Page 65 of A Murder in Trinity Lane
“How lovely,” I said, carefully. “It must be a comfort to have someone with such . . . continuity.”
His expression softened. “She’s a force of nature. Keeps the house running. Keeps us from killing one another.”
I laughed lightly. “Every household needs someone like that.”
He smiled in return.
I smiled back, hiding the sharp turn of my thoughts behind the soft curve of my lips.
Harriet Vale.
Now we were getting somewhere. The note that had lured Elsie to her death had come from her. I was sure of it.
Just as I was about to ask more—perhaps something innocuous that might lead to something useful—Cosmos’s voice cut through the quiet.
“Nathaniel, can I trouble you for a moment? There’s a detail in this drawing that’s puzzling me. Is thatRanunculus asiaticus,or have you hybridized it with something else? The root structure looks completely off.”
Nathaniel turned, visibly reluctant. “Naturally,” he said, then glanced at me with a faint smile. “Excuse me, Lady Rosalynd.”
“Of course,” I replied, returning the smile with perfect ease. “Duty calls.”
He crossed the room to join Cosmos, bending over the drawing once more. The moment was lost.
Chrissie’s waltz had shifted into something slower, something wistful. I watched her hands drift across the keys, her eyes fixed nowhere at all. The spell of the evening was unraveling.
Not long after, Nathaniel Vale gathered his drawings and brushed a hand over the front of his coat, smoothing the fabric with unconscious precision.
“I should take my leave,” he said to the room at large—but his gaze settled on me. “Lady Rosalynd . . .”
I turned to him, lifting my brows with polite curiosity.
“If I may be so bold, would you permit me to escort you to Kew Gardens tomorrow? I’ve cultivated a few hybrids I believe you might enjoy.”
I let the barest flicker of surprised pleasure touch my lips. “I would be delighted, Doctor Vale.”
“Kew Gardens? Tomorrow?” Cosmos had apparently been listening in. “I’ve been meaning to see that new specimen from Madagascar—the one with the purple bracts.” His eyes lit with interest. “I told Lady Edmunds about it last week.” He grinned. “Perhaps we can make a party of it.”
“Of course, Cosmos,” I said, casting an apologetic smile toward Vale, as if we were sharing a private understanding.
“Until tomorrow, then,” Vale said, bowing slightly. “Shall we say noon? We can meet at the main gate.”
“That would be splendid.”
His bow was formal, his smile anything but. “Until then.”
When the door closed behind him, I exhaled slowly. My spine stayed straight. My smile remained intact.
But behind my composed exterior, plans were already forming.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD
Iarrived at Steele House to find a note from Caleb Finch.
“Come at once.”No more, no less.
