Page 27 of The Duke's Scandal
“No, no.” Amos rose to his feet, beginning to pace again as he thought. “I must speak to Lady Isobella.”
Lord Galbraith’s shoulders slumped. “You fear that she will reject you because of this.”
“Yes, but she is also a bluestocking,” Amos said, turning to face him. “She told me that she and her friends have worked to find out the truth in some other difficult situations. Why should I not ask her to assist me in this?”
Lord Galbraith ran one hand over his chin. “You are going to ask bluestockings to help you?”
“Why should I not? I can do nothing myself, and if thereissomeone spreading rumors about me, then I must learn who it is!” With a nod to his brother-in-law, Amos hurried towards the door. “And I must go now.”
It was not until the following day that Amos had his desperate wish. The response from Lady Isobella had beenencouraging, but being forced to wait until the following afternoon had been difficult. He had not slept well and had fought through frustration and upset before finally managing to sleep for an hour or two. Now, however, as he waited for Lord Waverley’s carriage, Amos felt himself more awake than ever. His mind had not stopped spinning, his thoughts rushing from one side of his mind to the other ever since Lord Galbraith had told him what society believed of him.
“Lord Waverley, Miss Trentworth.” Climbing into the carriage, Amos sat down beside Lord Waverley, relief pouring into him at their gentle expressions. “I cannot find enough words to thank you for all you are doing for me.”
“But of course, Your Grace.” Miss Trentworth offered him a warm smile as the carriage pulled away. “You must be very distressed, I am sure.”
Even this remark gave Amos hope. “You believe me, then?”
“Of course.” Lord Waverley was the one to speak, looking at Amos with a steady gaze. “We are all very aware of the power thetonhas. The only question, I suppose, is why someone has turned on you in such a way.”
Amos nodded, a knot in his throat. “Quite.”
“Lady Isobella was very eager to speak with you,” Miss Trentworth continued, as the carriage rumbled on. “She was glad to receive your note, I think.”
Yet more relief swamped Amos, taking away a good deal of anxiety from his heart. He had been concerned that, despite his note to her and her response to him, there would still be some sort of distrust between them. “I wanted to write to her because I knew she – and yourself also, Miss Trentworth – had solved some difficulties for others.”
Miss Trentworth nodded. “Yes, we have.”
“The bluestocking book club,” Lord Waverley replied, with a chuckle. “That was how I first met Miss Trentworth.”
“Oh?”
There was no time for them to explain further, for the carriage began to pull to a stop. Amos’ heart practically launched itself out of his chest as the door opened and, after only a moment, Lady Isobella climbed inside. She glanced at him as she sat down, a somewhat uncertain smile brushing her lips.
“Good afternoon to you all.” Clearing her throat, she settled her hands on her lap as the carriage continued. “Lady Amelia is waiting in the carriage for me, but I cannot be long.”
Lord Waverley chuckled, lightening the tension that Amos felt sparking between himself and Lady Isobella. “This is all very covert, is it not? I feel as though I ought to be taking some sort of secret to the Crown!”
“It is a little, yes,” Lady Isobella said, with a wry smile. “But it must be this way.”
“I am sorry for that,” Amos began, only for Lady Isobella to shake her head.
“No, there is nothing for you to apologize for, Your Grace. Now, please.” She sat a little further forward, her hands still clasped in front of her. “Tell us all.”
Amos swallowed thickly, trying not to become distracted by the beauty of the lady. “Last evening, I was at the ball. I was looking for you, in fact, but went out into the gardens to see if you were there.” He continued, telling them about the conversations that had stopped him, then the sound that had concerned him.
“And you say that when you went back to find Lady Deborah and Lady Victoria, they were notthere?” Lady Isobell asked, as Amos nodded. “They were gone inside, then?”
“Which did seem a little strange to me, given that they were so very concerned about the noise we had heard – well, Lady Victoria was. Lady Deborah dismissed it.”
Miss Trentworth frowned. “Strangely, they all hurried inside, but mayhap they were distracted by Lady Clara and the commotion there.”
“If we spoke to them, would they be able to confirm that you were nowhere near Lady Clara?” Hope filled Lady Isobella’s face, but Amos shook his head, dimming it instantly.
“They would be able to say where I was gone, but would not be able to confirm I had not gone back towards Lady Clara.” He grimaced. “Unfortunately, the darkness conceals a good many things.”
Lord Waverley snorted. “Indeed it does. In this case, it appears to have hidden the true perpetrator, for someone pursued Lady Clara and upset her, and then, for whatever reason, made her believe they were you!”
Releasing a slow breath, Amos looked from one face to the next. “Is that what you all think?”
