wailing, keening mess, Emma forced herself to lift the cup again with shaking fingers and take a deep sip.
“Excuse me, my lady.” Betsy stood at the door, wringing her hands, and Emma saw Charlotte go pale.
“What is it?”
“Kit ’as something to tell you.” The maid would not look in Emma’s direction.
“Can’t it wait?” Charlotte murmured, and Betsy shifted uncertainly.
“It’s sort of a confession.” She grabbed her apron and twisted it in her hands. “Will you come?”
Charlotte rose and touched a gentle hand to Emma’s shoulder. “Shall I come back after?”
She shook her head. Their conversation had made clearwhat her guilt and sadness had muddied. Geoffrey had betrayed them, and while she had never wished him dead, she had no cause for regrets.
She watched Charlotte follow Betsy down the stairs, her tread weary, and wondered if Charlotte was able to work her magic on herself as easily as she seemed to do in others.
16
“T hat boy you spoke with today.” Kit launched straight into speech as Charlotte stepped out of the back door with Betsy.
He had been leaning against the wall but he pushed himself upright and walked a little way from the house. Charlotte followed, happy to have this conversation out of the hearing of the other servants.
“What about him?” Charlotte tried to see his face, but the night sky was still overcast from the storm of the afternoon, and his features were in shadow.
“You spoke with him the other day, as well.”
“Yes.”
“I had one of the lads Luke pays to hang around the back of the house follow him the first time you spoke to him. Just wanted to know what he was up to.” Kit spoke stiffly, and she knew it was because he was telling her something Luke wouldn’t like.
She hadn’t known he paid boys to hang around the house to follow people if needed. But she wasn’t surprised. “And?”
“He went back to a small private club near St. James’s Square. I know where it is, but not the name.”
That was good. They could confirm if it truly was Edward’s stepfather having them watched. “Thank you, Kit. That will help.”
“Help with what?” His tone was sharp. Far too sharp for a stablehand to his mistress, and he spun from her with a curse. “Sorry.”
“It’s all right. I don’t know what I am at the moment, your mistress or your friend, but I can take a sharp word or two without too much harm done. The boy says he was sent to watch Lord Durnham, and knowing the club will help narrow down who is behind it.”
“He wasn’t watching Lord Durnham.” Kit turned back to face her. “At least, not since you spoke to him. He came back to the house; he didn’t go anywhere near the nob. Luke’s lad brought in some extra watchers, and they set themselves up in a net around the house as far as two streets away.”
“Why?” As she uttered the question, she knew the answer.
“Luke wanted to see who was having you watched.”
“It may not be me being watched. Lady Holliday was here to escape her husband. He made a deal with Frethers over his three boys—”
Kit swore viciously, cutting her off. “I didn’t know that.”
“No,” she said wryly. Kit had no foundation to assume she would tell him her secrets. “I think her husband enlisted thehelp of her stepfather to watch her, maybe watch Lord Durnham, as well, and see if there was a chance to take the boys back.”
“’Twas his right to have them. Why didn’t he just make her?”
“Two reasons. He felt guilty about it. Before his wife knew and confronted him, he could fool himself into believing Frethers would look and not touch. But also because he knows Lord Durnham would fight him every inch of the way, and Durnham has more standing and considerably more funds than he does. Snatching them would have been far easier.”
“You’re talking about this like it’s not a problem no more.” Kit cocked his head to the side.
“Lady Holliday’s husband died yesterday.
“Excuse me, my lady.” Betsy stood at the door, wringing her hands, and Emma saw Charlotte go pale.
“What is it?”
“Kit ’as something to tell you.” The maid would not look in Emma’s direction.
“Can’t it wait?” Charlotte murmured, and Betsy shifted uncertainly.
“It’s sort of a confession.” She grabbed her apron and twisted it in her hands. “Will you come?”
Charlotte rose and touched a gentle hand to Emma’s shoulder. “Shall I come back after?”
She shook her head. Their conversation had made clearwhat her guilt and sadness had muddied. Geoffrey had betrayed them, and while she had never wished him dead, she had no cause for regrets.
She watched Charlotte follow Betsy down the stairs, her tread weary, and wondered if Charlotte was able to work her magic on herself as easily as she seemed to do in others.
16
“T hat boy you spoke with today.” Kit launched straight into speech as Charlotte stepped out of the back door with Betsy.
He had been leaning against the wall but he pushed himself upright and walked a little way from the house. Charlotte followed, happy to have this conversation out of the hearing of the other servants.
“What about him?” Charlotte tried to see his face, but the night sky was still overcast from the storm of the afternoon, and his features were in shadow.
“You spoke with him the other day, as well.”
“Yes.”
“I had one of the lads Luke pays to hang around the back of the house follow him the first time you spoke to him. Just wanted to know what he was up to.” Kit spoke stiffly, and she knew it was because he was telling her something Luke wouldn’t like.
She hadn’t known he paid boys to hang around the house to follow people if needed. But she wasn’t surprised. “And?”
“He went back to a small private club near St. James’s Square. I know where it is, but not the name.”
That was good. They could confirm if it truly was Edward’s stepfather having them watched. “Thank you, Kit. That will help.”
“Help with what?” His tone was sharp. Far too sharp for a stablehand to his mistress, and he spun from her with a curse. “Sorry.”
“It’s all right. I don’t know what I am at the moment, your mistress or your friend, but I can take a sharp word or two without too much harm done. The boy says he was sent to watch Lord Durnham, and knowing the club will help narrow down who is behind it.”
“He wasn’t watching Lord Durnham.” Kit turned back to face her. “At least, not since you spoke to him. He came back to the house; he didn’t go anywhere near the nob. Luke’s lad brought in some extra watchers, and they set themselves up in a net around the house as far as two streets away.”
“Why?” As she uttered the question, she knew the answer.
“Luke wanted to see who was having you watched.”
“It may not be me being watched. Lady Holliday was here to escape her husband. He made a deal with Frethers over his three boys—”
Kit swore viciously, cutting her off. “I didn’t know that.”
“No,” she said wryly. Kit had no foundation to assume she would tell him her secrets. “I think her husband enlisted thehelp of her stepfather to watch her, maybe watch Lord Durnham, as well, and see if there was a chance to take the boys back.”
“’Twas his right to have them. Why didn’t he just make her?”
“Two reasons. He felt guilty about it. Before his wife knew and confronted him, he could fool himself into believing Frethers would look and not touch. But also because he knows Lord Durnham would fight him every inch of the way, and Durnham has more standing and considerably more funds than he does. Snatching them would have been far easier.”
“You’re talking about this like it’s not a problem no more.” Kit cocked his head to the side.
“Lady Holliday’s husband died yesterday.
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