Page 76 of Unmasking the Diamond
A chill rippled through her. “And ‘C’?”
He stopped walking and turned towards her, his expression grim. “That is where I need your help. A large deposit was made for ‘C’ only a few weeks ago but with no follow-up payments. Ifthe pattern holds, she has a little over four months left before she’s killed at The Chelmsford Asylum.”
Charlotte’s breath caught. “Good heavens. Do you know who she is?”
“No,” Luca said. “But I was hoping you might. Have you heard any rumors of ladies going missing?”
“No. Why would I—?” She stopped, then frowned as a memory surfaced. “Actually… yes. Lady Matthew went missing a little over two weeks ago. Her household staff hasn’t seen her since. No one has.”
Luca’s jaw tightened. “Then she may be our ‘C.’”
Charlotte’s heart sank as she stared at him, the morning suddenly feeling colder. “Then we haven’t a moment to lose.”
“That is my sentiment as well,” Luca said.
“But how can we provethat Lady Matthew is the ‘C’ listed in the ledger?”
Luca raked a hand through his dark hair, mussing it into charming disarray. For a fleeting moment, Charlotte had the absurd urge to reach up and smooth it back into place.
“I will go speak with Lord Matthew,” he said at last. “Perhaps I can garner something useful from him.”
Charlotte frowned, unable to hide her skepticism. “I doubt that will do much good. From what I’ve heard, Lord Matthew has been seen about Town with his mistress. He doesn’t seem particularly distressed by his wife’s disappearance.”
“How did you learn of her disappearance?”
“One of my maids told me.”
He studied her for a long moment, his gaze assessing. “Can you ask her to dig deeper? See if she can uncover anything else?”
“I can,” Charlotte replied, “but that might take some time.”
“Then tell her I will pay handsomely for whatever she discovers.”
Charlotte nodded. “Very well.” She tilted her head, studying him in turn. “Are you all right?”
Luca exhaled sharply, the sound heavy with self-reproach. “If I had uncovered this connection sooner—between the Duchess of Brackenford and Lady Coldwyck—perhaps Lady Matthew could have been spared the same fate.”
Charlotte’s heart twisted at the torment in his voice. “You did the best you could with the information you had,” she attempted.
He gave a low, humorless laugh. “That isn’t good enough. I should have been better. Known more. Done more. If I had, Mr. Griffin might also be alive as well. I failed to protect him as I ought to have.”
Without thinking, Charlotte stepped closer and laid a hand on his sleeve. His arm was tense beneath her fingers, coiled with frustration. “You cannot blame yourself for this, Luca. This isn’t your fault.”
He looked down at her hand, and something in his expression faltered—his anger dissolving into weariness. “What if we can’t save Lady Matthew in time?” he whispered. “Another innocent will die.”
“You willsave her,” she said firmly.
He met her gaze, anguish flickering behind his eyes. “You don’t know that.”
“I do,” she insisted. “Because I know you.You won’t stop until Lady Matthew is safe. Look at all you’ve already uncovered.”
For a moment, neither spoke. The only sound was the rustle of leaves in the gardens and the distant clatter of carriage wheels from the street. Then Luca closed his eyes, his lashes casting faint shadows across his cheeks. When he opened them again, Charlotte thought she glimpsed a sheen of unshed tears.
“This is the part of my work I despise the most,” he said hoarsely. “The uncertainty. The waiting. And there is still so much left to discover. Even if we are right—if Lord Matthew had his wife committed to The Chelmsford Asylum—he did so within his legal rights.”
“Yes, but if the truth is exposed, at least it will be harder for him to see her… silenced.”
He nodded grimly. “Perhaps. But she will still be locked away. Forgotten.”
