glass enclosure that sat in the corner of the laboratory.

“Brace yourself,” Farah warned. This drew Oliver’s attention from the snake and, when Farah was assured that he and Kalila were both sufficiently braced, she launched into the tale of Francis’s missing inheritance—and Helena’s involvement in it. It took all of two minutes before Kalila and Oliver were absorbed by the story, their expressions matching in their astonishment.

“—and I’d like to help her, but I don’t know how,” Farah finished, letting out a little phew to recover from the exertion of bringing her cousins up to date on the matter.

“This isn’t helpful,” Oliver said, “and I know I implied as much back at Northborough, but I’m not surprised in the slightest that Jennings’s wife wants to leave him.”

“I remember the first time I saw her,” Kalila murmured, the words distant. “And I certainly remember what we all thought of her for agreeing to marry Jennings.”

Oliver winced. “As do I.”

“There’s a lesson for us in this, too,” Kalila said. “It would do us well not to judge so harshly next time.”

“You weren’t the only ones, I’m sure,” Farah said with a sad exhale.

“Even your friendship with her surprised us.” Kalila bit down on her lip. “But now I do not doubt that you saw the truth of her far better than any of us could have ever hoped.”

“I’ve never been able to understand why she agreed to marry him,” Farah said, choosing her words with care. “But it doesn’t matter, does it? All the whys don’t mean a thing when someone is as unhappy as she is.”