Page 33 of The Allure Of Lord Devlin
“Knowing the guilty party won’t be enough. You need proof and it’s been over ten years. A confession would be handy. Any idea how to get Longton to confess in front of an audience?” Tobin joked.
“So you think jealousy could be the reason they selected my father to be framed? I’d always wondered why him. He wasn’t rich enough to blackmail, and he was liked by everyone.”
“Except Longton. You need to ask your mother about Longton.”
He stopped pacing. “I do. Before I go, would you mind if I have a private word with Dharma?”
Tobin stood. “I was just going to find my wife. I’ll send Dharma to my study. Behave. If you’re marrying Fiona McTavish, don’t ruin my sister’s reputation and her chance to find a good match.”
Was it hot in Tobin’s study? Devlin could feel a track of sweat slide down his back. What did he want to say to Dharma besides warning her this was not a game? She’d seen Longton’s name, and he just knew she’d talk to Fencourt. He had to dissuade her.
The scent of roses drifted into the study just in time for him to gather his composure as she entered the room.
She closed the door behind her and, for one moment, he remembered the taste of her on his lips and the sound of her exquisite cries of passion. It almost unmanned him.
She took a chair next to Tobin’s desk and crossed her arms. “I gather you’ve told my brother everything, or else he’d never let me be alone in this room with you.”
“He needed to know the danger that Rosemary and you are in if she is staying here, and then there was what to reveal to Hawthorne.”
“And now it’s what to do with me.”
He almost smiled. “I wouldn’t put it like that.”
“I’m not in any danger because society will have heard of your engagement. They will know I’m not important to you anymore, if I ever was.” He couldn’t ignore the hurt in her voice. “So, the only danger I may be in is because of my proximity to Rosemary.”
“I have convinced Fiona that to announce an engagement would put her in danger. She wasn’t happy, but she isn’t stupid. But Fencourt could talk. You know this situation with Mrs. McTavish is not of my making. You can’t imagine I’d welcome such a match.”
She looked him up and down for a moment. “You are ridiculous. Of course, this is of your making. You can tell her no and offer money instead.”
“I did.”
Her mouth dropped open. “She’s blackmailing you into marriage and you are going to let her?”
“If marriage to her clears my father, then I have no choice.”
“She has money too, if that rumor is to be believed.”
Oh, she was mad at him, because that was a low blow. “Some things are worth more than money.”
She huffed out loud. “You stubborn man. You’re sacrificing everything for something that happened in the past. What about your happiness? What about mine…”
“Life rarely gives us what we want. Or need.” He got down on his knees in front of her. “If I could clear my father any other way, I would, but it’s been ten years. Ten years and this is the first actual glimpse of ascertaining what happened and who framed him.”
She cupped his cheek with her hand. “Am I so easy to give up? I will have to marry. How can you stand knowing you’ll have to share your life with her? Can’t you simply walk away at the end? Can’t you pretend?”
“Honor is all I have. Sometimes I laugh, and sometimes I cry, but I refuse to lie. I won’t lie to you. Lies eat you up, helping no one. I prefer to use laughter and tears as my way of getting through life with my honor intact. That’s how I cope with doing what must be done regardless of whether I like it, or whether it’s what I would choose if I were free to do so. Without honor, a man has nothing.”
He wanted to scream that she was all he wanted, but that wouldn’t be unfair. She needed to move on with her life and forget him. Just not with Fencourt. If his father was involved, then she would be on the wrong side of society once he proved Longton’s dishonesty. Something he’d been trying to protect her from.
“Then why did you want to see me? Did you hope I’d talk you out of this self-sacrifice? If I thought I could, I would. Or was it to hurt me further by showing that you choose honor before love?”
He wiped a tear off her face. “I told you I don’t know what love looks like.”
“True, and I have run out of time to show you that you are wrong. So, why did you want to talk to me?”
He couldn’t bear the pain in her eyes, so he rose to his feet and moved to look out the window. He checked the street. It was empty except for the man he’d placed on the corner to keep watch. He turned back to face her. “I want to impress upon you how important it is that you don’t get involved. Whoever the villain is, and it may be more than one, they are dangerous. This is not a game. You saw the name Longton. Fencourt cannot be trusted. And it may be better if you discourage any interest this season. We do not know who to trust.” He swallowed hard and added, “Besides, if Longton is involved and you let Fencourt court you, his association could tarnish your reputation.”
She jumped to her feet. “That is not fair. You cannot expect me to stop looking for someone to have in my life. I want a husband, a family, a home. You cannot take that from me because you put honor above all else. You can dictate who I talk to when you get down on bended knee and profess your love to me. If you cannot do that, then you have no further say in my life.”
