“I swear it, Ella. I know Henry was there when my father died. I know he helped. Akshay found proof.”
“But—”
His frustration flared. “He would have been nineteen, old enough to know better.”
She shook her head. “What kind of monsters…what kind of people…”
She believed him? Her immediate trust warmed his insides. “Yes, lovely family.”
She rested her hand on his arm. “Leo, it’s time to talk to your grandfather.”
Leo smiled grimly. “The old man isn’t ready to accept Henry’s guilt. I doubt he’ll ever be ready. I’ve tried before, Ella.”
She slipped her hand into his, and for some reason the gesture seemed more intimate than a kiss. “I believe he’s stronger than you think. I’ve seen a fierceness in his eyes that others don’t seem to notice.”
“I don’t know.” If only his grandfather would believe him. Things would be so much easier. He sighed, and collapsed onto a large boulder, the leaves overhead doing little to keep the rain from them. “What am I doing here?”
Ella settled next to him, her body warm and comforting pressed to his side. “I don’t know, Leo. What
are
you doing here?”
Could he tell her the truth? Did he trust her enough? He met her gaze and saw only honesty in her blue eyes. “Attempting to find my parents’ murderers.”
She sucked in a breath, and he felt her shock like a chill breeze. “Did you see their faces?”
“Some. They’d been hired to guide us through the jungle.”
She trembled, and he had to resist the urge to scoop her into his arms, to take comfort as much as to give comfort to her. “You could have been…” She bit her lower lip and looked at her lap.
“I wasn’t. They thought they got away with murder. But I had left camp to get help. I survived, and soon enough they’ll regret their actions.”
She looked up at him, as if searching for answers. “So, you don’t really want to learn? You truly are leaving?”
He stared into her eyes, praying she understood, knowing his words would hurt her, yet he was unable to lie. “I can’t, Ella. I can’t stay here.”
She took his hands in hers, her fingers warm and tender, and she smoothed the skin of his palms. “But you love this castle; I see it on your face. I know you appreciate this land; I know you’re proud of your heritage.”
“Why do you care?”
She looked away and was silent for a few heartbeats. “I guess I don’t.”
He gripped her shoulders and forced her to look at him. “Why do you need the money so badly that you’d stay here?”
She stared into his eyes, as if weighing her response. “My friend. I don’t know if she has much time left on this earth. She needs that cottage. I need that cottage. I promised her we’d open a millinery shop.”
He released her and looked away, swearing under his breath. Of course she would be doing this for someone else. Damn her soft heart. “How long did you promise my grandfather?”
“What do you mean?”
He looked at her once more. “How long did you promise him you’d stay and teach?”
“Six months.”
He stood. “Fine. Even if I find the murderers before then, I’ll give you six months.”
Ella shook her head. “No, you don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do.” He owed her that much, at least. “Come, let’s see how much damage I’ve caused.”
He took her hand, and they started back toward the house. But he could feel her sorrow, her unease. He’d given her what she wanted, so why did she still frown?
“You’ll have your cottage, and your friend will live out her days in ease.”
Ella nodded slowly, but still didn’t smile.
“What, do you not trust me?” The rain had softened to a fine mist, and ahead he could see the sun breaking free from the clouds.
“I trust you,” she said softly. “I just hope…”
“What?” he asked, stilling on the front steps.
“I hope you are as lucky,” she whispered.
A carriage suddenly appeared, and the front door opened. Leo jerked Ella aside as a man and woman rushed down the steps. Without a backward glance, they climbed into the vehicle and raced down the drive.
“Leo,” Ella said, gaining his attention. “I want to help you.”
He shook his head and pushed open the front door. “I do not need help.”
She rushed around him, blocking his path. “Surely there is something I can do?”
“Ella, you’re in danger just being with me. I will not endanger you more.”
“Well there, you said it yourself. I’m in danger anyway.”
The butler appeared, preventing further conversation. “My lord, they are awaiting your and Miss Finch’s presence in the drawing room.”
Awaiting him? Was it an ambush? They stepped into the foyer, and Leo immediately noted the hush of the house. Something was wrong. He pulled Ella toward the drawing room where he could hear Henry speaking. His stomach clenched just being in the same room with the murderer.
“Two of our guests have left, fearing for their lives. Two others have left, no doubt to spread the rumors, that indeed, Leo is mad. The entire county will know of this by tomorrow.”
Leo stilled outside the door and sighed. His cousin certainly did know how to spin a tale.
“He’ll never be able to run this estate,” Henry added. “He’s brought shame to our entire family.”
Leo clenched his jaw and waited for this grandfather to argue. Grandfather didn’t say a word. His heart clenched. Only Ella stepped closer to him in a silent show of support.
“What can be done?” Grandfather finally asked.
