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“Truly? About the earl’s death?”
“His deathandthe previous earl’s treachery,” Josie announced dramatically.
“Well, let me tell her,” Lily interjected a bit crossly. It was her story to tell. Normally, all she had to report was that none of her correspondents gave her anything useful. Being able to contribute something worthwhile was exciting, even if she felt guilty about how she had collected it.
Lily quickly gave Mary the same rundown she had given the other two, adding in a few small details she had left out earlier—like the fact Mr. Moore was married to the housekeeper, Mrs. Moore, who had been like a sister to Nathan and his brother growing up.
Once she had finished, all of them turned to look at Evie. When it came down to it, she was their general.
“I… blast.” Evie rubbed her forehead. “I need more information. Josie, see what you can get from Elijah. Mary, the same with Rex. Hopefully, Nathan has been more forthcoming with them.”
Evie did not mean the words to hurt, but they did a bit. Another reminder Nathan did not see Lily as his confidant. Not in the same way Rex and Elijah saw their wives-but then Rex and Elijah were in love with their wives. She and Nathan were hardly a love match.
So why did it hurt?
ChapterTwenty-Five
Nathan
By dinnertime, everyone was settled into their rooms, and Nathan’s cousins had still not arrived. He was not that they were running late, though he hoped nothing unfortunate had happened to them. While he might not want Robert and his wife, Amelia, to inherit the title, he also did not want misfortune to befall them. He was not that heartless.
By mutual, unspoken agreement, no one mentioned his brother’s murder or any investigations in front of Lily’s parents. Conversation centered around the house, the estate, the nearby village, the coast, and any other number of far more socially acceptable topics. Her parents seemed keen to investigate the local foliage, and Nathan was more than happy to give them permission to tour the greenhouse and the gardens and take any clippings they might desire. While he did not think they would find anything particularly interesting, it made them happy, and that made Lily smile at him.
Why that was suddenly important to him, he was unsure, but he was aware his marriage did not quite resemble his friends or Lily’s parents, for that matter.
But he wanted it to.
That flash of insight had taken him by surprise over dinner when Lily smiled at him from across the table—much in the way Elijah’s wife was currently smiling at Elijah—and Nathan suddenly felt warm from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. Why the sudden change in how he wanted her to regard him?
Was it the marriage? The realization she probably was not involved in treachery? Or sharing her bed?
Perhaps some combination of all three.
Something else for him to contemplate later when he had the time.
“Gentlemen, would you like some port?” he asked as the dinner wound down. After his father’s death, Sebastian had procured a few bottles of a decent vintage. Nathan would have to add to their stores, but they had enough for entertaining for now.
“I believe I am for bed,” Lily’s father said, getting to his feet with an apologetic glance around. “The traveling has done me in.”
“Me as well.” Lily’s mother stood, turning a gracious smile on Lily and Nathan. “It was a lovely dinner.”
Everyone said their goodnights to Lily’s parents, then looked around at each other. Typically, the ladies would depart to the drawing-room while the gentlemen discussed matters over a drink, but the ladies looked loathe to leave.
“Perhaps we should all converge on the drawing-room for that drink?” Elijah asked, giving Nathan a significant look, then glancing at the footmen.
The drawing-room would certainly be more secure for private conversation. Nathan did not particularly want to include the ladies, but he would follow Elijah’s lead.
“Very well.” Nathan got to his feet, walking around the table to offer his arm to Lily. If they were going to throw societal conventions out the window, they might as well go all the way, and he wanted to walk beside his wife.
He was rewarded with a dazzling smile that made him very glad he had.
* * *
Lily
Once everyone was settled around the drawing-room—the ladies seated and the men standing either beside or behind their chosen lady, except for Captain Browne and Evie, of course—Elijah cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. Josie and Evie had chosen to sit in the chairs across from Mary and Lily on the couch. Elijah stood between them, so they twisted in their seats to see him clearly. Rex was leaning against the couch beside Mary, while Nathan was behind Lily, so she could not see his expression.
Captain Brown remained apart from everyone, propped against the fireplace, scowling at Evie, who steadfastly ignored him. Blast. Lily had forgotten to pester Evie for more details about her and the captain’s past. It was not a priority, but Lily still wanted to know.
