Page 40 of A Body, A Baron, and Miss Mifford
Eudora felt her shoulders sag, another die-cast against Lady Albermay.
“There’s still Lord Percival,” she remembered, “I was reading through The Complete Peerage earlier, and I saw that the Percival family is heavily invested in The Royal Exchange Assurance. On our first night here, Lord Albermay insinuated that he had deliberately burned down his glove-making factory to collect the insurance coin.”
As she finished speaking her theory aloud, even Eudora could concede that it sounded somewhat far-fetched.
“I know that it is somewhat fanciful to think that events so long ago could inspire a murder,” she continued before Robertcould reply, “But when you couple that with Lord Albermay stealing Lord Percival’s intended wife, one could countenance that maybe, perhaps, it is he who is the culprit?”
“Lord Crabb did tell me that Lord Percival was seen walking the corridors on the night of the murder,” Robert told her, though Eudora felt that he was humouring her rather than agreeing with her.
“And then there’s the dead body in the woods,” she continued, her words coming out in a rush. “We cannot say that Lady Albermay is the definite culprit when we do not know if the two deaths are connected.”
“A fair point,” Robert agreed, though this time, Eudora was certain that his reply was simply good manners. Even she could see that she had gone around the world, back decades, and toward fantasy in an effort to point the finger of blame away from Lady Albermay.
“You are a loyal friend, Eudora,” Robert finally said, squeezing her hand, “I think I would be very happy in life if I knew that I had you in my corner.”
His attempt at consoling her had the desired effect, for at his words, Eudora felt a jolt of pride and a small dash of hope. Could he possibly be insinuating that he wished for her to be at his side for life?
Hold your horses, she scolded herself. It was quite the leap to interpret a small compliment into a marriage proposal—a jump worthy of her mother.
“Thank you, my lord,” she answered, glad he could not read her thoughts—for she was sure he’d run a mile. “I suggest that we continue our investigation but brace ourselves for the possibility that the outcome will not be to our liking.”
“A capital proposal,” Rob replied, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing it gently.
The only proposal of the night, Eudora reminded herself sternly as her heart took flight within her chest.
The air between them became still and tense, and Eudora wished the baron would kiss her again. She could see from his eyes, dark with wanting, that he felt the same way.
“I had best return to my bedchamber, my lord,” she finally said, her mouth dry.
“Of course,” he answered, offering her a curt bow of goodbye.
Not wishing to end their meeting on such a formal note, Eudora stepped toward him and, on tip-toe, kissed his cheek.
Then, before she could become embarrassed by her boldness, she turned on her slippered feet and fled.
The excitement of her encounter with the baron meant that Eudora nearly skipped the whole way back to her room. She was longed for the quiet of her room, where she could spend the rest of the night mulling over every minute detail of the encounter.
Alas, her plans were scuppered when she opened the door to find Emily waiting for her.
“What are you doing here?” Eudora asked her sister, who at the exact same moment exclaimed, “Where have you been?”
“I asked you first,” Eudora rushed in an effort to avoid the question.
Emily rolled her eyes in response, not at all taken in by Eudora’s distraction.
“I came to tell you something terribly exciting,” she said, patting the bed in an invitation for Eudora to sit beside her. “Freddie said that Lord Delaney told him—under strict confidence—that he has been attempting to woo you but hasn’t been having much luck.”
That explained the marquess’ earlier behaviour, Eudora realised. Though Freddie’s asking Mrs Mifford to act as musical entertainment was more of an attack on romance than an encouragement, she thought with a smile.
“I must remember never to share a confidence with Freddie,” Eudora answered dryly. She was not ready to share her news with her sister just yet, for it still felt unreal to her.
“Is that my glove?” Emily asked, her brow drawn into a slight frown, “Why are you only wearing one?”
Unfortunately for Eudora, she was not at all adept at deception. As she realised that the other glove was probably tucked inside Lord Delaney’s coat pocket, her ears turned red, and her cheeks flushed.
“You kissed him!” Emily exclaimed, excitedly jumping from the bed, “Tell me everything. Was it romantic? Do you think you’ll be married before the spring?”
“He hasn’t asked me to marry him,” Eudora whispered, indicating that her sister should hush. Emily’s shouting was enough to wake the whole household. The last thing Eudora wanted was for her mother to overhear that she’d kissed Lord Delaney—she’d force Papa to marry them both before breakfast.
