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“Tell me,” Evelina whispered. “What happened, Thomas?”
Thomas swallowed. She could feel the vibrations of the motion against her palm, still cradling his jaw.
“Evelina…” Thomas began.
From there, Thomas recounted a series of events marked by hideous, murderous intent. Arranged accidents, traitorous footmen, vanished ledgers. As the tale progressed, Evelina removed her hand from Thomas’ face, and then her eyes, moving instead to grip the folds of her night dress and stare at her lap.
“Surely you do not actually believe this insanity,” Evelina said at last, when it seemed Thomas had finished his recounting.
“I don’t want to,” Thomas said desperately, leaning forward on the edge of the wooden bench. Evelina couldn’t help but notice the paint was peeling with age; fresh white flaked away to reveal soft wood in the first stages of rotting. “But what else am I to think? My Father was murdered in the same manner I was attacked. Our Fathers had their falling out. And now here is the footman linking the two families together—”
“You said the footman’s name was Edwin Martin?”
“I…I did—”
“I know of no one who has ever been on our staff by that name.”
Thomas’ near-pitying gaze was sickening. He reached for her hands once more, but Evelina kept them clenched together. “Evelina…” Thomas said, sounding hurt. “Gerard made inquiries just three days ago. He confirmed Martin’s employment.”
“Perhaps he made a mistake. Have you thought of that? I am not so sure about any of this at all, Thomas.”
“I trust my Brother.”
“And I trust my Father!” Evelina couldn’t help but raise her voice. She felt as though the whole world was spinning around her. This couldn’t be; it couldn’t. “This business with the footman seems to have no more grounds than a coincidence to me!”
Thomas got to his feet as well, panicked. “Evelina! They’ll hear us.”
“So, let them,” Evelina spat, but almost immediately reconsidered. She stepped back from Thomas and shook her head. “I’m sorry. Forgive me that was foolish.”
Thomas looked pained. “I am the one who should ask forgiveness,” he said after a moment, shoulders slumping. “Regardless of what the truth of the matter is, you tasked me with repairing the damage between our families. Not appearing out of the blue to make accusations against your Father.”
Evelina just stood there, nodding. She could sense Thomas’ desire to take her into his arms—it was like gravity, desperate to draw her in. And oh, how she wanted to succumb. This whole conversation—this whole era of her life—felt like nothing short of a nightmare.
She was betrothed to a man she did not love. And now the man shedidlove had come to accuse her father of murder?
Distantly, it occurred to Evelina that she still needed to explain what was going on with Jerome, and how she had been stalling things in hopes of Thomas repairing the damage between her families. But that could be accomplishedafterThomas’ accusation of her father was addressed.
“Wait here,” Evelina said at last, voice cold. “I mean to see these records for myself.”
