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“By all means, do so. I have enough to be about at the moment.”
EMILY WATCHED THE PRINCElead the queen away and debated whether or not she should follow. Lady Jocelyn had lifted her charcoal and gone back to sketching. “Do you think we should go in after Her Majesty?” Emily asked.
Lady Jocelyn shook her head. “He will tell her to rest, and she will argue, and he will end up having his way. She will call for us later if she needs us.”
“What do you think Lord Palmerston said that upset her?” Even as Emily said the words, she watched Palmerston greet Mr. Galloway and the two walk away together. Odd. She would not have thought the two men would be well acquainted. But the Foreign Secretary looked over his shoulder, and then Galloway motioned to a private corner of the garden where they could speak undisturbed. What were they discussing with such serious countenances?
“Lord Palmerston rarely ever brings any news that does not distress the queen,” Lady Jocelyn said, her gaze on hersketching. “He may be handsome, but I would not mind never seeing him again.”
Galloway and Palmerston completed their conversation, and Emily watched as the two men went their separate ways. She was disappointed that Galloway did not return to speak to them so she might inquire about the source of the queen’s distress. That evening the queen took dinner in her chamber, and Emily was free to dine alone in her own room. Normally, she would enjoy such an evening, choosing to read as she dined and free of the constraints of an evening where she must make conversation. But this night she could not stop thinking about Mr. Galloway. He had looked so serious in conversation with the Foreign Secretary. Since their excursion to the museum, she had realized he was more than the frivolous ne’er-do-well she had first thought. Clearly, there was much more to him.
A tap on the door roused her from her thoughts, and Pratt entered along with a servant who took her tray away. Pratt tsked her tongue. “Are ye not feeling well, my lady? Ye barely ate.”
“I’m not very hungry,” Emily admitted.
“Can I bring ye some tea?”
Emily considered. “I don’t think so. I think I’ll take a walk.”
“It’s windy and cold outside, my lady. The family has gone to bed.”
Emily understood the suggestion—she should walk about the palace. She left her room, nodding to the servants she passed as she traversed the salons and various galleries. As though she hadn’t enough to think about, she spotted one of the queen’s footmen, a tall man with red hair and freckles. Jack had hair almost the same color and a face full of freckles after he’d been out in the sun. She wondered if it was a sign that she saw the one servant who reminded her so much of her late husband?
Quite suddenly, Emily needed fresh air. She pushed open the French doors of a gallery and stepped onto a terrace. One of theroyal guards passed by and nodded at her, and Emily pulled her thin shawl closer around her shoulders and breathed in the crisp air.
“I thought someone had mistakenly left the doors open,” said a voice from behind her. She turned and there was Mr. Galloway. She couldn’t stop her heart from jumping and the flutter of excitement in her belly. “I thought the palace had gone to bed,” she said, keeping her tone even.
“I believe the queen has retired, yes, but it’s half past nine. I haven’t retired this early since I was eight.” He came to stand beside her, and she appreciated his warmth, though she resisted the urge to move closer. “I hope I am not in your way. Should I find another terrace to occupy?” He looked down at her, his expression innocent, but she saw the flicker in his eyes.
“I think this one is large enough for both of us.” She felt her face heat because, even though she pretended ignorance of the meaning behind his words, she knew he was suggesting she was out to meet a lover. And then she had another idea. “Or am I in your—er, am I an inconvenience at the moment?”
“I assure you, my lady, you are never an inconvenience.”
He gave her that handsome smile and a look from his captivating eyes, and she was struck by how different he had behaved this afternoon. “Do you mind if I ask what you and the Foreign Secretary discussed in the garden? You seemed very serious.”
His smile faltered slightly. She might not even have noticed it if she hadn’t been looking at him so closely. “It was a matter to do with our club,” he said easily. “Lord Palmerston and I belong to the same club, and he mentioned an issue with the betting book. Nothing that concerned me, but like any gentleman, I am always serious about my wagers.”
She almost believed him. Galloway and Palmerston most likely did belong to the same club, and most men did stake theirreputation on honoring their wagers. But why would Palmerston speak to Galloway about their club after coming to deliver bad news to the queen? “Did he mention what he said to the queen? What upset her so?”
Galloway gave her a curious look, and she hurriedly added, “I know I should not concern myself with it, but Her Majesty seemed so distressed.”
“He did mention it, in fact,” Galloway said, his smile still in place but his voice devoid of any humor. “Come over here and sit for a moment.” He indicated a long, marble banister, wide enough that she might comfortably rest there. She followed him, settling herself on the cold stone, while he leaned against a decorative marble post.
She was colder now than she had been, but she understood he wanted her away from the French doors. He wanted to speak without being overheard. Emily wished she had worn a cloak or something more substantial than her thin wrap.
“It seems the police found the queen’s assassin,” Galloway said.
Emily’s eyes widened. She had not forgotten about the attempt on the queen’s life. How could she ever forget such an awful day? But she had not thought of it much recently and had quite forgotten that men were searching for the perpetrator.
“I see now why the queen was distressed.” Indeed, Her Majesty did not like to remember the incident. “But she is safe now, I should think.”
“Not exactly,” Galloway said, his face expressionless as he spoke. His gaze was still on her, but his eyes were hooded. “The man jumped out of a window before the police could take him into custody. He died before he could be questioned about any possible accomplices.”
“Accomplices? You do not think he acted alone?”
“I have no opinion on the matter, but Lord Palmerston most likely told the queen his supposition.”
“Which is?”
