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Her hair smelled faintly of chamomile and roses, soothing and sweet. When she concentrated, a deep little line appeared between her brows.
He wanted to smooth it away with his lips.
What the devil was wrong with him?
“This note is about taking control and displaying power,” she continued. “And attempting to project power is about feeling powerless. I would conjecture that this person is not evil, but he feels wronged—by the world and possibly by you personally. I think that you should start making a list of people who could be holding a grudge against you or against Lord Rafe.”
“Impressive.” More than impressive. Nearly uncanny. He’d used the very same words with Rafe in the carriage. “I came to the same conclusion myself. The author of the letter could know secrets about our family.”
The secret details of his kidnapping that only Drew knew—that he’d never told anyone.
His mind briefly touched the idea that it could have been written by his own kidnapper, and then recoiled. No. The man had been sent to a penal colony in Australia.
Drew’s nightmares were in the past.
“Secrets such as...?” she prompted.
“The nature of a secret, MissPenny, is that it’s something one doesn’t speak of.”
“But we’re in this together now, Your Grace. We’ve formed a temporary alliance. You can trust me.”
He could trustno one.
“There is nowe, MissPenny. This is a family matter and a potentially perilous one. I won’t involve you.”
Her jaw clenched. “Then I’ll conduct my own investigation into Lord Rafe’s affairs. Maybe I’ll sneak back in while you’re out and conduct a thorough search of these apartments. These rooms are potentially riddled with clues, and if we—”
“Mother of God...” He clasped his temple with his thumb and forefinger. “You’re not going to relent.”
“I found something else while I was searching Lord Rafe’s desk. Love letters signed by a woman with the initial “F.” Her handwriting is completely different from the other author’s, however.”
“It’s a starting place at least,” said Drew.
“Until we solve the mystery and determine where Lord Rafe has gone, and whom he is setting a trap for, I won’t stop seeking answers.”
Drew wouldn’t mind some answers. “Explain to me again why you proposed matrimony to my disreputable brother?”
“It was going to be a marriage of convenience, based on our mutual interest in ... antiquities. My uncle never allowed me to help him with the more exciting aspects of his hobby.”
He noted that she used the past tense. For some reason this filled his mind with elation. “I assume that you are referring to hunting for antiquities, as the Duke and Duchess of Ravenwood do?”
“Something like.”
“Rafe isn’t interested in matrimony. He’s far too—”
“Dissolute, irredeemable, unworthy. So you’ve said. At the moment, all I care about is discovering his plans. He could be making a very bad, very dangerous decision. We have a mutual interest in finding him, Your Grace. We’ll want to interview all of your servants, but since they’re probably terrified of losing their positions, as Crankshaw was, I may have better luck convincing them to talk.”
“Speaking of which, why aren’tyouterrified of me?” Had he lost his fierce and forbidding edge, along with his devilish charm?
Her eyes sparked. “You’re all bark and no bite. Anyone can see that, Your Grace.”
“Oh, I bite, MissPenny,” he growled.
“If you say so, Your Grace,” she said with a flippant look. “I’ll call on your sister tomorrow during visiting hours and find a way to interrogate the servants. I left my bonnet in the study. I’ll retrieve it and be off.”
“You’re not climbing back out the window. You could break your neck. I’m escorting you home.”
“I only live around the corner.”
