“I was only joking, my dear.” The dowager duchess walked toward the door, then muttered, “Mostly, anyway.”
Vanessa groaned. She certainly hoped her mother-inlaw was joking. And how could the man be so good at noticing her feelings but be so blind to what his own feelings were?
Unless he didn’t feel as deeply as Vanessa did. He’d been forced into marriage, after all.
I think he already does love you.
Oh, she hoped that was true. She would cling to that possibility as long as she could. In the meantime, there was one way of endearing him to her, and that involved solving the issue of whether Bonham’s bookkeeping could be trusted.
With that, she settled down to work.
Chapter Twenty-One
Two hours later, Sheridan and Gwyn left Lady Hornsby’s and headed for his coach. “That was an utter waste of time,” Sheridan grumbled.
“I told you and the rest of them it wasn’t her. She might enjoy seducing young—and old—men more than she should, and she might be a bit saucy in her language, but at heart she’s a decent sort and very kind.”
“Except for the periodic cuckolding of other people’s husbands.”
Gwyn sighed. “True. Except for that.”
He helped his half sister into the coach and climbed in after her. “I still can’t believe the countess has been having an affair with Lisbourne all this time.” He shuddered. “Vanessa has no idea what a close call she had.”
“I doubt Lady Hornsby would have stood for seeing Lisbourne marry a much younger woman, anyway, at least not while she and Lisbourne were having an affair. And there’s no telling—perhaps in timesheand Lisbourne will marry. He has an heir already, and it’s not as if she could have children, anyway. Hornsby left her well off, and Lisbourne needs money. It could be a match made in heaven.”
“If you say so.” Privately he was skeptical. “But you think she was telling the truth about the house party?”
“The first one? Undoubtedly. Hornsby wasn’t the best husband, from what Mama has said, so it makes sense she would have gone off to her little love nest with her first lover—of many—as soon as possible. We’ll have to compare notes with Mama, but I think it’s believable.”
“Lady Hornsby’s explanation of what she was doing during the second house party seems a bit more believable to me. I can easily see how she would be reluctant to attend a house party when gossip was circling around society that she was mistress to Thorn’s father. Assuming that she and Mother were still good friends—and we have no reason to believe otherwise—she would have stayed away out of courtesy to Mother.”
“But why was she listed as a guest at the party?”
“Those lists were invitation lists,” Sheridan pointed out. “Did you keep a list of the people who attended your ball a few weeks back? I daresay you only kept a record of whom you invited.”
Gwyn frowned. “True. I hadn’t thought of that. I wonder if Mother would remember if Lady Hornsby was at the house party. If she remembered one way or the other, though, wouldn’t she have told us?”
“Not if she was in labor during the whole party.”
“Oh, right. I forgot she was in labor.”
“I don’t know how you could forget that,” Sheridan teased her. “She was in labor with you and Thorn.”
Gwyn made a face at him, and he laughed.
Then both sat quietly for a bit. Finally, Sheridan said, “I guess this means we’ll have to look into servants and other staff now. Because you and I both know Lady Norley isn’t some master criminal. I could believe it of Lady Hornsby perhaps and definitely of Lady Eustace, but Lady Norley is a likable lady who puts up with her arse of a husband because she loves her stepdaughter.”
Gwyn nodded. “That about sums her up.” She nudged his knee. “Meanwhile, how is married life treatingyou?”
“Pretty well, under the circumstances.”
“You did finally tell Vanessa about Helene, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“And you told Vanessa you’re in love withhernow, right?”
He stiffened. “I’m not in love with Vanessa. I have great affection for her, and I certainly have a healthy desire for her, but love? I don’twantto be in love with her. The last time I was in love, it nearly destroyed me.”
