“Why not?” He inched closer. “Have you misplaced them?”
“I traded them!” Spinning around, she covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
His arms slipped around her body, and she turned, curling into his chest. He stroked one hand over her head, waiting until her hysteria subsided before speaking.
“What did you exchange them for? Money?”
She shook her head and lifted her face from his tear-stained shirt.
“Silence.”
“Whose silence?” His features darkened, his grip around her constricting until she couldn’t move.
“Miss Drummond’s.”
A strange light flickered in his eyes. “How long have you been paying her?”
“Since her arrival.” Eveline glanced down, unable to meet his probing gaze. “At first, she only wanted one hundred pounds, but after I paid her, she demanded more.”
“Why didn’t you give Miss Drummond this ring?” He lifted his hand, the ruby catching the firelight and painting the wall in red glimmers. “It’s worth quite a bit.”
“I didn’t know the ring was your father’s when I took it.” She swallowed, keeping her eyes on his. “After learning its importance, I knew I needed to return it.”
“What did you give Miss Drummond instead?” he asked, his gentle tone easing the trepidation churning in her stomach.
Eveline’s fingers brushed across her throat, caressing the invisible pearls.
“My mother’s necklace,” she said, her eyes flicking to the small space between the door frame and the door. “It was the only item of value I possessed.”
“Does your brother know?” The Duke of Lennox’s head turned toward the doorway as well.
“I didn’t inform him.” Eveline worried her lower lip. “However, he may suspect after Miss Drummond wore the necklace to the theater this evening.”
Her gaze returned to the Duke of Lennox, and she released a shuddering breath.
“This evening, Miss Drummond demanded a monthly stipend for her silence, leaving me only one choice.” Eveline indicated the open trunk with a tilt of her head. “I intended to instruct Ernest to return the ring after my departure.”
The Duke of Lennox grabbed her arms and squeezed. “You have another option.”
She shook her head. “I won’t endanger your life.”
“First of all, it’s my life to risk,” he said, his voice readopting the hard edge. “And second, why do you assume Mr. Drummond will best me? In my youth, I constantly boxed with my younger brother.”
“Humphrey isn’t a gentleman.” She paused, searching for words that wouldn’t further offend the Duke of Lennox. “If something unforeseen were to occur during the altercation, the guilt of your death would drive me to madness.”
He cupped her face, dragging his thumb across her lower lip.
“We can’t have that,” he murmured, his husky voice winding around her.
“Are you going to leave with me?” she asked, a tiny flutter of hope blossoming in her chest.
“Wiltshire is my home. I won’t be driven from it.” He bent his head, his mouth stopping a millimeter from hers. “And I won’t allow you to be, either. Mr. Drummond will not touch you.”
“There are a dozen elegant ladies perfect for the role of duchess who don’t carry the burden of an undesirable match,” she whispered, needing to hear the answer yet fearing his response. “Why are you pursuing me?”
“Because living without seeing you every day is torture.” His lips brushed against hers, and her stomach clenched, desire pooling in her abdomen. “Because I think up the most inane excuses to spend five minutes in your company and because the only way I can satisfy my obsession with you is to marry you.”
Her eyes widened. “After all my transgressions, you still want to marry me?”
