Page 70 of The Lady Glass
“No one will question the word of a duke, a baron, and a decorated naval captain. Your identity is safe.”
“I don’t know, Rolland. I have this terrible feeling.”
His deep voice came out slow, his words carefully chosen. “Fear has a way of consuming a person. I saw it in the war. You have to replace it with something else.”
Music usually comforted her, but it was Rolland’s words she was hanging on to now. “What?”
“Believe good will conquer evil. Hope for it so hard that there is no room inside you to falter to your fears.”
“I’ll try.”
“That’s all any of us can do. Except I need one more thing from you.” His hand moved to cover her knee.
“Rolland,” she hissed, managing to find her place on the page once more. “Someone will see you.” She had meant to steal only a glance at him, but his penetrating gaze captured hers.
He didn’t move his hand. “Are you paying attention? This is important.”
How could she do anything but? He might have been trying to help her focus on his words, but no one could explain that to her heart. She was barely managing to keep playing and returned her gaze to the music. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
“Promise me you won’t go anywhere alone. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Theresia, but I need you to agree to this one thing.”
She nodded.
“I know you too well. I need to hear you say it.”
“I promise.” She believed him capable of protecting her. He had done so time and again. And with her decision to trust him, the loud voice of warning in her head was finally suppressed. She glanced at him again, and this time she was capable of a small smile.
Surely, with Rolland nearby, there was nothing to worry about.
Lady Glass was safe.
She was safe.
Chapter 33
Lewis offered to act asanother guard outside the guest bedchambers while everyone changed for dinner. Rolland and Marcus had slipped away to change first, after deciding never to leave their guests completely unattended by one of them. His parents had informed them that they’d rested sufficiently and felt they could brave dinner with the others. It would be good for them to leave their rooms, but somehow Rolland still felt like he’d failed them. He and his friends had meant to lull their guests into a sense of security, but the reverse had happened. If he had more concrete answers for his father, he would feel a little better.
With time to kill and nervous energy preventing him from resting, he left Lewis with the two footmen to guard his father and ventured down to the library in search of Marcus. Sure enough, he was seated at his desk by the back window, twisting a short curl just above his ear, deep in thought.
“You look exhausted,” Rolland said.
“I tried to sleep for a minute, but I couldn’t stop going over everything.”
Rolland pulled the door shut behind him. “I know how you feel.” He took the empty chair beside Marcus’s desk and sank into it. “Go ahead and say it out loud so it’ll stop circling in your head.”
“If only doing so would produce what I want.”
Rolland shrugged. “You never know. You were watching everyone today. What did you observe?”
Marcus sighed. “Mr. Haversham would’ve left this morning, if not for his family’s excitement for the ball. His concern is only for his family. Since his daughter has her heart set on marrying the marquess my wife invited to our little country dance, he’s chosen to stay.”
Rolland nodded. “Mr. Haversham has always been the loweston our suspect list, next to Mr. Stewart. He has a hand in something, but I don’t think it’s murder. What is your take on Mr. Hawke?”
“He either assuages his nerves through eating or was nonplussed by the events of last night. He showed the least signs of discomposure, which makes him the most suspicious to me.”
“His manners are casual—sometimes too casual.”
Marcus agreed. “The guilty are either overconfident or tormented by what they’ve done. There are those who fluctuate between the two, but there’s a smaller third group whose members seem to be without conscience entirely.”
