Page 17

P hillip took in a deep breath and set his shoulders, lifting his head high before he took his first step away from the carriage. Trying to gather his courage, he took all of three steps before he came to a stop again, struggling against the fear that he would be rejected utterly.

“Come now, you are not afraid of the ton, are you?”

Phillip glanced to his left, about to make a sharp remark only to see Lord Fairchild grinning at him from where he stood beside his own carriage. “Fairchild. Good evening.” He winced. “And yes, I am a little concerned, I admit it.”

“Why?”

“Do you not recall the way that I railed at Lord Pentland and, for a few moments, the entirety of the guests present at the soiree?” Phillip asked, a flush creeping up into his chest. “Yes, I have been somewhat distracted by our investigations but that does not mean I have forgotten the looks I received when I spoke.”

“I do recall it and, truth be told, I think it was an excellent thing that you did.”

Phillip blinked, a little surprised. “I beg your pardon?”

“Telling the ton that you did not deserve their derogatory remarks, their disdainful looks?” Lord Fairchild shrugged.

“I do not think that it was at all a poor thing to say. Instead, I think it very good, for you told them precisely what they needed to hear. Why should you continue to be treated so? It is not as though you have done anything wrong. Besides, did you not also prove Lord Pentland to be a liar? Did you not also show that the truth he supposedly claimed was nothing but darkness and lies?”

Phillip considered this, then nodded slowly.

“I suppose I did.” He turned his gaze towards Lord Tolldark’s townhouse.

“I cannot know what sort of welcome I am to receive, so I confess to being a little anxious.” He glanced towards Lord Fairchild, then looked away.

“And I confess, I worry about what effect my presence will have upon your reputation.”

“Mine?” Lord Fairchild stared at him, shock melting into his expression. “My dear friend, you cannot think that I, in any way, agree with anything these society fools say of you!”

“No, it is not that.” Phillip shook his head, rubbing one hand over his eyes and silently thinking that he ought not to have said anything whatsoever, given the reaction of his friend.

“What I mean by that is to state that I fear what others might think of you, should they see you in my company now. If the reaction is to be dire, then what will happen to you should you stand alongside me?”

Lord Fairchild shook his head, came directly towards Phillip, and put one hand on his shoulder. “My friend, I care not.”

The response was so determined, so fixed that Phillip did not fully know how to respond.

He looked back at his friend, took in a deep breath, and then dropped his gaze to his feet, the image of Lady Rosalyn rising in his mind.

If this was how his friend felt, then was there any possibility that Lady Rosalyn would feel the same thing?

Would she care little for his reputation and what might besmirch her if she stepped closer to him?

As if he had known the image in Phillip’s mind, Lord Fairchild tilted his head, eyes fixing on Phillip’s once more.

“My sister feels the very same way as I, Waverley. Do not think for even a moment that either of us are, in any way, disinclined towards your company, and certainly do not let yourself believe that we are in any way concerned about our own standing when it comes to our friendship with you! You should know as well as I that Rosalyn does not care one bit about society and its view of her.” He chuckled ruefully, looking away.

“It would take the right kind of gentleman to see her for the beauty that she is,” he continued, turning his gaze back towards Phillip as another flush began to crawl up Phillip’s chest. “Someone who does not give any consideration to society, who knows the sort of cruel beast it can be, and who stays far from all manner of gossip and the like.”

Opening his mouth to try and speak, Phillip was forced to clear it once, twice before he was able to reply. “You know your sister well, Waverley. I am sure you will not steer her in the wrong direction when it comes to her future.”

“I shall not,” came the reply, although the grin on Lord Fairchild’s face told Phillip that he was all too aware of Phillip’s reaction though, thankfully, he did not mention it. “Now, are you to come inside? Your invitation still stands, does it not? It has not been revoked.”

Phillip shook his head no.

“Then come on in! Let us go in together, for I am quite sure that all will be well. And,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye, “Rosalyn will be glad to see you. She was hopeful you would attend tonight.”

Hearing this, all of Phillip’s resolve grew so swiftly and with such strength, it felt as though energy infused every muscle in his body. “Then let us go,” he said, acknowledging Lord Fairchild’s grin but saying nothing about it. “And let us pray it shall be just as you say!”

“A very different atmosphere this evening, I think.”

Taking what was his second glass of brandy from a footman, Phillip looked around the room and nodded slowly, though he did not say anything.

From the moment he had entered the house, he had been welcomed with both warmth and seeming delight at his presence.

It was most extraordinary and, truth be told, not at all what Phillip had been expecting.

There had been smiles and welcoming nods as he had made his way from the hallway through to the drawing room, and even now, as he meandered with Lord Fairchild towards the ballroom, Phillip felt himself more and more astonished.

“They all appear very happy to have you present,” Lord Fairchild continued, with a nudge of Phillip’s elbow. “Ah, there is my sister.”

Phillip’s heart lurched but he set his face with a small smile and made his way towards her, seeing how her eyes appeared to fill with light upon seeing him.

Dare I hope?

“There you are, brother! I was afraid you had quite forgotten to attend and had left me here with Lady Shrewsbury!” She threw a glance at Lady Amelia, her eyes twinkling. “Not that I was in any way disinclined towards your company and that of your mother’s also, of course.”

