Chapter Thirty-One
Sophie walked out onto the balcony and stopped in her tracks when she saw Abelard standing alone in an alcove.
“Lord Abelard, what are you doing here?” she exclaimed, noticing that his jaw seemed rather tense and his hands were clenching and unclenching by his side.
“Trust me, I am not normally a guest of the Crowleys’, but I heard you would be here, and I needed to speak with you.”
“Please do not say that you, too, are warning me against my pending nuptials?” She walked over to where he stood and shivered slightly with the cool breeze, though she was grateful for it after her heated dance with Devlin.
“Been hearing a lot of it, have you?”
She smoothed back a strand of hair that had fallen on her cheek. “Unfortunately, yes. As well as a great deal of disbelief over the announcement.”
He shot her a rueful look and offered his arm. “Come, let us take a stroll along the length of the balcony and away from attentive ears. There is something of some import that I must discuss with you.”
She placed her free hand on his elbow and allowed him to guide her from the alcove along the terrace. They walked around to the other side, which was a great deal more secluded and free from any prying ears. “I suppose you have heard the news of Jane?”
His eyes met hers, sympathy radiating from their depths. “Yes, unfortunately, I have. But it is not Jane I wished to speak with you about.”
“It’s not?” she asked.
He paused a moment. “No. Actually, it concerns the Duke.”
Thinking back to the last time she’d seen the two of them in the same room, she gritted her teeth. “You are not going to start a fight with him, are you?”
“No, not here.”
Sophie rubbed her shoulders and looked across the fog-shrouded grounds beneath. She felt herself dreading the continuation of the conversation, but she braced herself and sallied forth. “What, then, do you wish to discuss about the Duke?”
“Actually, it is regarding your engagement. Though I was not surprised by the announcement.”
Well. That was interesting. “Why is that?”
He walked along on her right side and sighed. “It was quite clear on the morning when I visited you that Huntington’s feelings toward you were more than that of a friend.”
“Were they?” But by Devlin’s own admission, they were not love.
“Yes. I thought at the time that he might attempt to secure your hand before too much longer.” He smiled sadly. “Though what I have to say might well change that.”
“Nothing you say will make me cry off,” she gently admonished. “I have made a commitment, and I honor my word.”
“Well, of course you would; you are an honorable woman. But please do hear me out, for what I tell you may well be very good grounds to end your engagement.”
Skepticism flooded her. Whatever Devlin was, she was convinced that nothing about him could be so bad as to make her go back on her promise to him. “I do doubt that, but please go on.”
He cleared his throat, clearly feeling awkward. “I myself have been considering remarrying, and I am embarrassed to say that my visit to you the other week was not entirely based upon my request for your assistance.”
“It was not?” She had an idea of where he was going. Once, it would have been her fondest dream. But now…?
“No. And I am very much regretting being unable to keep my second visit with you.”
For years, she had longed to hear such words from him, but now they only made her smile at her former infatuation with him. “It would have been too late in any event. I accepted his proposal the evening before.”
Abelard blinked in surprise. “He moved that fast, did he?”
She slowly nodded.
“He has always been renowned for getting what he wants,” Abelard said, his eyebrows knitting together. “But I have found out some information that suggests you might well be in danger.”
Halting in mid-stride, she dropped his arm, feeling a wave of dread come over her. Not that she could even entertain the notion that Devlin was a threat, but he’d had to deal with so much gossip already. Whatever Lord Abelard was about to say, it couldn’t be good. “What do you mean? What danger are you speaking of?”
“I gather you have also heard of Crowley’s other servants’ deaths?”
“Yes.” Sophie sighed. “Indeed, I have.”
Abelard motioned with his head toward the ballroom. “Did you know that Scotland Yard spoke to the Duke today about it all?”
“Yes, I did know. He told me so himself.”
Reaching out, he took one of her hands in his own. “Did he also happen to mention that he is a suspect in the murders?”