AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I am glad.” Now Diana would have to protect her new friend from Crawford if she could, but she still had nothing to fight him with besides the truth, which could be questioned by anyone.
Chapter 18
It had been three days since Matthew had written to Diana, and she had not responded. Several thoughts had passed his mind, but he had decided to allow things to play naturally because he was not one to assume her lack of response was deliberate.
“You have been quiet all morning,” Albert remarked as they rode a carriage back to Ashford. They had met with the magistrate regarding the theft that morning, and he was assisting in the investigation.
“I have a lot to think about,” Matthew replied.
Albert nodded and turned to look out the window. After a while, he said, “Emma had tea with Diana yesterday afternoon.” This, of course, piqued Matthew’s interest, and he gave Albert his full attention. “I thought she would not accept Emma’s invitation, but she did and I lost two guineas to my sister.”
“Are you complaining about the money you lost or is there another reason you are telling me about this?” Matthew asked with a lopsided grin.
Albert chewed his bottom lip before saying. “Emma thinks she can make a match of Diana and me.”
Matthew sat up. “Are you discouraging her?”
“Yes, I did, but she was too excited to heed me. I am sure she will learn that Diana is yours.”
“Diana is not mine,” Matthew said, frowning. Why had she not responded to his letter? He had waited at the lake for her, thinking she might have decided to meet him even though she had not replied.
“Not yet,” Albert asserted.
Matthew began to laugh. “You ought to be investing this much effort into finding yourself a wife.”
“Are you already tired of my meddling?” Albert’s impish grin made him laugh more.
“Yes, I am.” His preoccupation with his businesses might have prevented him from calling upon the Dervin residence, but he was going to try to see Diana again.
The carriage stopped, and when Matthew alighted, he saw a shining phaeton in front of the castle, and immediately suspected he had a visitor, but he was not sure who it could be.
“McGill, who called?” Matthew asked the butler immediately after he stepped into the front hall.
“It is Baron Crawford, Your Grace. He is in the receiving room.”
Matthew’s brows rose because the quality of carriage Crawford had ridden when he was last here was much more inferior. Crawford stepped out into the hall before Matthew responded.
“I hope I did not come at the wrong time, Your Grace.”
“No, you have not. I wanted to speak with you,” Matthew replied cordially, noticing the new pair of Hessians Crawford wore, as well as his rather ostentatious attire, especially the purple waistcoat embroidered with silver thread.
“Fancy carriage you have, Crawford,” Albert voiced Matthew’s exact thoughts.
“Oh, yes!” Crawford chuckled. “I acquired it recently.”
“In London?” Albert continued.
“No, here in Kent, although I returned from London this morning.”
“You look it.” There was something odd in Albert’s gaze and words that struck Matthew and alerted him to something he was yet to grasp.
“Shall we speak in the drawing-room?” Matthew asked, gesturing for Crawford to follow.
“Certainly, Your Grace.”
Matthew waited until they were both seated and Crawford was comfortable before he began. “About a quarter of the merchandise that arrived last month was stolen from our warehouses in Ramsgate, and one of the houses was set on fire.”
Crawford shot to his feet. “What?” He then caught himself and cleared his throat. “I beg your pardon?”
