Page 86 of Affair

Charlotte grinned as she stepped into the hall. “I shall bear your warning in mind, Lord Esherton. I hope I am not interrupting.”

“Not at all.” Hamilton shot Baxter another angry glare. “We have just finished our discussion.”

“Already?” Charlotte shot Baxter a quelling glance. But she was all smiles for Hamilton as she casually untied her bonnet strings. “Did he ask you about Juliana Post?”

“What is all this nonsense about some woman named Post?” Hamilton moved out onto the front step. “I have never heard of her.”

“I was certain that would be your answer.” Charlotte’s eyes glinted with satisfaction. “But Baxter felt he had to ask.”

“I see.” Hamilton’s lip curled. “My dear half brother seems intent on amusing himself by interfering in my personal affairs these days. One would have thought that his forthcoming marriage would hold more interest for him. Good day to you, Miss Arkendale.” He pulled the door shut behind him.

Charlotte whirled to confront Baxter. “I told you that I wished to be present when you spoke to him about Miss Post’s visit. Now look what you have done. I suspect you did not employ any tact at all. He’s obviously quite overset by whatever it was that you said to him.”

“Tact is not my strong suit.”

“I’ve noticed. At least you got your answer. I told you that he was not responsible for Miss Post’s visit.”

“So you did.”

“Which means that she may, indeed, be connected to this business, after all,” Charlotte said. “The murderer must have employed her to break up our association because he knew that together we were a threat to him.”

“I do not see how he could have known that. The only thing we had done at that point was search Mrs. Heskett’s house and then got ourselves engaged. Damnation, Charlotte, why did you come here alone?”

She frowned. “Never say that you are truly angry with me simply because I came here without a companion?”

“Yes.” He whipped off his glasses and began polishing them with his handkerchief. “Yes, I am bloody furious with you. All the more so now that I know Hamilton was not the one who sent Miss Post to see you.”

“But, Baxter, it is broad daylight. There was no danger.”

“Bloody hell, woman, we are investigating a murder.” He shoved the glasses back onto his nose. He had lost his temper again. The knowledge appalled him. “The least you could do is display some common sense in the process.”

“There is no need to rail at me, sir. I must point out yet again that I do not take orders from you.”

If he possessed any common sense of his own, he would shut his mouth right now, Baxter thought. Hamilton was right; when it came to handling women and their damned delicate sensibilities, he was clumsy, ungracious, and ham-fisted.

He looked into Charlotte’s beautiful eyes and he knew again the powerful sense of dread that had descended on him earlier.She might be at risk. The dark wings of the recent nightmare stirred and fluttered at the edge of his mind. Anger was the only emotion strong enough to keep the fear at bay.

“Very well, Miss Arkendale,” he said, “we are agreed that you do not take orders from me. If you have no concerns about your own safety, however, you might at least show some regard for my peace of mind.”

Her eyes widened with comprehension. “Yes, of course,” she murmured.

For some obscure reason, her sudden, calm, polite agreement did nothing to pacify him. Instead, he felt obliged to defend his foul mood. “It is not as though I don’t have enough to worry about as it is. My aunt is insisting upon answers that I do not have. Maryann expects me to keep out of trouble my wretched half brother, who will pay me no heed. I have not had any time for my chemical experiments since this whole affair began and I have just lost the fourth housekeeper in five months.”

“I quite understand, Baxter.” Charlotte gave him a brisk, bright smile. “I regret that your life has been so disrupted of late. But never fear. This will all soon be over and you will be free to return to your customary routine. Just think, when we have finished this affair, you need never set eyes on me again.”

Baxter had a sudden vision of himself hurtling toward the crashing waves far below the castle window. The old acid scars burned with cold fire. He fought an inexplicable surge of panic with all the powers of logic and reason at his command.

“Yes, I am well aware of that,” he said very quietly.

A terrible silence descended.

He turned and led the way back into the library. “So long as you are here, I may as well tell you that I think we must change the focus of our researches. Rather than investigate Drusilla Heskett’s other suitors, I believe we should look more closely at the members of Hamilton’s club.”

“Excellent notion. I quite agree with you.” She followed him into the library.

“We cannot overlook the fact that there is a connection to Lennox’s heir, young Norris.”

“Indeed. Mrs. Heskett was having an affair with his father. But I cannot envision Norris as a murderer.”

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