The Edge of Desire

You cannot-absolutely must not-defend Justin. Not with words. All that does-all it will have done-is confirm in everyone’s mind that he is in fact guilty.”

Hermione frowned. “Why? I was telling them specifically that he isn’t.”

“And why is that?” Letitia looked pointedly at her sister and answered the question, “Because you think he did indeed kill Randall.”

She started pacing before the hearth; when Hermione’s frown deepened to a scowl, she went on, “That’s how all those around you in the park will interpret your words. To the ton, a verbal denial is second best to an admission. A heated denial-and I saw how strongly you were speaking-is tantamount to outright confirmation.”

The belligerence in Hermione’s face slowly faded. “Oh.” After a moment, in a small voice, she asked, “Have I made things much worse?”

Still pacing, still trying to work off her temper, Letitia waved her hands. “More difficult, perhaps, but I don’t believe our position is irretrievable. I’ll just have to work harder to steer perceptions in the right direction.”

Hermione watched her for a minute, then asked, “How will you do that? Steer perceptions?”

“By seeding doubt. For instance, when those ladies mentioned Justin’s guilt, I was slightly startled, then puzzled that they’d come to such a conclusion. I didn’t try to argue them around, but instead left them with the suspicion that perhaps what they’d heard wasn’t what really happened.” She waved again, pacing further. “To manipulate the ton, you have to use guile and subtlety, not direct words.”

Hermione’s lips formed an O of comprehension.

Letitia’s pacing-now fueled more by burgeoning concern that contrary to what she’d told Hermione, her sister’s misguided efforts might just have sunk their cause-led her deeper into the shadowed library-far enough that she noticed a pair of highly polished Hessian boots.

The boots encased a pair of long legs. Halting, she whisked her gaze upward to Christian’s eyes; he was sitting in an armchair in the shadows, watching her. “What are you doing here?”

Her greeting was in no way encouraging, but he smiled nevertheless. The smile of a man who knew her well- well enough to know her temper was largely spent.

“I came to ask for information with which to pursue your errant brother, and”-his gaze switched to Hermione-“to again ask your sister what she knows.”

She swung to face Hermione in time to see her sister fight to banish consciousness from her expression. “Whatever you know, please tell us.”

When Hermione met her gaze, anxiety and even a touch of fear in her eyes, she urged, “We’re trying to help Justin-we can’t do that effectively without, as Dearne put it, reconstructing the crime. If you know something, anything relevant, we need to know.”

Hermione hesitated, then pressed her lips tight and shook her head.

Letitia sighed. “You’re not helping, dearheart. You must tell us-”

“I can’t!” Hermione’s response was almost a wail. Letitia got the impression she wanted to stamp her foot, but then her eyes filled with tears. “I…I don’t know anything.”

Spinning about, Hermione ran back through the archway.

An instant later they heard the parlor door shut.

Letitia closed her eyes and sighed again, this time feeling the accumulated tension and energy flowing away, leaving her drained.

Eyes closed, she stood there, before the hearth in Randall’s forgotten library, and tried to relocate her mental feet.

She sensed Christian draw near. She hadn’t heard him move, but her nerves ruffled as only he had ever made them do.

“She obviously knows something.” His voice, low and deep, came from beside her.

“Obviously.” She didn’t open her eyes.

“Why do you think she isn’t telling us-not even you?”

His quiet tone, his patient voice, led her mind where she didn’t want it to go. But she refused to back away from the truth. Her belief in her brother’s innocence was absolute; nothing could shake it. Opening her eyes, she moistened her lips, half turned to face him. “She won’t tell us because what she knows makes Justin appear guilty.”

Christian’s gray eyes held hers. “Yes.” A moment passed, then he asked, “Can you accept that he might be?”

She forced herself to think, to consider it-rationally rather than emotionally-but emotion in this instance was too strong. “No.” She shook her head. “He didn’t kill Randall. Justin might be popularly known as a rake and a gamester, as a profligate hellion, but he’s no murderer.”

Calmly she met Christian’s steady gray gaze. “You know that as well as I.”

After a moment he nodded. “Unfortunately, the ton doesn’t share our opinion.” He moved back a little, giving her space to breathe. “What did Hermione do?”

She told him.

“How much damage did she cause?”

She glanced at the archway, but Hermione hadn’t returned. “Considerable, unfortunately. Some of the most avid gossips, finding that I wasn’t about to feed the scandal, had passed from me to her. She largely undid what I’d done, and then went further.”

She frowned, imagining the outcome and how she might deal with it.

“What are you planning?”

She glanced up, met his eyes. “I’ll have to appear rather more than I would like, but it has to be done.” Raising a hand, she brushed back a loosened lock from her temple, noted that his eyes followed her hand. She turned away. “As I told Hermione, I need to seed doubt-and now I need to do it in far more minds. If the ton grow convinced beyond shaking that Justin is guilty, proving him innocent won’t be enough to clear his name. Even if he’s officially exonerated he’ll never recover his standing. I can’t let that happen. One day he’ll be the Earl of Nunchance and head of the House of Vaux.”

When Christian didn’t reply, she glanced at him. Hands on his hips, he was staring at the floor, a frown marring his handsome face. She grasped the moment to study it, felt as always a visceral tug-searched for distraction and recalled that he’d come to ask for information. “What did you want to ask me?”

He glanced up. She saw him think back-clearly whatever had caused that frown had been something else.

“I need to know the names of Justin’s friends and associates. However many names you know.”

She grimaced. “That’s not all that many.” She thought, then recited, “Ludwell and Arkdale. Geoffrey Amberly. Rittledale. And Banningham. Those are all I know for certain, at least over the last years.”

Christian nodded; he lowered his arms. “I’ll ask around and see what I can learn.” He stepped closer. “We need to locate Justin and get him to tell us what went on. Tell Hermione that’s what I intend to do.”

Letitia’s eyes widened, but she held her ground. Inclined her head. “I will. But she’s stubborn.”

He held her green-gold gaze. “Aren’t you all?”

Once again they were close; once again excruciating awareness arced and all but crackled between them. The past seemed tangible, a web of feeling threatening to snare them anew. Yet…seeing the deep worry clouding her eyes, he couldn’t resist lifting one hand and gently touching the back of one finger to her pale cheek.

Her eyes flared. Ruthlessly suppressing his answering response, he lowered his hand and stepped back. “I’ll let you know what I learn.”

With a brisk salute, he turned-then turned back. “One thing. Barton’s outside, keeping watch. If Justin sends word, or by some chance you find you can get a message to him, warn him not to go to his lodgings, or to come to this house.” He hesitated, then said, “Tell him to come to mine.”

She studied his eyes, then nodded “All right.”

With a vague wave, he turned and left her-standing before her husband’s empty hearth.

Christian swung down the steps into the street and set off for Grosvenor Square.

All those who caught a glimpse of his face gave him a wide berth.

One part of him-the vengeful part-couldn’t believe what he was doing. That, once again, he was falling under the spell of Letitia Vaux, the Jezebel who’d ripped his heart from his chest and then later thrown it away.