Page 37 of The Allure Of Lord Devlin
As soon as she got home, the three of them sat in the drawing room while Dharma drew the man’s image.
Hawthorne took it and began pacing the room. “What are you thinking?” Rosemary asked him.
“I think we need to show this to Devlin, Tobin and His Grace, but how to do so without alerting Fiona? I wouldn’t want her to find the parchment, so I can’t give it to Devlin to keep.”
“Tobin could invite you all here for a meeting tomorrow while we take Fiona to the dressmakers.” Dharma knew her brother would want to be involved.
“Tobin could invite who?” came a voice from the door as Philippa and Tobin arrived home.
Hawthorne explained what had happened.
Tobin turned to Dharma. “I hope you aren’t purposely getting involved. I warned you to stay out of this. The situation is dangerous, and we have enough to worry about just keeping Devlin alive.”
Blood was supposed to be warm, wasn’t it? Why did she feel so cold? “It was merely a visit to the museum, and we had Fencourt and Hawthorne with us. Devlin is safe, isn’t he? You are all helping him?”
“As safe as he can be.” Tobin took her sketch, obviously not willing to discuss more. “I’ll send a note to Sin and Devlin to meet us here tomorrow morning after you ladies visit the modiste. Philippa will go with the ladies. You can ensure they do nothing silly.”
Philippa merely winked at Dharma. Sometimes her brother forgot she was old enough to make her own decisions. He was a tad over-protective.
“Hawthorne, would you like to stay for dinner? A night in for a change is a blessing. I’m fairly tired from all the social activities.”
Rosemary’s eyes lit up at Tobin’s offer.
“That would be a perfect end to a lovely day, thank you. We have an early start tomorrow.”
Dharma asked, “Have you had any luck translating the parchment from the jewelry box?”
Tobin shook his head. “His Grace’s man of business is coming tomorrow. Sinclair says he speaks multiple languages and helped with coding in the war. So we are hoping he can decipher the document.”
“And what of Longton?” Hawthorne asked. Dharma kept her own counsel about what Fencourt had revealed to her this afternoon. That he’d really wanted to be on the continent this season, but his father didn’t wish him to travel. Was it to keep an eye on her since Devlin was courting her? Surely that was no longer necessary, since Mrs. McTavish would now be more of a threat than Dharma? Unless… was Fiona in league with Longton? Should she tell the men?
“Devlin has asked me not to do anything about Longton just yet. We need to learn more before approaching him. Approach too soon without enough information, and it will alert him to the situation and we may never get the proof Devlin needs.”
After dinner, when the women retired to the drawing room, Philippa waited for them to be seated before asking, “I assume you are monitoring Mrs. McTavish with a view of stopping this ridiculous marriage.” When Rosemary and Dharma did not reply, she added, “If she helps him clear his father, he will go through with the marriage.”
Rosemary thumped the arm of her chair. “We know that. That is why we have to prove Mrs. McTavish is involved somehow.”
“I see. And what if she is not? We need to solve this without her help.”
Dharma’s heart jumped into her throat, and fear sent shivers over her skin. “The decision will still lie with Lord Devlin, and you know how honorable he is. He gave his word.”
“No.” Rosemary exclaimed. “I can’t let my brother sacrifice so much.”
Dharma patted her friend’s hand. “Mrs. McTavish is most definitely up to something. There is something she is not telling Devlin. We just have to learn what that is.”
Philippa sat back on the settee. “I shall have a lovely conversation with her at the modiste’s. In particular, I shall ask about her family. Does she have any brothers, for instance? If not, then perhaps the man she met is a lover? If we can prove she’s having an affair behind Devlin’s back, it just might bring him to his senses.”
* * *
The following afternoon, Philippa and Dharma tried to hide their shock as they entered the dressmakers just off Bond Street.
The Modiste’s shop was a haven of elegance, adorned with sumptuous silks and satins in every hue, where ladies of thetongathered to consult the latest fashions and seek the guidance of Madame Camille, the renowned dressmaker. On this particular afternoon, the shop was abuzz with activity as ladies perused the array of fabrics and, to Dharma’s horror, sitting to the side, lounging on the chaise longue looking like a duck out of water, was Lord Devlin.
He'd joined their visit. Likely to stop the ladies from their aim of cross-examining Fiona.
The hard, steely gaze he leveled at Dharma as she entered portrayed how he felt about them trying to get close to Fiona.
However, Fiona was enjoying her visit, gazing at a collection of extravagant bonnets and chatting to Madame Camille.