Tightening his hold on Ella’s hand, Leo swept into the room. He’d heard enough. The moment they entered, Ella tugged her hand free and dropped into a quick curtsey. Henry glared at them behind the white handkerchief he had pressed to his bloody nose.
“Come in, come in.” Lord Roberts waved to them from the settee where he rested. His face was pale and drawn, and a twinge of guilt weaved through Leo, for he knew he was responsible.
“We seem to have a minor problem,” his grandfather said.
“Minor?” Henry sneered.
Leo didn’t bother to look at his cousin. “I heard.”
His grandfather stood, and Leo didn’t miss the slight tremble of his frail body. “Surely you can think of something, Henry. You are so wonderful at mingling with people. Everyone respects you.”
Leo wanted to laugh at that absurdity.
“Surely you can influence this situation?” his grandfather pressed on.
Henry sighed and paced to the windows. “Perhaps at Mr. Miller’s ball.”
“Yes.” Lord Roberts smiled brightly. “Tomorrow night.”
Henry turned toward them. “
If
he can make a good impression before the rumors manage to circulate.
If
Leo can manage to behave himself, then all may be eventually forgotten. If not, ship him to Scotland.”
Scotland? At this point he’d welcome anywhere that wasn’t near his cousin. How badly he wanted to tell them to go to hell, but Ella was standing there, looking so hopeful. She gave him a hesitant smile as if she honestly thought everything would be resolved in the end. For some reason, he didn’t feel like disappointing her at the moment.
“Well then,” Leo snapped. “I suppose we’re going to a ball.”
She’d dreamt of going to a ball since she was a child, so why then did Ella wish she were going anywhere but to an elegant dance now? As if sensing her unease, across the carriage Leo lifted his head and met her gaze. She flushed and tore her attention from the man she’d been admiring since they’d left the castle.
Even in the dim light of the lamps, he looked devastatingly handsome. His broad shoulders filled out his black jacket perfectly, while his dark hair was tied back to show off the hard planes of his face. She shifted her attention and met Henry’s gaze. Leo’s cousin narrowed his eyes, his glare making it known he didn’t think she belonged here with them. Perhaps she didn’t, but Leo had insisted she attend. Unfortunately Henry’s wife had felt ill, leaving Ella as the only female.
She swallowed hard and looked out the dusty window. It wasn’t as if she wanted to be here…in this carriage with this bizarre family, but Leo needed her, didn’t he? Her gaze slid to Leo. Did he want her here? He’d been silent the entire drive. Was he nervous? Anxious? She didn’t feel either of the two emotions. In fact, she didn’t feel anything from him.
Although she still had not located her necklace, she knew enough to know that it would be warm and pulsing by now. How she wished she could talk to him, but with his cousin and grandfather sitting in the carriage, that was impossible. The carriage slowed, jerking her from her thoughts.
Lord Roberts breathed deeply, as if preparing for battle. “Here we are.” He gave them all a smile. “Everything will work out. I just feel it in these old bones of mine.”
The footman opened the door and put down the steps. Lord Roberts stepped outside, followed by Henry, and suddenly they were alone. She knew she had only moments before they’d be surrounded by guests.
“You’ll do fine,” she whispered to Leo.
He quirked a brow and smiled that half smile, and she realized he wasn’t nervous at all. He truly didn’t give a whit what people thought. How wonderful that would be. He stepped outside and then lifted his hand for her. She slipped her gloved fingers around his and immediately felt more at ease. Leo’s firm grip was her only anchor of support in a sea infested with sharks.
“You’ll
do fine,” he whispered against her ear, his warm breath sending shivers over her skin.
She knew she’d be all right if he was by her side. But Leo wouldn’t always be with her. Her heart clenched at that realization, and she had to look away, lest he see the sorrow in her eyes. They could be friends here now, but when the six months were over, would she ever see him again?
The sound of laughter and music invaded her morose thoughts. Outside, looking into the crowded ball and seeing smiling couples dancing by, Ella realized she wanted that laughter and friendship. Perhaps for tonight she could be someone else and forget her worrisome problems.
Lord Roberts had found her an acceptable dress in a beautiful satin that gleamed a soft violet and turned her blue eyes almost amethyst in color. With her hair in an upsweep of curls, she looked passable. Still, she couldn’t keep her body from trembling as they stepped into the room. She rested her hand on her neck, wishing to take comfort in her pendant. But her heathen piece was gone, replaced with a brilliant gold necklace of leaves and flowers. A piece too expensive and delicate for the likes of her, yet the lady’s maid had insisted.
The young master left it here for you, miss. Said you must wear it, he did.
