Page 28 of A Most Unlikely Lady
‘She may have mentioned some suspicions she held about Lady Olivia Smithwick.’
Edward shut the file. ‘I don’t understand what Philippa’s obsession is with Lady Smithwick, but this is beyond the pale.’
Now who isn’t being honest?
Edward had several good guesses about Philippa’s focus on Lady Olivia Smithwick. The marchioness was stunning. Her pale beauty a dramatic foil to Philippa’s dark magnificence. In all the years he’d known Philippa, he’d never seen her look at a woman the way she looked at Olivia Smithwick on the night of Renquist’s ball. Except for once, a very long time ago. He’d wager it was far easier for Philippa to be suspicious of Lady Olivia than admit her attraction to the woman.
Because she is a stubborn fool who refuses to live her life.
Pot. Kettle.
And now he was arguing with himself. Reading would have a field day if he knew.
Focus on the conversation, man!‘Reading, we have no reason to be investigating Lord Smithwick.’
‘We didn’t. Until I started investigating him. Now, I’m not so sure. Read the report.’ Reading turned to leave but paused at the door. ‘Is there a reason you came in here with thunderclouds over your head?’
Edward forced his face to remain a blank mask. ‘I’ve no idea what you mean.’
‘Might it have something to do with a certain young lady who is currently acting as headmistress of All Souls Orphanage?’
‘Fuck off, Reading.’
Reading nodded sagely as if Edward had told him he was the smartest man in Scotland Yard. ‘I thought so. A word of advice.’
Edward rolled his eyes and tugged on his hair, hoping the pain would clear his head. ‘As if I could stop you.’
‘Precisely. Do pay attention. You have a tendency to ignore me, and that never bodes well for you.’
‘If I pay attention, will you promise to leave?’
Reading tsked, then speared Edward with a piercing gaze. ‘Tread carefully with Lady Ivy. Trust, once broken, is difficult to rebuild.’
How could the man possibly know where Edward’s thoughts had drifted regarding Lady Ivy? He tapped his finger on the file in front of him. ‘Have I broken trust with Lady Ivy?’
‘No. But someone did. One doesn’t need to be as skilled an investigator as I am to know the lady has been wounded most grievously.’
The black rage Edward had been battling since he left Ivy’s kitchen swept over him once more. ‘I suspect her father.’
Reading made a clicking noise at the back of his throat. ‘Bastard.’
Edward pressed the edge of the file into the pad of his thumb, focusing on that small pain. ‘Yes.’
‘You like her.’
Damn Reading and his ridiculous intuition.
‘The last thing she wants is the interest of a man. Certainly not a man like me.’
Reading crossed his arms over his thin chest. His expertly tailored suit barely wrinkled. ‘But you do like her.’
Edward’s head felt trapped in a vice. ‘I admire her spirit.’
‘Because you like her.’
He swallowed his scream and spoke through clenched teeth. ‘The kindest thing I can do for her is leave her alone. You said it yourself. Trust, once broken, can’t be rebuilt. Even if it wasn’t me who broke her.’
Reading narrowed his gaze. ‘I never said Lady Ivy was broken. This is my point. You don’t listen to me. I said trust was broken, not Lady Ivy. But it can be rebuilt. Slowly. With care and patience.’
