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The very word brought her up short. Sometime between regaining consciousness after her near-drowning and now, Pembourne had become her home—thanks to Slayde, Aurora, and a houseful of loving servants.
A frisson of fear shivered up her spine. One of those loving servants was a thief and, quite possibly, a murderer.
“Courtney?” Slayde gazed at her from across the carriage. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” she reassured him. “Merely lost in thought.”
“The sketch?”
A nod. “The sketch. We should put this travel time to good use by conjuring up a plan to unearth Armon’s Pembourne contact.”
“We’ll be arriving at Pembourne the day after next,” Oridge pronounced. “By midmorning on that day, if we make only brief stops. That gives us ample time to explore our best course of action. Before we begin, however, I think we’d best discuss the immediate, formidable challenge you should prepare yourselves for.”
Slayde’s brows rose. “Which is?”
“The way you’re going to behave toward and around your staff.” Oridge cleared his throat. “Sir, if our theory is correct and one of your servants was indeed Armon’s accomplice, the last thing you want to do is alert the culprit to the fact that you’re suspicious. You must treat everyone as you customarily do. Also, I must advise you not to converse openly with Miss Johnston or me about the situation, lest you be overheard, nor to mention our findings to anyone.”
“What about Aurora?” Courtney put in immediately. She gripped the edge of her carriage seat, resolutely meeting and holding Slayde’s gaze. “We’ve kept things from her far too long already. Slayde, she’s your sister. She’s also a grown—and trustworthy—woman. If you truly want to tear down the emotional barrier you’ve erected between you, you won’t do it by lying to her. Please. I’m asking you to tell her the truth—all of it,” Courtney added, emphasizing the phrase as a clear indication that she included the revelation of the false diamond in her request…something even Oridge knew nothing about.
Slayde inhaled slowly, wrestling with his decision.
Oridge shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Forgive me for intruding, sir, but I must speak up, given that keeping your family safe is my job. If Lady Aurora is as impulsive as you’ve described, the knowledge that there’s a criminal among us could inspire her to do something rash to expose the culprit, thus endangering her life.”
“Remaining unenlightened could endanger her life as well,” Courtney countered, never diverting her gaze from Slayde’s. “Aurora trusts the staff…and why shouldn’t she? With you away so often, they’re her only family and have been for years. Given how much of the mystery she’s already privy to, it’s more than likely she could inadvertently say the wrong thing to the wrong person. Unless she’s instructed not to.” A pause. “Slayde, please—do this for me.”
Courtney could see the effect of her plea in the darkening of Slayde’s eyes, the profound expression that crossed his face. His reply, when it came, was filled with husky tenderness. “Consider it done. With one modification. I won’t tell Aurora the truth; we will. We’ll take her to a private spot and tell her—together.”
A riotous surge of emotion accompanied Slayde’s use of the word together, intensifying at the realization that he loved her enough to base his decision on her feelings. “Thank you, my lord,” Courtney managed to say in a quavering voice.
Slayde leaned forward, his knees brushing hers. “As it happens, we have a great deal of news to share with Aurora. Or have you forgotten?”
“Forgotten?” Courtney wondered if her heart would burst. Had she forgotten that she was soon going to become Slay
de’s wife? Forgotten the exquisite moments surrounding his proposal? Never in a million years. “No, my lord,” she assured him with a secret smile. “I’ve forgotten…nothing.”
Her veiled allusion to their magical night together, while lost to Oridge, rendered its full impact on Slayde. His jaw tightened, his penetrating stare delving deep inside her, unequivocally stating that, were they alone, he’d rekindle those memories here and now.
“Very well then,” Oridge conceded, aware of the tension, misinterpreting its cause. “Share the details with Lady Aurora. But no one else. Is that acceptable?”
“Perfectly,” Courtney agreed, tearing her gaze—and her thoughts—away from Slayde. “Difficult or not, we have no choice but to keep all this to the four of us, to behave as if we’ve learned nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Agreed.” Slayde, too, returned his full attention to their original topic—albeit reluctantly. “Getting back to the matter of resolution, there are over a hundred servants at Pembourne. How the hell do I determine which one is guilty?”
“You can start by compiling a complete list of your staff, then eliminating anyone who wasn’t in your family’s employ ten years past, at the time of your parents’ deaths,” Oridge suggested.
“The guards,” Courtney put in. “You didn’t hire them until after Aurora became your ward.”
“True,” Slayde conceded. “Moreover, I do keep written records concerning my staff, including the dates they’ve been at Pembourne, in my study.”
“Excellent.” Oridge nodded briskly. “Compiling that list and reviewing your records will be our first priority upon reaching Pembourne.” He shifted, turning to face Courtney. “Miss Johnston, while we’re on the subject of prudent actions…” A discreet cough. “Although I’m duly impressed with your quick mind, I must prevail upon you—given the dangers of the situation—not to rush off on any more reckless crusades like the one Lord Pembourne described to me this morning.”
“You have Miss Johnston’s word,” Slayde answered for Courtney. “From now on, she stays at Pembourne, with me watching her every move. And, should I need to leave the estate, you will act as her substitute sentry.”
Oridge’s lips twitched slightly. “I see. Is that, too, acceptable, Miss Johnston?”
“Certainly, Mr. Oridge.” Courtney’s smile was angelic. “I have no intentions of causing Lord Pembourne—or you—any worry. I’ll be a most obedient charge.”
“Don’t believe her for a moment, Oridge,” Slayde advised, eyeing Courtney skeptically. “She’s as inventive as she is beautiful.”
