Page 34 of Unmasking the Diamond
He was restless—restless to speak to her alone, to pierce through the walls she so artfully constructed.
Lady Alcott’s voice broke through his musings. “Lord Luca?”
He blinked, realizing he had been caught staring at Miss Winslow. “My apologies. I appear to have been woolgathering.”
“No harm done,” Lady Alcott said kindly. “Perhaps we have been playing whist for too long. We could always play another card game?”
Luca let his cards drop onto the table. “I do believe I am done with playing cards, but I could stretch my legs for a moment.” He turned deliberately to Miss Winslow. “Would you care to join me on a tour around the room?”
A flicker of indecision crossed her features, but he knew she would not refuse him—not here, with her family watching. “I would be honored,” she said, placing her gloved hand upon his arm.
The touch was light, but it seared through the fine wool of his coat as though it were nothing. He guided her away from the card table. When they reached the edge of the drawing room, he lowered his voice. “I had hoped to get you alone for a moment.”
“Why is that?” she asked, her gaze remaining straight ahead.
“Because I spoke to the late duchess’s sister and it was… odd,” he said. “When I arrived, I found Miss Dawlish unconscious in her drawing room. Someone had hit her from behind.”
Miss Winslow gasped. “Was she all right?”
“She was,” he assured her, though the image of Miss Dawlish, pale and crumpled upon the carpet, lingered. “But when I mentioned her sister, she grew combative. That is the only wordI can use to describe it. She ordered me to leave and never return.”
Miss Winslow’s brow furrowed. “Why would she react that way to you mentioning her sister?”
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t know. But I intend to find out.”
“What about speaking to the late duchess’s other sisters? Do you think that they would be helpful?”
“I thought of that, but Miss Dawlish is the only one who resides in London. The rest of her sisters are all over England.”
Miss Winslow grew thoughtful. “What are you going to do?”
“I still need to speak to the solicitor that is listed on the documents for The Chelmsford Asylum. Perhaps that could lend some clues.”
The words had barely left his mouth before she offered, “I could go with you.”
He stopped walking for half a step, pulling her up short before he recovered. “You can’t possibly think that is a good idea, considering your life has been threatened.”
Her head turned, eyes steady on his. “As has yours.”
“Yes, but if something happened to you…” He trailed off, swallowing down the truth. He could not admit how much the thought unsettled him. Instead, he said, “I couldn’t live with myself. You are an innocent in all of this.”
She tilted her chin. “I want to write stories that matter. I am tired of being relegated to the Society pages.”
“Does this mean you have considered my offer?” Luca asked, studying her carefully. He tried to keep his tone even, but anticipation throbbed beneath it.
“I have, but that is assuming you let me help you with this investigation,” Miss Winslow replied.
Luca winced. Of course she would make it conditional. She was nothing if not bold. “I think that is a bad idea. Your brother would kill me if anything were to happen to you.”
“Duly noted,” she said, a spark of determination in her gaze, “but it is a risk I am willing to take. We could go on a carriage ride tomorrow and meet with this solicitor.”
“Miss Winslow…” He let her name linger, hoping the weight of it might dissuade her.
But she came to a stop, turning fully to him. “Please. I can do more than what is expected of me.”
The pleading in her voice made him pause. He could see that this was not idle curiosity, nor some ploy for entertainment. She truly wanted to matter, to be part of something greater than herself. He wanted to shield her from every danger, to keep her cocooned away from the shadows that threatened them both. But another thought occurred to him. What if keeping her close was the only way to protect her?
“Very well,” he said at last, “but we do the investigation my way. And if the threat grows, you will step back.”
