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Raising a brow, Matthew stood, picking up his glass of port. “Shall we talk in my study?”
“Yes.” Albert rose, too, and followed him out of the dining room.
Matthew suspected the news was about Ramsgate but he waited until they reached the study. He asked as soon as he closed the door. “What is it?”
“Some of the stolen wares were sold in Rochester and Canterbury. I followed the trail to the supplier, and it led me to…” Albert’s mouth tightened. “Can you hazard a guess?”
“Crawford,” Matthew said, his jaw hardening.
“Correct. I am yet to discover where he is keeping the rest of the wares, but I think he has sent some to London where he could sell them for a higher price.”
“That son of a mongrel!” Matthew cursed. He had suspected Crawford but had not thought him truly capable of such stratagem.
“What do you plan to do now?” Albert asked.
“I want to see him,” Matthew said, hearing the dangerous edge in his voice before going to sit behind his desk. He drew out a sheet of parchment from a stack to his left and reached for a quill with his right hand. “I want to know every merchant he traded with, but he cannot know about it.” He began to write. “Glover learned he had been taking money from an orphan.”
“Who?” Albert’s eyes narrowed.
“I do not know who, but we will find out soon enough. I will invite him to the castle once we know more. I want him prosecuted for this. In the meantime, we cannot allow him to leave Kent.”
“I will see to that,” Albert said. “He will be captured the instant he tries to leave town. Although, I do not think he is leaving Kent soon.” When Matthew looked up, he added, “I spent most of the day in Ramsgate but my butler informed me of a caller for Emma when I returned.”
Matthew’s writing paused. “Crawford called upon Emma?”
“Yes, and I can only suppose he has designs on her. Of course, I will not allow it.” Albert rested his arms on the desk. “Diana told me not to trust him the afternoon Lady Saville hosted a garden party, and made me promise never to allow him to court Emma.”
Matthew tensed at the mention of Diana, and he gripped his quill so tightly it began to snap. “What more did Diana tell you?”
Albert shook his head. “Only that.”
Diana would only know that Crawford was not to be trusted if she had interacted with him enough for him to show his ill intentions. Lady Dervin and Florence might not be the only people oppressing her, which called to mind what Glover had told him. “I cannot help but think Diana might be the one he is taking money from.”
“Damn him!” Albert slapped his palm on the desk. “Just when I thought Crawford could not be worse!”
“I hope we are wrong about him taking money from her,” Matthew said through clenched teeth, as a vengeful urge gripped him. “I will ask Diana.” With him, she was safe, and he hoped she would tell him everything he needed to know.
Matthew knew she was Dee, and her dislike of fish had exposed her. To her puzzlement, he had not looked surprised to discover it, which made Diana assume he had suspected it. Well, she had been a clumsy liar.
“I shall bid you goodnight now, Miss,” Mrs. Ross said, her voice gentle and motherly. “Ring if you require anything.” The bellpull in this chamber was close to her bed, and Diana needed only to reach above her head to find it.
“I hope I will not have to ring,” she said affably. “Have a good night, Mrs. Ross, and your company has been most pleasant.”
“Yours, as well, Miss.” Smiling, Mrs. Ross opened the door and let herself out.
Diana’s smile slowly faded and she sighed. She had wanted so much to accept Matthew’s proposal when he had made it but could not because she had been lying to him. She had to tell him the truth and face whatever his reaction was. This fear that had paralyzed her for so long needed to be squashed no matter how safe she felt beneath the blanket of falseness she had wrapped tightly about herself.
She had to find the chance to tell him about her past before he discovered it himself, and she also had to prepare to leave Kendall in the event of losing his affections. Diana closed her eyes and winced, her thoughts pricking her heart like a hundred tiny needles. He had not returned yet, but she was somewhat glad of it because she might be forced to reveal the truth before she was ready. Where would she go with an injured foot if he took the news badly?
As she pulled her bed covers up to her chest, she heard a knock on the door. Thinking it could be Emma just as much as it could be Matthew, she answered, “Come in.”
Diana sucked in her breath when Matthew walked in. He had discarded his coat and the sleeves of his shirt had been rolled up his sturdy forearms. “Forgive me for appearing so late,” he said softly, closing the door. “I could not resist coming to you before you fell asleep.”
Wordlessly, she sat up and patted the place beside her on the bed, and he came to sit. He took her hand and placed a soft kiss on her palm. The heat from his lips flowed into her, arousing her. She touched his face gently, as she tried to quell the desire besieging her.
His eyes held hers, stealing her restraint, and her breathing quickened. No longer able to help herself, Diana pulled his head down and his lips immediately found hers. The hunger with which they kissed was overwhelming, and her arms went around his neck, pulling him closer to her, while his own arms circled her waist.
Matthew ran a hand up her spine and through her hair, his fingers enticingly stroking the roots. She sighed into their kiss before his tongue swept hers in long tender strokes. Her skin flared when he touched her jaw before sliding his hand down her neck, then her shoulder and arm. Diana wanted him to continue touching her, but she also wanted him to fulfill the need boiling in her veins.
