Page 77 of The Rogue's Last Scandal
He slipped the dagger from its sheath and examined it. An irregular design had been etched through the hilt and the blade.
He heard a rustle in the hall, and quickly set the blade back.
Graciela spotted him immediately and left the door to the corridor open. He sent the maid who’d followed her away, closed the door, and lounged against it, crossing his arms.
She crossedherarms, eyes flashing. “You should not be here.”
“Yet here I am. No one will mind.”
“I mind.”
“Yes, well, Sirena greeted me upon my return home tonight. I didnotspend the afternoon with the Duquesa.”
She turned away. “You do not need a whole afternoon for the things you do with her.”
His heart soared. She was jealous. “Except for that brief interlude on the street, I didn’t see her today.”
“It is not my affair.”
“And it is not my affair either. She is not my lover. Will you not believe me, you stubborn woman?”
She turned, her hands on her hips. “Stubborn woman? We are a fraud, Charley. I want to take my child and my servants and leave. I don’t have to go with Captain Llewellyn, I can find another ship. I can look for my father. I can go and see what truly happened to him.” She clenched her fists and bit her lip. “Your father must get my money for me.”
“Gracie—”
“I will not let anyone cage me.”
Her chest rose and fell with each choking breath, and he began to sweat under his dinner coats.
A bell sounded below, reverberating through the house.
“I will leave you to dress,” he said. “And we will talk more later. I’ll send your maid.”
“Tell her to go. I don’t care to join—”
“I have news about Llewellyn’s visitor today.” He opened the door and beckoned the maid. “Which I will share—later.”
“Tell me now, Charley.”
“Later.” He bowed. “I shall see you downstairs.”
He pulled the door closed and went to find Perry to kill her.
For her firstformal dinner at Shaldon House, Graciela found herself seated at Lord Shaldon’s right hand and across from Lady Jane Monthorpe, Sirena’s kind, older friend who had arrived from Bath while Graciela was busy with Reina. She was also to be a house guest, a permanent one from the way Sirena spoke.
Mrs. Gibson had returned to London also and joined them, along with Thomas, their friend Lord Hackwell’s charming young brother, whose presence truly made the evening a family affair.
They’d all greeted her warmly, with many congratulations for her and Charley, sending her head spinning. Charley’s smile had been fixed and determined—and false as could be. That she knew. He was angry with her, and she didn’t care.
She needed to take charge of her own life.
During such a dinner, even she knew not to question Charley about the Captain’s visitor, or push Lord Shaldon for the release of her money. A rude girl she might be, but she knew better than that.
And her intended had arranged to be seated at the far end of the table, so he could not even whisper what he’d discovered that afternoon.
She thrust her fork into a piece of meat, nodded politely at something Lord Shaldon said, and waited for the interminable meal to end.
“What did you learn?”
