Page 26 of The Marquess of Temptation
"Because I am telling the truth."
Falconbridge took her bare hand in his and squeezed it tightly, before holding it against his broad chest. Hestia could feel his heart thumping within, and was startled to find that its beat was as erratic as her own; was it possible that the Marquess had been as affected by their interaction as she? It was a ridiculous thought, for he had probably undressed dozens of women over his lifetime, in much more passionate circumstances -- he would hardly find the removal of a pair of gloves exciting in comparison.
"Mr Dubois said that he was in Truro in the weeks before my father's death," Hestia said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. She tugged her hand away from his and began to pace the chequered tiles of the entrance hall. "Do you think Dubois could have killed him?"
"Dubois?" Falconbridge gave a bark of laughter. "He wouldn't be capable of anything like that."
"How do you know?" Hestia rounded on him, furious that he wasn't taking her seriously. "He seemed obsessed by the ruddy thing, from what I saw. Perhaps in a moment of madness, when my father would not give up his secrets, Mr Dubois just snapped?"
She clicked her fingers in a most un-ladylike fashion to emphasise her point, ignoring the look of incredulity on Falconbridge's handsome face.
"Did you know that he had gone to Truro?" she asked.
"He said he was going for a week to Cornwall to visit friends," the Marquess confessed.
"So he hid the fact that he went there from you?" she asked pointedly; that was amostilluminating piece of information. Why would Dubois not tell his colleague that he had tried to find the stone, unless he had something to hide?
"I think you are being ridiculous," Falconbridge replied, rather pompously, as she finished speaking. "I know Pierre Dubois, I have worked with him for years. The man is not capable of murder. In fact, he's not capable of buttoning his own shirt without the help of a valet. He did not kill your father, believe me."
"That's the second time today, that you've asked me to put my faith in your honesty, my Lord," Hestia retorted. "And you have put no faith whatsoever in my suspicions. If you'll excuse me, I must go upstairs and rest."
"I shall be here all evening," he called after her.
"And I shall be in my room all evening," Hestia replied, "Believe me."
