Page 24 of Ashes To Ashes
"I sent her away permanently."
"That is not what I asked."
The music ended, saving him from replying. He bowed to her. She curtsied in response and allowed him to lead her off the dance floor.
"Ewan is worried about you, you know," she said before he deposited her with her husband.
"He shouldn't be," Lincoln said. "I have no distractions now. My sole focus is my work."
"Is that so? Then why haven't you caught the killer yet?"
He blinked and concentrated on keeping his breathing even, despite the tightening of his chest. "It's not that easy."
"Very well, I'll grant you that. Let me put it another way. Why did you ask me to dance then not question me about the people here tonight?"
He stared at her. Was she a seer? Or simply clever?
"That is why you asked me to dance, isn't it?" she pressed.
"I…perhaps I simply wished to dance with you."
"I would believe that of some gentlemen, but not of you, Mr. Fitzroy. It took me a few moments to think it through, but when I realized your true motive, it began to make sense. You think someone here tonight is guilty of the murders?"
"I'm not sure."
"I understand the need for secrecy, but if you want to know anything about anyone in this room, you only have to ask. Julia would be more than happy to help too, of course. She will probably know more than me. I don't attend as many social events as she does."
Lincoln presented Lady Marchbank to her husband, bowed again, and thanked her for the dance. As he walked away, he couldn't help but be relieved that he hadn't asked her directly about Marchbank. She would have become suspicious, and Lincoln couldn't risk her alerting her husband, or anyone on the committee, to his concerns.
He spent the remainder of the evening avoiding Julia and Mrs. Overton, who must have decided, once again, that he was worth pursuing for her daughter. He couldn't think why. He was hardly good husband material for any woman, let alone Miss Overton. The evening was quickly turning into a waste of time, and he was contemplating leaving early when Seth approached. Two females and one whey-faced gentleman stepped doubly fast behind him to match his long strides.
"Gilly and his wife are acting suspiciously," Seth whispered in Lincoln's ear.
"How so?"
"They're heading for a private assignation in the music room."
Lincoln looked at him.
Seth rolled his eyes. "No gentleman has a private assignation with hisownwife. They must be up to something. I think you ought to sneak up on them and listen."
He left before Lincoln could question him further, his three friends following him like a tail.
The music room adjoined the ballroom, but Lincoln didn't find Lord and Lady Gillingham there. What he did find was a curtain billowing from a cold breeze. The doors leading to the balcony beyond were open. The rain must have stopped, but it would be icy outside, particularly for a lady dressed in eveningwear without her coat. Lincoln stood at the side of the curtain and listened to the couple arguing in low tones.
"This is absurd," Gillingham snapped. "You're making fools of us both."
"Nobody saw us." Lincoln recognized the voice as belonging to Lady Gillingham. He'd seen her earlier in a pale pink gown, her blonde hair arranged in the latest fashion. She was quite pretty, and several years younger than her husband. Lincoln wondered if theirs had been an arranged marriage.
"But it's freezing!" Gillingham whined.
"Then be quick."
"No. I absolutely refuse to do it here. It's degrading."
"I thought that's what you liked." Lady Gillingham's voice grated like nails down slate. "I thought the problem between us was that I wasn't debauched enough."
Lincoln silently cursed Seth. Had he known the Gillinghams really were leaving the ballroom for an assignation? It wouldn't surprise Lincoln to learn that Seth had sent him to watch them as a joke.
