Because he was falling in love with her.
Simon groaned. Turning his back, he stared out into the night, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. But even as he asked himself that question, he knew the answer. No matter her innocence or the level of her guilt, there was only one course of action open to him, and he could only hope that when this was all over, his heart wouldn’t be in shattered pieces on the ground.
14
The telegram arrived at breakfast.
Simon had barely helped himself to eggs and bacon from the warming dishes on the sideboard and sat down with theTimesbefore Thomas presented the missive to him on a salver. When he opened it and read the typewritten lines, any appetite he had vanished at once.
More evidence uncovered stop Even worse than thought stop Richard has called meeting of board Monday morning at nine to vote immediate termination stop Suggest you return at once stop Helen stop stop
Simon frowned, surprised and puzzled. Helen had assured him that the detectives would not be finished until they had delved into Delia’s activities, and that any such investigation would not be commencing for another week, at least.
Unless, he realized, a sick knot twisting his gut, some of the new evidence to which Helen referred was against Delia. If so, it would make any further investigations unnecessary.
But what was that evidence?
“Well, that’s settled at last,” Cassie said, her voice interrupting his thoughts as she entered the room. “Mrs. Melrose is such a tartar! The way she was protesting, you’d think changing the first course for tonight was akin to tumbling the walls of Jericho. I know nothing about cooking, of course,” Cassie went on as she opened chafing dishes one by one to survey the contents, “but I can’t imagine how raw oysters on ice could be harder to prepare than cheese soufflés.”
Simon scarcely heard. Today was Friday, and there was, he knew, a midmorning train. If he managed to catch it—
“Lady Stratham’s advice was absolutely right,” his sister’s voice intruded on his thoughts. “I stuck to my guns, so oysters it is, but it took some doing, let me tell you.”
Simon did not reply. “Filbert,” he said, glancing to where the butler stood at attention beside the sideboard, “doesn’t the morning train to London depart at half past ten?”
“It does, my lord,” the butler replied. “Every day but Sunday.”
“London?” Cassie turned from the sideboard in surprise, diverted from domestic concerns.
Simon kept his gaze on the butler. “And is there one in the afternoon?”
“No, my lord. The next train would be tomorrow at the same time. The Sunday train is half an hour later, after early services.”
“Why all these questions about trains?” Cassie asked as she set her filled plate on the table opposite him and sat down.
Simon pulled out his pocket watch, noting he had less than forty minutes to pack and get to the station if he wanted to make that train. He could telephone Helen, he supposed, find out what new information the detectives had uncovered, but that meant a trip into the village, and he might not reach her. Did he really want to spend the next twenty-four hours in suspense? And besides—
“Simon?” his sister prompted, breaking into his thoughts. “Why do you need to know about trains to London?”
He stood up, shoving his watch back in his waistcoat. “Something has arisen that requires me to return to London today,” he told his sister, tucking the telegram into the breast pocket of his jacket. “Urgent business. It can’t be helped.”
“What?” She stared up at him in obvious dismay. “But what about the party?”
“Lady Stratham will be here to help you. She’s far better at this sort of thing than I am. Don’t worry,” he added gently, noting the panic in her face. “It will be a raging success, I have no doubt.”
“But this business can wait until Monday, surely?”
If there was anything against Delia, he might have time to mitigate the damage before Monday’s meeting. He had to at least try. “I’m afraid not, love.”
He turned to the butler. “Filbert, I’ll be in my room, packing. Fetch Morgan, tell him we have to catch the train at half past ten, and send him up to assist me. Then have Hever harness the horses and bring the carriage round.”
“Very good, my lord.”
The butler glided out of the room to follow these instructions, and he once again turned to his sister. “Tell Lady Stratham I’ve gone and give her my apologies for not waiting to say goodbye,” he said as he came around the table. “I’m sorry I’ll miss the party. You do know that if it weren’t absolutely critical, I’d stay?”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “I just hope I don’t make a mess of the whole thing.”
“Stuff,” he scoffed and bent down to kiss her forehead. “You’ll be splendid.”
