Page 102 of The Paid Companion

“I will take the boxes to a jeweler in the morning to make absolutely certain,” Arthur said. “But I think it is safe to say that this stone is merely colored glass that has been cut to resemble the original gem.”

“Now it all makes sense,” Elenora said. “Parker removed all three of the red stones and had them replaced with glass replicas. I wonder where he hid the real gems?”

Lady Wilmington shook her head, perplexed. “I suppose it’s possible he had them on his person when they took him away this afternoon. But perhaps they are hidden somewhere in his lodgings.”

“If you will give me the address, I will search his rooms tomorrow morning,” Arthur said.

Lady Wilmington looked at him with a despair that caught at Elenora’s heart.

“I will give you the key to Parker’s rooms,” Lady Wilmington declared. “I can only pray that you will forgive me for not being more forthright with you from the start of this affair.”

“We comprehend your feelings in this matter.” Elenora soothed the woman’s trembling hands. “He is your grandson, and he is all that you have left of your lost love.”

Afew minutes later Arthur got into the carriage after Elenora. Instead of sitting across from her as was his usual practice, he lowered himself down beside her. With a deeply felt sigh he stretched out his legs. His thigh brushed against hers.

His close physical proximity was somehow comforting rather than stimulating tonight, she noticed. It was a good feeling, and she knew that it was yet another aspect of their association that she would miss in the years ahead.

“It makes sense that he would have arranged his plans yesterday or even the day before,” Arthur said after a while. “He used Jeremy Clyde, who unknowingly played his part and dropped the lure that took me to the Green Lyon this evening. In addition, Parker no doubt set some street boys to watch for me to arrive. One of them must have noticed me inside this hired carriage and delivered the message to Burnley.”

“All in the hopes of distracting you by making you think that you had found your killer.”

“Yes.”

“He assumed that you would be all too eager to believe that Burnley was the villain. After all, Roland had run off with your fiancée.” She smiled wryly. “How could the killer have possibly known that you bore no ill will toward Roland and had, in fact, orchestrated the elopement?”

“It was his only miscalculation.”

“Yes. And speaking of mistakes, obviously it was, indeed, my overheated imagination that made me think that footman who touched me in the ballroom this evening was the murderer.” She shivered. “I must admit I’m very glad I was wrong about his identity.”

“So am I. The notion that he might have touched you again—”

“For what it is worth sir, I believe that Lady Wilmington took the right course of action,” she said quickly, hoping to distract his thoughts. “Parker is mad. There were only two options, an asylum or the gallows.”

“I agree.”

“It is over,” she said gently. “The affair is concluded. You have fulfilled your responsibility. Let your mind be at ease.”

He did not speak. But after a while he reached out, clasped her hand and closed his fingers very tightly around hers.

They sat without speaking, holding hands, until the carriage arrived at the front door of the big house in Rain Street.

34

The clock on the table beside the bed read three-fifteen. Arthur looked at it from his post near the window. He had undressed but he had not yet bothered to climb beneath the quilts. There was no point. It was not sleep he needed.

He needed Elenora.

The house seemed to slumber around him. The servants had long since gone to bed. If past behavior was a reliable guide, Bennett would not bring Margaret home until dawn.

He wondered if Elenora was finding sleep as elusive as he was finding it.

He looked out the window into the night-drenched garden and thought about how Elenora would look curled up in bed. Then he reminded himself yet again that a gentleman must not knock on a lady’s bedchamber door unless he had been invited to do so.

Elenora had not issued any invitations when he had said good night to her a short time ago. In point of fact, she had instructed him quite succinctly to get some sleep.

He was not in a mood to follow those orders.

He contemplated the darkness for a while longer. It would be irresponsible to go to Elenora’s room. True, they had got away with that episode in the library, but he had no right to put her into such a potentially embarrassing situation again.

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