Page 61 of Evidence of Evil
People around here liked Laing, though, even if Murray thoughthewas the better doctor.
Walking up from the village past The Willows, he thought of Frances Niall with an intense blend of longing and regret. Wild and beautiful and inclined to spite, she had been like no one else he had ever met. He had yearned for her, but she had never looked at him, damn her, only at…
On impulse, he turned onto the path that led to the lake. He hadn’t gone far before he realized he was not the only person on those grounds. Curious, he stepped off the path and made his way through the trees instead, until he saw her.
Mrs. Grey stood very still, gazing into the lake as though it could offer up some precious treasure. Like the truth. Another beautiful, over-curious woman. For an instant, with the sunshine glinting off her golden-and-strawberry-blonde hair, she dazzled him. He suspected she dazzled most men.
If I were her husband, I would not leave her behind when I went to the city… A woman like that could make or break the career of an ambitious man. He wondered, vaguely, how ambitious Grey was, then hastily stepped back in case she looked up and saw him.
Impulse overcame him again, and he moved carefully closer.
*
It took Constancean instant to see through her own startled terror and recognize the man she had seen only yesterday.
“Mr. Darby,” she said faintly. Relief overcame fear, if only for an instant, for if Darby had pushed her, if Darby was themurderer, then Sir Humphrey could not be guilty. “What on earth are you doing here?”
Should she scream for help anyway? Should she bolt for the house?
“We have an assignation,” Darby drawled, all but swaggering toward her. His gaze, amused and lustful, was all over her. “Though it looks as if you have not waited. Mrs. Grey, have you been rolling in the hay—or indeed the earth—without me?”
“I beg your pardon?” she said frostily, while her brain tried to adjust. He was implying his pursuit was merely amorous, and now that she could think again, she was sure someone else was moving among the trees close by. Reluctant to take her eyes off Darby for long, she cast a hasty glance toward the sound, but saw no one.
“My dear Mrs. Grey, you are wet and filthy, and your hat is almost off your head. Allow me to—”
As he reached for her, she stepped smartly aside and straightened her own hat.
“I slipped into the water and had to pull myself out.”
“How awful! I wish I had been here earlier.”
“Weren’t you?” she said, holding his gaze.
His eyes widened with an expression of confusion. It looked genuine. “What do you mean?”
“Did you really not…see me falling in?”
“Of course I did not,” he said, sounding shocked. “Else I should have pulled you out. You must have got a terrible fright.”
Dare she believe in his sincerity? “At least you are in time to escort me to the house,” she said, setting off with rapid steps.
“Wait!” He caught her arm, forcing her to halt, for his grip was strong if not overtly threatening. “I like an eager woman, but are you sure the house is currently unoccupied?”
She blinked. “Of course it is occupied. By our host and hostess and at least one other caller, to say nothing of the servants.”
“Then let us stay here. The day is not cold and I find the risk of discovery, even by the odd yokel, adds a delicious fillip to such encounters.”
“I need to change my dress,” she said, pretending to misunderstand him. Most of her attention was still on the trees nearby. Was somebody else still there? Or had it only ever been Darby? She met his gaze once more.
Either he was very good at pretending lust or he hadnotjust tried to push her in the lake. She suspected he was a little perverse in his tastes, but surely trying to drown someone was not much of a seduction technique?
But she had looked at him too intensely and too long, and inevitably he drew the wrong conclusion.
“There’s a little boathouse at the end of the lake,” he said huskily, running his fingers down her arm to close them around her hand. “Let me take you there. Any distress to your raiment is then easily explained by your almost falling in the water…”
She jerked her hand free. “Mr. Darby, you clearly have the wrong idea! I am a respectable, married lady and my husband is expected back imminently.” How many lies were there in that claim?
His arms closed around her. “You would be surprised how many respectable ladies are eager to enjoy me. I promise you delight, my lovely one.”