She had no doubt Leo had bought the piece himself, for Lord Roberts wouldn’t dare loan a governess the family jewels. Although Leo had probably purchased the necklace out of guilt for the things he’d done to her in the folly, at least for tonight she could pretend he’d given the jewelry to her merely because he wanted to.
Those closest to them stopped speaking in mid-sentence, their curious gazes sweeping from the tops of their heads to their toes. Was this how Leo felt every time he entered a room? It was no wonder he shunned society.
“Wonderful entrance,” Henry muttered. He pasted a smug smile upon his face and as the butler announced their names, started down the steps.
“Miss Finch,” the butler’s voice echoed across the room. How strange that they should all know her name when she knew none of them. A hundred faces turned toward her. The whispers started in a soft roar that made her head pound.
Leo’s strong grip held her firm and kept her from rushing back out the doors. She took in a deep breath and pasted what she hoped was a serene smile upon her face.
“Ready?” Leo asked softy.
She gave him a slight nod, and they swept down the stairs and into the crowd. People parted, clustering in small groups to stare and gossip. She’d always dreamt of being the belle of the ball, but this was a bit ridiculous. Their shoes echoed through the room, like gunshots over the soft whispers.
“Dreadful country dances,” Henry muttered and moved away. Ella frowned after the man. So much for standing up with them in order to booster Leo’s reputation. Henry had left them to the wolves, and she shouldn’t be surprised. Lord Roberts smiled as his gaze swept the room, seemingly oblivious to the tension surrounding them. Really, she wished she were as unaware as that dear old man.
A tune started, and the tension was broke. Lines of elegantly dressed men and women formed in the middle of the room. Couples swept across the floor, twirling and clapping. Everyone looked so merry, so friendly Ella couldn’t help but smile. She’d been taught the dances, as a child, and when Lady Buckley was away, they’d sometimes move the furniture and pretend to be at a ball just like this one. With the prancing about and foot stomping, the entire place literally bounced.
A thrill of excitement coursed through Ella, and she could barely keep herself from clapping along with the music. Leo led her toward Lord Roberts, and, together, they stood near the wall where a breeze drifted in through an open window and cooled her flushed skin.
“You enjoy this?” Leo asked her.
She grinned at the surprise in his voice. Of course she enjoyed being here; she enjoyed being anywhere with him. “How could one not smile when watching others dance and have a wonderful time?”
“You take pleasure in the happiness of others?”
“Don’t you?”
Leo studied the crowd, as if looking for the answer in the faces of strangers. “I suppose so. But I worry you will be gravely disappointed, for most people take pleasure in only themselves.”
“Leo,” Ella said softly. “I think you need to make new acquaintances if all of yours are so incorrigible.”
“Perhaps I should.”
“Leo, Ella, come, I’d like to introduce you to the guests,” Lord Roberts called out, waving them over. Leo moved forward, and people scurried out of his way. It was amazing really: They parted like the Red Sea, but he didn’t seem to notice or care.
Reaching an older couple, Ella curtsied, but Leo didn’t bother to bow. Dear Lord, didn’t he realize how arrogant his actions…or dare she say, lack of actions, appeared?
“Leo, Ella,” Lord Roberts said, with a proud smile upon his face. “This is, uhh…”
“Mrs. Convey,” she said, pushing forward and extending her hand to Lord Roberts. “We’re quite good friends with your grandson, my lord.”
Since Leo was barely paying attention to the woman, Ella could only assume she meant they were friends with Henry. She found that odd, that Henry would befriend people without a title. Perhaps he wasn’t as arrogant as he seemed.
“Yes, see him quite often, we do,” she insisted. “But we’ve never had the pleasure of meeting your other grandson.” Her gaze slid to Leo. “You must have to beat the young ladies back with a stick.” The woman’s gaze swept up and down Leo’s form, and she fanned her enormous bosom with a painted fan.
Really, she was married, but that didn’t stop the woman from flirting with Leo. Ella feigned interest in the dancing to hide her laughter.
“Here comes our daughter, Katie. Darling,” the woman trilled. “Over here.”
A young woman with a round, flushed face came bouncing toward them.
“Katie, this is Lord Roberts’s grandson.” The young girl fastened her wide eyes on Leo and curtsied. Mrs. Convey didn’t bother to introduce Ella. She supposed the slight should have stung, but she’d developed thick skin after living with Lady Buckley.
Finally, Mrs. Convey’s gaze found Ella. “My dear Convey has a brother, you know. An
eligible
brother who plans to visit this summer. A fisherman, at the moment.”
Ella smiled tightly and nodded. “How lovely for you.”
She dared a glance at Leo only to see the mirth in his eyes. He found it amusing that the old bat was trying to fix her up with her brother-in-law. It was obvious she was testing her relationship with Leo, attempting to discover if they were involved. Were they involved? Did she mean anything to him?
