Page 40 of The Mysterious Miss Lydia
“You’re resentful, and I can understand that,” Sir Cedric said, the anger clear in his voice. “But don’t drag another man’s name through the mud just because you’re angry with the hand fate dealt you.”
“That’s not—”
“Any man would be happy to trade places with you,” he continued, his face turning red as his voice quivering. “You’re in line to inherit an earldom, for heaven’s sake. You have more power and wealth than most can imagine. And yet you stand here jealous and accusatory toward a man who’s only doing the job that I assigned him?”
“I...you—” Luke cut himself off with a shake of his head. “You told him to set up a meeting with the actress?”
“Of course not,” he snapped. “But I’m not convinced you know what you saw. You’ve been making accusations without any proof.”
“You want proof?” His own anger finally rose to match Sir Cedric’s. Sure, this Wendell fellow might have been the son of a friend, but Luke had worked side by side with this man for years. He’d been his friend, blast it all. He’d been nothing but loyal and obedient.
And this was what he got in return?
Leaning forward and lowering his voice he nodded toward the far side of the room where he’d last seen her. “She’s here, Sir Cedric. The girl is here, and she’ll talk.”
He gave a snort of disbelief.
“She trusts me,” Luke said. He looked over to the far side of the room just as the crowd beside them parted. And...
There she was.
Beautiful and graceful, she slipped through the crowd like an angel.
“She’s here,” he said. He felt winded as he watched her.
Was he really going to out her to Sir Cedric?
Doubt made him hesitate as Sir Cedric turned to follow his gaze.
“Lord Galena...” The other man’s tone was a warning.
Luke swallowed hard. It was the only way to save her. Once she told them what she knew, he could take her away somewhere. He’d keep her safe.
“That’s her,” he said finally.
“Surely you don’t mean—”
“The redhead right there with...” He tore his gaze away from her to see Sir Cedric’s wife and elder daughter walking on either side of her. His brows came down. His lips parted.
“Lord Galena,” Sir Cedric said again, his voice tight with barely restrained anger. His whole body quivered with that anger. “Please tell me you are not pointing to my daughter.”
“I—” He stopped short, shock a blast of ice sliding through his veins.
No, it couldn’t be.
Then all at once he remembered where he’d run into her. Outside the Home Office.
Where her father worked.
Never in his life had he been rendered speechless so fully.
The ladies were rapidly approaching, the two who were not his mystery lady beaming at him as though he’d just done something novel.
Like accused their daughter and sister of espionage, perhaps.
“We will talk about this later,” Sir Cedric hissed just before they were joined by two smiling women...and her.
His mystery woman. Except, she didn’t seem likeherat all. Her head was tipped down, her cheeks pink and her shoulders stooped as if she could disappear into thin air if she tried hard enough.
