“I haven’t finished my dinner,” Thomas said coolly.
“Well, you can eat after we’ve talked,” Crowle said. “I don’t have time to waste, nor do I intend on sitting down to a meal with you.”
Thomas yearned to tell Crowle that he hadn’t been inviting him to dinner, but he knew that antagonizing the other man wouldn’t help. “I only wished to get my wine glass, and to offer you a glass as well,” he said. “But if you wouldn’t like a drink, then that’s fine. I’ll simply retrieve my own.”
Crowle glanced at his partner.
“Very well,” he said. “We will accompany you into the dining room.”
Thomas’s heart pounded. That wasn’t what he had intended. He had wanted Crowle to wait for him in the foyer.
“Actually,” he said, his mind racing, “I don’t think I’m thirsty after all.”
“Well, I’d like a glass of wine, now that you’ve mentioned it,” Crowle said. He was striding toward the dining room now, and Thomas had no choice but to hurry after.
Crowle stopped in the doorway, looking at the table.
Thomas’s heart hammered. From where he stood, behind Crowle and his partner, he couldn’t see into the room. But he knew exactly what they were looking at, and what conclusions they were drawing.”
Crowle turned to Thomas. “Who else is here?” he asked.
Thomas tried to play innocent. “What?”
“This table has been laid for three. Three half-finished glasses of wine, three half-full plates of food. You were not dining alone. Who was with you?”
Thomas gritted his teeth. How could he have been so foolish?
He thought quickly. “I was having dinner with my valet and my butler,” he said. “They sometimes join me at meals. I live alone, as you know, and that can be difficult. It’s good to have company at the table.”
“You eat with yourservants?” Crowle said this as if Thomas had described inviting animals to his dinner table.
“They’re close friends,” Thomas said defensively. “Being a gentleman doesn’t require me to be cruel to commoners.”
“Not a commonly held opinion,” Crowle murmured.
Thomas walked past him and into the dining room, sure that Crowle must be able to hear the pounding of his heart. He pulled out a fresh glass and filled it with wine, then slowly filled his own glass as well. He carried the fresh glass back and handed it to Crowle.
“To our arrangement,” he said, raising his own.
Crowle smiled wryly.
“Very well,” he said. “A toast to our arrangement.”
He thought that was funny, Thomas knew. He was laughing, though not aloud. And that was for the best, because it meant that he was distracted from the question of who else was in the house with them. He was feeling confident again, sure of himself and his mission.
They’ve had enough time now. I’m sure they’re in there.
He led the way back out into the foyer and crossed to the sitting room. He was aware of Crowle following behind him, of Crowle’s partner bringing up the rear.
He paused at the door. If he hadn’t given his friends enough time—if they hadn’t concealed themselves—
“What are you waiting for?” Crowle demanded roughly.
Thomas drew a breath to steady himself and threw open the door.
The room appeared to be empty.
He had no way to know whether his friends had made it. Were they concealed in the curtains or not? He would have to hope that they were.