“Surely my Katie would welcome the next dance?” Mrs. Convey prompted.
Lord Roberts smiled. “Ah yes, Leo, surely?”
“I’d rather not.”
The entire group fell silent. Mrs. Convey was apparently so shocked, she could merely stand there with her mouth hanging open. A pale Lord Roberts looked as if he’d have an apoplexy. They looked so ridiculous that Ella had the insane desire to laugh.
“Leo,” Ella whispered furiously, “may we get something to drink?”
Leo shrugged indifferently and led her toward the table. Far enough away from their new friends, she stepped closer to him and took the opportunity to nudge Leo in the ribs.
He frowned down at her. “What was that for?”
“Why do you have to be so incredibly rude?”
“When was I rude?”
Were they even in the same room? Had he not been there? “With Mrs. Convey.”
“How was I rude? She asked if I’d like to dance with her daughter and I said no. I was merely honest.”
Ella brushed an imaginary speck from her skirt, realizing there was some truth to his statement, yet not wanting to admit as much. “Well, you were hardly encouraging friendship.”
The music ended, and the dancers left the floor, flushed faces laughing gaily. Ella smiled to the few who looked her way, and most of them smiled back. Not such a bad sort, most likely just curious.
“Friendship?” Leo asked, his brows drawing together.
“Yes, you said you would make new friends. More…pleasant friends.”
He smiled, his teeth a brilliant white against his tanned face. Ella’s heart skipped a beat. “Of course, how could I forget?”
He was easily the most handsome man in the room, perhaps the most handsome man she’d ever met. She shook her head, brushing aside such silly thoughts.
“You can’t deny a request to dance.”
“I thought the man was supposed to ask? Besides, I hadn’t the slightest desire to dance with that woman’s daughter.”
“Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do.” Dear Lord, she felt as if she were talking to one of Lady Buckley’s children.
Leo laughed. “Why? We’re adults, Ella.”
Obviously, it wasn’t going to be as easy to control Leo as the children. Flustered, she left his side and snatched up a glass of lemonade. Really, who did he think he was? He moved to stand beside her, and she had to force her mind to thoughts other than his body and how he’d looked naked in the folly.
The music flowed through her, vibrating around her soul and calming her frayed nerves. Brightly colored dresses swirled around and around the dance floor like butterflies on a breeze. Men and woman flirted and laughed, sweeping past each other, barely touching, yet she could feel the energy in the air. It was easy to see who danced with someone for propriety’s sake and who danced with the object of infatuation. The shy smiles…the sidelong glances. Is that how she looked when she was with Leo?
“Would you care to dance, Ella?”
“What?” She spun around to face him, so close she could see the gold flecks in his eyes.
“You were swaying and smiling again. Would you like to dance?”
He wouldn’t dance with Mrs. Convey’s daughter, but he’d dance with her? She couldn’t deny she felt strangely ecstatic at that realization. But the meek Ella, the woman used to being nothing more than a wallflower, certainly couldn’t agree. “I can’t.”
“Why not? Didn’t you just tell me it’s rude to deny a request?” Even as he asked the question he took her cup and pushed it into the hands of a passing man. The man looked at it, bewildered, then looked at Leo and scampered off.
“Leo, I can’t! Not after you’d denied Mrs. Convey’s daughter.”
“Do you not know the steps?” he asked and took her elbow in his firm grip.
“Yes, I do.”
“Well then, I see no reason why we can’t dance.”
He pulled her toward the dance area. Ella’s frantic gaze scanned the room looking for assistance…but Lord Roberts, her only possible savior, was busy socializing. She hadn’t danced in years; what if she tripped? What if she looked the fool? Before she could come up with an excuse, she found herself standing at the end of a line of dancers. Across from her, Leo bowed. It was truly starting…She couldn’t leave now. With no other alternative, Ella took in a deep breath and focused. Instinctively, the steps came forth.
“Have you never danced at a ball?” Leo asked as he swept past her, majestic and elegant.
She waited until they were face to face again. “At home, we used to dance when my grandfather played the violin.”
They moved back to their lines, and Ella’s gaze went immediately to Leo. How could she not admire the way his jacket fit snugly to his broad shoulders? Or the way his hair gleamed in the firelight? His eyes met hers, and her heart clenched. It seemed she couldn’t look away. In those amber orbs was the memory of their day in the folly, the day in the field.
Heat washed through her. As if she floated, they met in the middle of the floor. Her hand touched his, and they spun around. Only their fingers connected, yet she felt him all the way to her toes. It was as if they were the only two in the room. The lights blurred together, and the music faded into a low buzz. Time no longer existed. Her harsh breathing and the thump of her pulse drowned out all other sound. Could he hear her heart beat? Did he know how he affected her?