Page 66 of Temptress in Disguise
She’d always been selfish and vain but never a liar.
Perhaps her motive for taking Edwin as a lover was to save the Belldrake. Perhaps she’d fled because she knew Edwin planned to kill his brother. Did it explain why Lydia had left her behind? Possibly. That was the question uppermost in her mind as they returned to the carriage.
“We’ll travel the ten miles to Uxbridge and find an inn,” Aramis said, having given Mr Gibbs instructions. He settled into the seat and rapped on the roof. “Gibbs will return to take Maddock to London. It’s imperative Daventry takes his statement.”
The carriage lurched forward and picked up speed.
Aramis frowned. “You look pensive. Are you afraid Maddock will run? He cares about his sister too much to place her in jeopardy. Now we’ve planted a seed of doubt in his mind he won’t risk leaving Sarah here alone.”
She appreciated his efforts to soothe her. “It’s not that.”
“What, then?” When she failed to speak, he said, “Whatever it is, you can tell me. We keep no secrets.”
“I have a thought I’m too scared to vocalise.”
His frown deepened. “A thought about us?”
“No,” she said, though worrying thoughts of the future were always prevalent in her mind. “About my chemise. The pretty one found in George Budworth’s bedchamber.”
He narrowed his gaze. “I remember.”
“I’ve spent endless hours wondering how it got there.” Had she left it in Lydia’s dressing room? Had someone taken it from her apartment? “Sadly, I keep coming to the same troubling conclusion.”
He pursed his lips, pity evident in his dark eyes. “Lydia staged the scene, or Edwin Budworth used her to frame you for murder.”
From the strength of his conviction, he’d arrived at that conclusion some time ago. Had he mentioned it, she would have found every reason to excuse Lydia’s behaviour.
“Yes. It would explain her lack of interest in the fraudulent will. I can only assume she’s desperate to marry Mr Chivers before she’s implicated in George Budworth’s death.”
He fell silent, the expression on his handsome face unreadable.
“It’s unlike you not to have an opinion,” she said.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
Those words alone sent her heart sinking to her stomach. “You think I’m naive and foolish. Don’t you?”
“I would never think that. You’re the most exceptional woman I’ve ever met. There’s a simple explanation. Your kind heart has blinded you to what is obvious to most.”
Tears gathered behind her eyes; the joy of knowing he could see her worth and grief for the loss of a sister who had never given a damn.
“I am a fool. I make excuses for Lydia because I’m afraid to admit she doesn’t care.” One only had to dine with the Chance brothers to understand the value of love and kinship. “Your family would never forsake you.”
He did not disagree. “Even when battling his demons, Aaron puts my welfare above his own. It’s why I cannot forgive Lydia for leaving you, regardless of why she ran.”
Naomi bowed her head. A tear landed on her lap. “I’m alone in the world. It’s quite a daunting prospect.” Her throat constricted. Not because she mourned the loss of a loving sibling. In truth, Lydia’s idea of affection was to belittle those with blood ties. No. She was mourning a husband who was never hers to begin with.
“You’re not alone. You might not want four disagreeable men in your life, or a woman who will insist on dressing you at every given opportunity, but my family is your family. They’ll protect you in the same way I have sworn to do.”
His kind words tugged at her heart. But the picture he painted would alter in the coming days. When necessity no longer forced them to spend time together, would they drift apart? Become nothing more than friends? Heaven forbid she had to sit around the family dining table and hear tales of his amorous exploits.
“Thank you.” She should have stopped there, but her insecurities insisted on having a voice. “Though I’m sure you don’t need another sister.”
Aramis laughed. “Perhaps you should spend more time with my family. Instead of hinting at a problem, you might attack it directly.”
“A problem?”
“Must I spell it out?”
