Page 19 of The Duke's Wicked Widow
Olivia squeezed her free hand. “All of you can, I suspect,” she said kindly.
The butler cleared his throat yet again.
Thorne whirled. “Want me to do something about that? I can give ye a sore throat, if it’ll help.”
“No strangling anyone, Thorne, not today,” Olivia announced without dropping Ellie’s gaze. “Honestly, men are adorable sometimes, aren’t they? The way they’re always posturing, when really they’re big softies.”
Was Fawkes a big softie? He certainly hadn’tlookedlike one. He hadn’t treated her like one either. In fact, he’d been anything but soft—the memory of his cock in her mouth caused a flood of saliva across Ellie’s tongue and a flood of something else deep in her—
Since obviously you are failing to understand the assignment when it comes to not thinking about him, perhaps you should visit him again.
Wait, what?
You know, to ensure thingsstick, so to speak. Another visit. Another chance to create a child.
Another chance at pleasure. Another chance totastehim.
Thorne and Olivia were still bickering, but Olivia squeezed Ellie’s hand, drawing her attention once more. “Just ignore him, Danielle. He’s only here because the nosy bugger wanted to read the latest encoded message.”
“Bugger?” Thorne repeated, aghast.
“Another code?” Ellie blurted at the same time. “But my father is dead!”
Shaking his head, Thorne pulled the bundle from under his arm. “Yes, indeed. But his solicitor had a final instruction from him.”
Olivia took the bundleandthe explanation, lowering her voice so only the three of them could hear. “This encoded message appeared at the newspaper office. It’s been over six months since the last one—since your father became so ill. His support of the newspaper has continued, and you know that all he’d asked in return was the chance to place these coded notes in the personals.”
“We ken they’re messages to his brother—yer uncle—but since there’ve been nae more of them, we havenae been able to bring ye more clues.”
Glancing over Thorne’s shoulder at the impatiently waiting butler and footmen, Ellie took the bundle and thrust it under her own arm. “I have made no progress in decoding the messages. Iamsorry.”
But her friend just tutted. “Nonsense,” Olivia said, patting her hand. “You’ve had enough heartache. Originally we brought you the messages to decode, thinking they might help distract you. Now, of course…”
Now, Ellie didn’t even know where she’d belivingnext month. It was more than enough of a distraction. But perhaps the code was what she needed right now. Something to focus on while she waited to see if Fawkes’s seed had taken.
“Thank you,” she whispered gratefully. “I will do my best. I am assuming you have not actually run the message.”
“No.” Olivia shook her head. “But we have copies, if it becomes necessary. Now your father is dead, we are expecting Blackrose to return any day to claim his place as your father’s heir and the new earl. Remember, he has no idea that the evidence collected against him wasn’t actually destroyed… It’s possible this last message could be what we use to draw him out.”
“All I have to do is solve it.” Ellie’s smile was decidedly weaker.
No pressure.
The butler cleared his throat yet again and Thorne wheeled on him. “Look, ye—”
Olivia jabbed an elbow into his side. “We were just leaving,” she announced loudly, glancing significantly at the bundle of papers beneath Ellie’s arm. “Our condolences once again, Ellie.”
Inclining her head, Ellie tried to sound as regal as possible. “I appreciate your visit. Please do come again, anytime.”
The last was said for the sake of the servants who wouldn’t follow her orders.
Thorne took her hand once more. “If you have need of us, milady, or if you need to reach us foranyreason”—his gaze flicked to the encoded papers she carried—“please dinnae hesitate. All of us—Alistair, myself, yer brother-in-law Demon…we’re here for ye. And anxiously awaiting word from ye.”
He was offering her help…but he was also reminding her that the investigation rested upon her shoulders.
Ellie’s throat felt dry. “Thank you,” she whispered again.
When Thorne and Olivia had been ushered out with one last glance over their shoulders, Ellie raised her chin and glared at the butler, the papers under her arm an uncomfortable reminder of what was to come.
