Page 37 of The Darkness Within Us

Thank you for telling me about the new duke. It is highly surprising and suspicious. I’ve put as much pressure on Vander as I can manage, but there’s nothing more I can do. I tried writing to your sister, but I suspect she is burning my letters before even reading them. No help will come from there.

I’m not sure why I bothered to tell you that. You clearly aren’t worried about the new duke, but I am worried for you. We know nothing about this man, and he appears to be taking advantage of you by cutting off your access to your late husband’s money.

Might I propose you look at considering marriage again? If we find you another rich husband, this time one who won’t die for some time, we can better securemyour futures. I’ve put together a list of some suitable matches. You are a dowager now, so you’ll have to take charge in this matter, but I have every confidence in your securing a new husband.

Your loving father,

Sergios Stathos, Lord Masis

I toss the letter and list of names into my hearth to be burned. I knew there was nothing my father could do to help me be rid of the duke. I only needed him to make Vander sweat, which he did, motivated by his own selfish interests, as usual.

I can’t imagine what he’d do if he learned the fake duke offered me twenty thousand necos to remarry. Probably kiss the man’s boot.

As usual, the only one I can depend on to get things done is myself.

I have three items on my to-do list:

1. Secure money to hire a private investigator to find proof of Eryx’s deceit.

2. Figure out Eryx’s secret.

3. Learn where he’s sleeping at night.

If I can legally prove that Eryx is in the wrong, I can be rid of him. If I learn his secret, I can blackmail him and be rid of him that way. I should cover both bases to be extra certain. And I’m convinced that item number three will inform item number two.

I walk through the manor, checking all the guest rooms for signs that a pompous, insidious man is occupying them. It takes over an hour, for the manor is enormous, but I find nothing. No rumpled sheets or clothing or anything at all to suggest they’re being occupied.

A distasteful thought occurs to me, so I try asking Mrs. Lagos about it.

“Has anyone been through to clean the unoccupied servants’ quarters?”

“Certainly, Your Grace. Though we may be shorthanded, we don’t leave messes.”

“I wasn’t calling into question the skill of the staff. You’re all wonderful. I merely wondered if there was a room that should have been unoccupied that wasn’t?”

Mrs. Lagos cocks her head to one side. “No.”

I confide in her. “The duke isn’t sleeping in the master suite. I’m trying to figure out where he runs off to at night. Have the maids been ordered to clean new quarters?”

“If he’s sleeping somewhere other than the master suite, the staff has not been informed of it, Your Grace.” Her face pales. “Do you think there’s a mess somewhere that needs cleaning? Should I ask—”

“No,” I say quickly. “Do not disturb the duke on this matter. If he wanted something done, I’m sure he would have told you. I’m getting the sense that he does not want anyone in the house to know where he is nesting.”

“Nesting?”

I nod. “Like an irritable badger.”

Mrs. Lagos covers her mouth in an attempt to hide her giggle.

IMAY NOT HAVElearned where Eryx is sleeping at night, but there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll find something useful in the study. But it’s hard to tell when Eryx and his men aren’t inside. I absolutely cannot be caught snooping through his things.

So I wait for the right moment.

In the meantime, I turn to the library.

I’m in my most comfortable day dress. A pink so soft it might be mistaken for white. The sleeves are three-quarters the length of my arm and loose, rather than tight about my form. Ribbons pulled into the shape of roses have been stitched at the top of the sleeves and along the skirt in a random, trailing design. I wear my hair up, my ears free of earrings today. No makeup. Just me.

I’ve already finished the next pick for book club and passed it along to Damasus for reading. We won’t meet for another week, so I’ve plenty of time to select and finish a new book. As a mood reader, I generally don’t plan out my reads ahead of time.

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