Page 80 of Lady Gambit
Delphine would apologise to Miss Lovelace tomorrow.
For now, she took advantage of the distraction to inspect the cut on Dorian’s lip. She hoped to steal a kiss, but fate had other plans.
Mr Gibbs appeared at the top of the stairs, blocking Aaron’s retreat. “You’ve a trespasser. I caught her slinking through the darkness like a wraith.” He dragged a woman forward by her arm. “She says she’s here to see Caterina. Says she ain’t leaving until she does.”
“Get off me, you brute.” The white-haired woman tried to wrestle her scrawny arm free while muttering gibberish. “Caterina!”
Dorian slid a comforting arm around Delphine’s waist and pulled her close. “There’s no need to look for Nora Adkins. It appears she has found us.”
Chapter Eighteen
Delphine stared at the thin, emaciated woman dwarfed by Mr Gibbs. Nora’s lank white hair covered half of her face, but not the ugly gash on her forehead. Her dress hung off her bony shoulders like it belonged to someone twice her size.
Like the day she visited Bethlem with Aramis, Nora’s eyes found Delphine’s in the crowd. “Caterina!” she called, the cry disturbing in its desperation. “Oh, Caterina! I’ve found you.”
Dorian firmed his grip on her waist. “Proceed with caution until we establish her motive. Remember, if she was sane when she entered Bethlem, she may be deranged now.”
“Most people are insane to some degree. You’d know if you’d ever tried to steal a biscuit from Aramis.” She tore her gaze from Nora and looked into Dorian’s warm brown eyes before noticing the cut on his lip. “I’m sorry Aaron did this to you. There’s no excuse for his brutish behaviour.”
“Aaron did what any protective brother would do under the circumstances.” He brushed the backs of his fingers softly over her cheek. “He’s not the enemy.”
She breathed a sigh. “I know.”
Nora’s screech stole their attention. In a dazed fit, the absconder tried to tug her arm free from Mr Gibbs before kicking his shin.
“I’m not sure I want to hear what Nora has to say.” How could she trust the woman’s word? “I’m not sure I can bear more bad news.”
“The truth is never easy to hear, but it may set you free.”
What if the truth was a poison in the water, destroying everything in its wake? What if it ate away at her, and all she felt was bitter regret?
“I’m not sure Nora has a grasp on reality. How can I trust her to tell me who I am and why she was locked in Bethlem?”
Aaron intervened then. “I assume you’re Nora Adkins.” He stood at the bottom of the stairs like a human shield.
Nora’s eyes bulged as she scanned his physique. “Well, ain’t you a fine gent? It’s been an age since I’ve seen a man without his shirt.”
“What do you want with my sister?”
“Sister?” Nora hopped from one foot to the other as if standing on hot coals. “Caterina is an only child. She’s like a precious pearl found in the ocean. That’s what her mother used to say when she tucked her up in bed at night and sang her a sweet lullaby.”
The vision brought a sharp pain to Delphine’s throat, a deep ache to her heart. She hugged herself to stop a tidal wave of emotions surfacing. “How do you know my mother?”
“I’m cold to my bones, and the rumble in my belly ain’t thunder. I’ll need a plate full of sustenance and somewhere warm to sit. Be quick now. It won’t be long before them beggars find me.”
“How didyoufind us?” Aaron said, his words laden with suspicion.
“I pecked and pecked and followed the crumbs.” Nora chuckled and said, “He told me where to come. Happen he was tired of my squawking.”
Aaron gritted his teeth. “Who told you?”
Nora rubbed her belly. “I’ll be grateful for your hospitality first.”
Aaron began barking orders. He had Sigmund race upstairs and secure the premises. He demanded Miss Lovelace stay until they’d established a few facts. As Cook had left for the night, Theo was sent to the kitchen to prepare a cold platter.
Aaron mounted the stairs, beckoning them to follow. “We’ll retire to my study. The fire is lit there.”
Delphine would have been hot on Aaron’s heels, but Dorian caught her arm to stall her. He leant closer and whispered, “From the few words Nora said, I suspect Powell released her and gave her your direction. It’s evident he doesn’t want us prying into his affairs.”
