Page 46 of One Wicked Secret
“What is my husband hiding?” she mused aloud, pretending to jot down the question in her book. “The more time I spend with him, the more I understand his moods.”
Daniel met her gaze. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Of course I want to know.”
He paused. “We found a keepsake lock of hair in Carver’s hand.” His voice was calm, smooth as still water, but she caught the subtle ripples of unease beneath the surface. “The type of gift a lover might bestow. Something to suggest a deep personal connection.”
She felt a flicker of annoyance. “Why didn’t you mention it earlier? I thought we agreed to be honest with each other. Your silence only creates an air of distrust.”
“It was your hair, Elsa.”
“Mine?” She patted her hair as if a chunk were missing.
Daniel took out his silver card case, removed the white-blonde curl, and handed it to her.
She held it in her palm, her hand shaking, her heart breaking. Itwasher hair. She hadn’t given it to Mr Carver but had no way of proving it.
“If it’s mine, he stole it,” she said, praying he believed her.
“Carver never asked for a memento?” he said dubiously.
“If he had, I would have refused.”
He returned the lock of hair to the case, snapped it shut, and slipped it into his coat pocket. “Someone went to great lengths to make it seem like you were lovers.”
Panic rose sharp and swift. “Perhaps so they could blackmail Magnus.”
Was that why Daniel had hired separate rooms at the inn last night? While he slept with the men, she had shared a bedchamber with Clara. Was the lack of availability the problem or an excuse to keep his distance?
The thought plagued her until they reached Daniel’s house in Bedford Square, where he introduced her to his staff, making it clear she was his wife in every sense of the word.
“Mrs Dalton will sleep in my chamber until she’s chosen new soft furnishings for her room,” he told Signora Conti, his middle-aged Italian housekeeper. “Have Mansons & Sons deliver a book of material samples.”
Good Lord. She would share her husband’s bed tonight, and most of her clothes remained at the rented house in Shoreditch. All she had was a dowdy nightgown—hardly the sort of thing to tempt a husband who had kept his distance for months.
“Benvenuta, Signora Dalton.” The woman’s kind brown eyes were a balm for Elsa’s frazzled nerves. “You must be weary from your journey. Shall I have a bath drawn? Would you like to rest before your afternoon repast?”
“No. We’ll have tea and finger sandwiches in the drawing room. We’re all quite hungry.”
Signora Conti’s grin held a hint of mischief. “A man with a healthy appetite should not abstain for too long, eh?”
Daniel cleared his throat. “Wait until you taste Cook’s almond cakes,” he said, sliding his arm around Elsa’s waist, giving the illusion all was well between them. “Signora Conti was kind enough to share an old family recipe.”
“A drop of orange flower water. That is the magical ingredient.” The housekeeper used her fingers to indicate a minute amount was needed. “It brings out the almonds’ natural sweetness.”
“I look forward to sampling one,” Elsa said. “They sound divine.”
“Everything made with love is divine. Nonnina, she always said, ‘Sweetness in the mouth, sweetness in the heart’.”
The housekeeper gazed into Elsa’s eyes like she could see into her soul. That’s when she realised Signora Conti knewDaniel had left his new bride in the country while he remained in town.
Did she know they’d married out of necessity? Could she sense the strange attraction that made the air hum when they were together?
“Excuse me. I should check on Clara.” Elsa hoped her sister-in-law wasn’t weeping upstairs. Signora Conti had clasped her hands in prayer upon seeing Clara’s scarred eye, crying, ‘Povera bambina’ numerous times. “Have Cook prepare enough for three. I’m sure Clara will join us.”
She found Clara at the bedchamber window, gazing over the garden. The room was softly feminine, with floral wallpaper and pink velvet hangings. A plaid shawl covered the mirror, hiding the reflection Clara couldn’t bear to see.
“Am I disturbing you?”
