The Lady By His Side(27)

He reached out and took her hand.

Immediately, she glanced at him, but didn’t draw her fingers from his.

He lifted her hand across so that he could cradle it between both of his. Just the simple fact of feeling her fingers under his soothed some part of him and cleared some of the fog from his mind. Looking at the other guests again, under his breath, he murmured, “I need you to do something for me.”

“What?” she murmured back. Instantly, without the slightest hesitation.

He would have grinned if the matter wasn’t so serious. “Should anything occur to delay me—like the magistrate insisting on taking me off somewhere for questioning—I need you to return to London and tell Drake, or if he’s not back, then his masters in Whitehall, what Ennis said.”

There was a second’s silence, then she breathed, “What he said?”

Until then, he hadn’t mentioned Ennis’s last words, not to anyone. “When I found him,” he continued, his words a bare whisper, “he was still alive. I asked who had stabbed him, but instead of answering that, he used the last of his strength to say two words. Gunpowder. Here.”

She, too, appeared to be looking idly across the room. She stiffened, then drew a slow, shallow breath and murmured, “Good Lord.”

“Indeed. He clearly believed those two words were more important than naming his murderer.”

Antonia shifted her hand in his hold and gripped his fingers as he was gripping hers. Her mind darted this way, then that, evaluating, imagining. Despite the scarifying implication of Ennis’s last words, she didn’t like the notion of leaving Sebastian to his fate, but he was a marquess and perfectly capable of acting as one of the higher nobility and pulling rank when he chose to do so. She felt confident he wouldn’t be taken up, but she could understand that, to him, having her agreement that, in such an eventuality, she would take Ennis’s words back to Drake was important… She forced herself to nod. “All right. If anything happens to detain you, I’ll take the message to London.”

And then, if he had, indeed, been detained, she would come straight back, dragging Drake, or St. Ives, or even her own father with her to ensure Sebastian was immediately released.

Unaware of her full intention, he squeezed her fingers in wordless thanks.

Instinctively, she returned the comforting pressure, then they heard voices outside. He released her hand, and she drew it back. Along with the other guests, they looked expectantly toward the drawing room door.

But the sound of heavy footsteps marched past, and the door did not open.

“The magistrate will have gone to examine the body,” Sebastian stated, his gaze resting on Cecilia, who gulped and tried valiantly to contain her sobs.

Five minutes later, they again heard footsteps approaching. This time, the door opened to admit a robust gentleman of above middle years, yet still hale and hearty. His face looked the sort that would normally be graced with a genial expression, but tonight, Sir Humphrey Rattle looked grave. After one swift survey of the room, with a brisk gesture, Sir Humphrey directed a constable to wait unobtrusively beside the door, then he walked forward and bowed before Cecilia, who, with an effort, managed to give him her hand.

“Dreadful business, my dear.” Sir Humphrey patted Cecilia’s hand, then released it. “You stay where you are—I’m sure your guests and I can introduce ourselves.”

Sir Humphrey proceeded to circle the room. He didn’t shake hands but attentively noted every name, asking the obvious questions that allowed him to link this one with that. As he moved on, the gentlemen, who had risen at his approach, remained standing.

Eventually, Sir Humphrey reached Sebastian, who, like the others, rose to face him. “Earith,” Sebastian said, “I’m here as escort to Lady Antonia Rawlings.” He waited while Antonia gave Sir Humphrey her hand, and the magistrate bowed over it.

As Sir Humphrey straightened, Sebastian said, “It was I who found the body.”

Sir Humphrey eyed him shrewdly. “You did, heh?” After a second of studying him, Sir Humphrey turned to face the room. “I’m afraid, ladies and gentlemen, that due to the serious nature of this crime, I am obliged to report the matter to Scotland Yard. I’ve already sent off a courier to notify the Yard, and I expect we’ll see an inspector here by tomorrow morning. Until then, you will all need to remain at Pressingstoke Hall. As I gather the house party has only just commenced, that shouldn’t create any difficulties for any of you.”

Sir Humphrey paused as if waiting for a protest that didn’t come. He cast a sidelong glance at Sebastian, then said, “Now, ladies and gentlemen, if you would oblige me by waiting here for the next few minutes, I’ll have a quick chat with Lord Earith and then decide what’s best to be done.”