Her face lit up, and she threw her arms about his neck. “Oh, Grey, what wonderful news! I’m so happy for you both!”
“Don’t tell her about it, however,” he said. “She accepted me at first, but then turned me down because I made an arse of myself over something her brother might have done. Now I have to fix that before she’ll marry me. So I’m hoping she doesn’t see the paper until I repair the situation.”
“Oh, dear. That sounds serious. What exactly did Joshua do?”
He debated whether to tell her, but given it was her husband who’d been murdered, and Sheridan might ignore Grey’s protests and run off to get the constable anyway, it was probably best Mother be prepared for what was to come.
So he summarized Sheridan’s suspicions, his own attempts to confirm them, what alibis Joshua claimed to have, and Beatrice’s reaction when Grey hadn’t just taken her at her word concerning her brother.
“Now I see why she rejected you,” Mother said hotly. “I’d reject you, too, if you sided with your brother against me andmybrother.”
“You don’t have a brother.”
“That’s not the point! That woman is a jewel, which you obviously know already, since you wish to marry her. Her character is solid. She would never shield a murderer.”
She did try,he wanted to say, but the situation had been very different. And he couldn’t shame Beatrice by sharing her secrets about her uncle with his mother. She deserved better.
In any case, he agreed with Mother—he didn’t really think Beatrice would lie for her brother. He shouldn’t have said that to her. Why had he?
Oh, right. “Joshua did summon Father to the dower house that night. Yet he denies it.”
A frown knit her brow. “It probably slipped his mind. Or perhaps he’s embarrassed at having unwittingly been part of Maurice’s death. The whole thing still might have been an accident after all.”
“I doubt that, Mother. And so does Sheridan.”
She snorted. “Sheridan is grieving. He’s frustrated by the mess his uncle and Maurice left behind, and he’s looking to blame someone for it.” Drawing back from him, she smoothed her skirts. “And you have your own reasons for wanting his theory to be true, admit it.”
Something in her solemn gaze gave him pause. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t you? If Joshua is guilty, you don’t have to compete with him for Bea’s affections. Or worry she will take his side.” As he stiffened, she caught his hand in hers. “You don’t have to fear she’ll leave you for him, the way we essentially leftyou.”
“That’s nonsense.” But she was right. His mother, in her usual wise way, had struck to the heart of what ailed him. Even after all these years, she knew him so well.
Suddenly, Gwyn burst into the room. “Mama, I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Sheridan rode off to fetch the constable, babbling some nonsense about Joshua having killed Papa.”
Holy hell. Grey rose. “When did he leave?”
“An hour ago at least.”
Before Grey had even had the chance to talk to him. Damn Sheridan and his determination to avenge his father.
“I rode along with him for a while,” Gwyn went on, “trying to make him see reason, but he wouldn’t listen. So I came back here to get Mama.” She set her hands on her hips. “And I see thatyou’reback, Grey. I suppose you agree with Sheridan.”
His mother looked at him, a question in her eyes.
It was the moment of truth. Did he want to go on not loving or being loved out of a fear he might be abandoned? Or did he instead want to take a chance on trusting Beatrice, the one woman who made him truly happy?
He knew what his answer must be. “No, I don’t agree with Sheridan. But he’s hell-bent on proving it.” He leaned down to kiss his mother. “I have to go. Joshua needs to be warned.”
“I’ll go with you,” Gwyn said.
“You will not,” Mother said. “I need you here. And Grey needs to talk to Bea without your mucking things up.”
Awareness dawned on Gwyn’s face. “Ohhh, so it’sthatway, is it? But what about Vanessa and the announcement?”
“Please explain it all, Mother,” he said, heading for the door. “I have to be off.”
Grey just hoped he hadn’t left things too late to save Joshua. Or he might lose Beatrice for good.
