temper at Allandale's impudence. Allandale was overstepping his mark, trying to slide in as man of the house before he'd even married Lydia's daughter. I was pleased to note that, because she'd mentioned selling the house, Colonel Westin must have left it to her outright. I hoped he had left her everything absolutely, as a man with no entail and no son might do. Doubtless she held any money left to her daughter in trust. It would be in Allandale's best interest to ingratiate himself to Lydia, but the fool obviously did not know how to do it.
I carefully clicked my knife to my plate, interrupting them. Allandale shot me a rueful smile.
'Forgive us, Captain, for bringing up family business.' He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. 'But as long as we have broached the subject, I do so hope that you will help me persuade my mother-in-law to give up this business about Captain Spencer. It is agitating her greatly.'
'My husband did not kill him,' Lydia said calmly.
Allandale's tone was all that was pleasant, but I sensed in him the quiet, unthinking stubbornness of a limpet. 'It is over and done with, now. No need to worry about it any longer.'
'It will be over and done with,' Lydia answered. 'Once Captain Lacey and I have unraveled the truth.'
Allandale shot her a glance. She returned the look, uncowed.
Allandale laid down his knife. 'Captain, would you speak to me a moment in the drawing room? Mother-in- law, please excuse us.'
Lydia said nothing. I looked a question at her, and she inclined her head slightly. I hoped she trusted that I would oppose him on her behalf, but her gaze told me nothing.
Allandale led me to the next room, which was Lydia's private drawing room. Candles had been lit here. The light brushed the pianoforte and gently touched Lydia's portrait.
Allandale closed the door. His expression held annoyance, but he spoke in the soft, careful voice of a man who suppressed his annoyance because the person he addressed was a fool. 'Captain, I truly must take you to task. When I heard that Mrs. Westin had invited you here tonight to discuss Captain Spencer, I was most distressed. I insisted I attend as well, so that I could speak to you.' Behind him, Lydia's portrait looked down on him, cold and haughty. 'You must cease speaking to her of the incident on the Peninsula. It upsets her. Colonel Westin is dead, and that is that.'
He sounded like Kenneth Spencer. 'Her husband was accused of murder,' I said dryly. 'That would certainly be upsetting.'
For one instant his affable expression vanished. Beneath it I glimpsed something ugly and hard, a glittering sharpness. It was a flash only, then his fatuous smile returned.
'Even so,' he went on, 'I do not like what the events of the past month have done to her. I will ask you to please have done discussing it with her.' He clasped his hands. 'I have asked her to go to her daughter, but she refuses. You can certainly see that such a thing would be better for her.'
'On that point, I can concede.' When Lydia had lifted her glass, I was alarmed to see how much her too-thin hand had trembled. The country air could only do her good.
'Excellent,' Allandale said. 'I do appreciate your interest, but really, Captain, this business must stop.' He gave a decided nod, as though he expected his word to be final on the subject.
I opened my mouth to tell him that not talking of it did not mean the deed had not been done, but William, Lydia's footman, opened the door on us. 'Forgive me, sir.'
Allandale swung on him, then quickly rearranged his expression. 'Yes, William. What is it?'
'Message for you, sir.' The boy advanced across the carpet, a folded paper in his hand.
Allandale took the note, unfolded it, and read the two lines penned there. He blew out his breath. 'Devilish nuisance. Forgive me, Captain, but there is business I must take care of. William, please send for the carriage to take Captain Lacey home. I will hire one for my errand.'
He shook my hand, his polite mask returning. 'Pleased that you should dine with us, Captain.'
He crumpled the paper, his brow creasing even as he turned away.
He marched from the room. I followed more slowly. Lydia had not dismissed me, and I certainly would not rush to obey the upstart Mr. Allandale.
I looked in at the dining room, but Lydia had gone. Disappointed, I proceeded downstairs, and reached the ground floor just as Allandale was gathering his hat and gloves from the young footman.
Allandale looked up at me. 'Good night, Captain,' he said firmly. He went out. The front door closed.
William's expression performed an instant transformation. The deferential footman's mask vanished, his young eyes twinkled, and he almost smiled. He raised his finger to his lips.
On the other side of the door, Allandale tramped away, his footsteps soon lost in the noise of traffic. William turned, nearly quivering with glee. 'Please come with me, sir.'
He led me back upstairs and to the drawing room I had just vacated. I followed, puzzled, and hopeful.
'Just wait here, sir,' William said, then vanished.
I waited for about twenty minutes, pacing the room beneath Lydia's portrait. She gazed down at me, serene, calmly beautiful. She'd had no troubles at the time the picture had been painted-she'd had a young daughter and a husband with a solid and distinguished army career.
I had just decided William had forgotten about me, when, to my delight, and answering my hope, he opened the door again and ushered Lydia inside.
She smiled at me as William closed the door and left us alone. 'The cocklebur has become unstuck at last.'
I smiled back. 'Happy chance that took him away.'
She flushed. 'It was not chance, truth to tell. I caused that message to be sent. It will take him to Essex, and by the time he discovers the ruse, it will be far too late to reach London again until morning. But I wanted to speak to you, uninterrupted.'
My heart quickened. 'I forgive you your deception. I, too, find him a constraint to conversation.'
She sat in her usual place on the divan. 'You mentioned selling this house,' I said. 'Where will you go after this business is cleared up? That is, if it ever is. I feel devilish ineffectual, I must say.'
'You believe in Roe's innocence. That is already a great help.'
'I want to do so much more.'
Her eyes softened. 'You do not know how it feels to have someone on my side, Captain, such a relief to speak openly. I so long to know the truth. The newspapers-what they print is horrible. Those cartoons about you are ludicrous. How can you bear it?'
I smiled. 'I thought Mr. Allandale had forbidden newspapers in the house.'
She made a derisive noise. 'He might have told William to throw them away, but William is loyal to me, not to Mr. Allandale. Yes, I have seen the stories. They do not upset me, they make me quite angry. They have no right to ridicule you.'
'I am a convenient target. It will pass.' Or else I would break all Billings's teeth.
'They are hashing out the entire Badajoz incident over again.' She sighed. 'I am so tired of all of this.'
I sat forward, wanting to comfort her and not knowing how.
She sent me a wavering smile. 'Please, Captain. Tell me what you discovered in Kent.'
'Little, I am afraid. I discovered that Lord Richard Eggleston and Lord Breckenridge are vulgar and irritating, but you did not need me to tell you that. And that they were Belemites.'
She raised her delicate brows. 'Belemites?'
'Officers who manage to be assigned posts nowhere near the fighting. Even if their regiment is heavily involved in battle, they somehow have been assigned to transport prisoners or look into a supply problem.'
'My husband was not fond of them,' Lydia said. 'They liked a pretty uniform, but nothing more. Lord Breckenridge plied Roe for a long time to raise his rank, but fortunately Roe had the resolve not to let him become a colonel.'
'I can believe that. Breckenridge might have served in the Peninsular campaign, but he was not a soldier.'
I then gave her the full account of my visit to Astley Close. I omitted the shameful game of cards and my boxing bout with Breckenridge. I did tell her of Brandon's unexpected appearance and Breckenridge's suspicious death. While I spoke, she toyed with a heavy gold and garnet ring on her right forefinger, twisting it round in a distracted way.