Lady Amelia laughed softly and smiled first at Phillip and then at Lord Fairchild. “We were glad to take you in our carriage, given that your brother was to be tolerably late!”

Phillip glanced at his friend, who shrugged but said nothing.

“Ah, he has not told you?” Lady Rosalyn laughed, holding up one finger towards her brother as he began to protest. “My dear brother has a young lady that he is considering. They were out taking a walk before the fashionable hour, and he lingered in the park with her thereafter.” Chuckling at the blush that rose in her brother’s cheeks, Lady Rosalyn dropped her hand.

“ That is why he is tardy though, for some reason, he does not appear to want to inform anyone about that, even though there would have been a good many people seeing him with Lady Catherine this afternoon!”

Lord Fairchild closed his eyes and let out a slow hiss of breath. “It was just a walk, Rosalyn.”

“I am delighted to hear you have taken a walk with Lady Catherine! She is the daughter of Lord Coates, yes?” Phillip exclaimed, truly glad to hear that his friend had taken an interest in a young lady of note. “That is excellent news. I do hope that you found your time with her pleasing?”

His friend grimaced but glanced towards him. “I did, though I found the subsequent questioning from my sister to be somewhat frustrating. Pray, do not begin to join her in that!”

Phillip laughed and promised he would not do so, looking back into Lady Rosalyn’s eyes and finding her already gazing at him.

There was a gentle smile on her lips and a question in her eyes that Phillip could not quite make out.

Was she asking him about his thoughts on Lady Catherine? Or was there something more there?

“We have been doing a good deal of thinking and discussing the matter of your missing painting, Lord Waverley.” It was Lady Amelia who spoke now, breaking the silence and pulling Phillip’s attention away from Lady Rosalyn.

“Rosalyn has told me about what you discovered from speaking with your butler.”

With a small nod, Phillip spread out his hands. “For some reason, I was distracted upon my return from the kitchens and made my way to the library.” He dropped his hands to his sides. “I do not know why or who distracted me. That is the trouble.”

“But it can only have been those present, surely?” Lady Amelia said as Lady Rosalyn nodded. “That is what Rosalyn and I were discussing at this very moment!”

Phillip took a moment, then nodded. “Yes, that is so.” There had not been a great deal of time to talk after their discussion with the butler, and, truth be told, Phillip had been trying to understand all that had been said and explained to him.

This was now the next thing to consider.

“Lord Fairchild I will exclude.” With a chuckle, he let the smile slide from his face.

“That leaves Lord Raleigh, Lord Whittaker, Lord Haverstock, Lord Stockton, and Lord Coates.”

“And did not Lord Mansfield state that Lord Haverstock was already asleep by the time he took his leave?” Lord Fairchild shrugged. “I would put him to one side, though not forget about him entirely.”

“Might I also suggest that we do the same with Lord Stockton?” Lady Rosalyn suggested.

“Everyone who saw him said he was deep in his cups. I would be very surprised if he would have had the presence of mind – or even the stability – to go in search of the painting, take it from the wall, and thereafter, find a way to remove it from the house.”

Phillip agreed quickly. “That does make things a little easier, though Lord Coates was the last to leave, and he had to be encouraged into his carriage.”

“So that leaves us only with Lord Raleigh and Lord Whittaker.” Letting out a sigh of frustration, Phillip shook his head. “That leaves me to consider Lord Whittaker first, then, for out of the two, he was the only one present at the dinner.”

“And his wife was very interested in the painting,” Lord Fairchild reminded him, as Phillip nodded. “Could it be as simple as that? He stole it to keep his wife contented?”

The entire situation did not sit well with Phillip, and he grimaced, rubbing one hand over his chin. “I am not sure. I cannot say for certain whether such a thing happened or not, of course, but surely a gentleman would not do that, no matter how much he cares for his wife?”

Lady Rosalyn smiled gently and put a hand on his arm for only a few moments. “I think, Lord Waverly, that you might be surprised at just how much a gentleman or lady would do for the person they loved desperately.”

Phillip did not know what to say to this, his mouth going dry as he gazed down into her eyes and felt his heart fill with an even greater, deeper, and stronger affection for her than he had ever felt before.

It was as if the rest of the room were gone, fading away into darkness, leaving only her.

The urging of his friend came back into his mind, reminding him that, according to Lord Fairchild, neither he nor his sister cared one jot about what society would think of their close connection…

so had he been foolish to pull himself away from her?

To tell himself that he was not worthy of her?

“Shall we dance, Lord Waverley?”

Phillip blinked, coming back to himself and realizing now that someone was playing the pianoforte as Lady Rosalyn’s eyebrow lifted gently in question.

“I am not sure if this is the entertainment that was promised but it appears that a few gentlemen and ladies would like to dance,” Lord Fairchild grinned, nudging Phillip out of his stupor all the more. “Lady Amelia, might you join me?”

“I should be glad to.” The lady went quickly, leaving Phillip alone with Lady Rosalyn.

He held out one hand to her and, with a smile, she took it.

The joy that flooded him as he led her out to dance was inexpressible, and as the dance began, Phillip realized that his worry over the painting was not his biggest concern.

It was, in fact, the matter of his heart and Lady Rosalyn.

It was the greater mystery, holding the greatest strength over his mind and heart…

and it was only he who could solve it and bring it to a conclusion.

Though if it would be a happy and satisfactory ending, Phillip could not yet say.