Part 9 (2/2)

Evangeline silently agreed. ”I could've, but didn't,” was not the strongest defense.

”Hetherington slapped his wife, not Lioncroft.” Francine's words were low, smooth, insidious. ”Perhaps...”

”The countess did him in herself?” Edmund chuckled. ”Of course. Who would suspect her?”

”Not me,” Susan said in awe. ”She looks so timid. I say, you never can tell.”

Mr. Lioncroft's gaze turned fierce. ”The lady isn't present to defend herself, and has suffered quite enough already without being judged a murderess in her absence.”

”To be honest,” Edmund said with a swish of his wine, ”my money's still on you.”

”Then you would do well,” Mr. Lioncroft bit out, ”not to p.r.i.c.k my temper further.”

A startled gasp sounded from the open door. All heads swiveled toward the entryway of the breakfast room, where Lady Stanton stood frozen. One pale hand clutched her throat.

”Did I just hear you confess your guilt?”

”I a.s.sure you, madam” Mr. Lioncroft said. ”You did not.”

”Why, good morning, Mother. We were just saying how unfortunate it was that we shall never know what-or who-perpetrated Lord Hetherington's death.”

”Of course we shall.” Frost coated Lady Stanton's tone as she glared at her daughter. After Susan dropped her gaze, Lady Stanton turned an arched brow to the rest of the table. ”Just have Miss Pemberton feel him.”

”Feel him?” Benedict Rutherford echoed. ”Why on earth would she do that?” him?” Benedict Rutherford echoed. ”Why on earth would she do that?”

Lady Stanton blinked. ”Why, because she's a-”

”I'm a...religious person,” Evangeline interrupted, leaping to her feet. Her breathing sounded overloud. Rus.h.i.+ng blood echoed in her ears. ”As you may know, many religious people lay their hands upon each other for...religious reasons.”

As their expressions ranged from confused to suspicious, Evangeline half-wished she'd gone ahead and let Lady Stanton label her a witch. At least she wouldn't have to fear a murderer on the loose if the aristocrats carted her off to Bedlam. Then again, she'd rather flee through the countryside on foot than be incarcerated in a small, windowless room for the rest of her life.

After a long disbelieving silence, Edmund was the first to find his voice. ”What's Miss Pemberton going to do, pray pray on him? Surely he's a bit beyond the point where he'd rise from the dead.” on him? Surely he's a bit beyond the point where he'd rise from the dead.”

Francine grimaced. ”Pardon my rudeness, but that is a bit ridiculous.”

Lady Stanton sniffed. ”I hadn't wished to divulge the shocking truth, but she claims to-”

”Hear voices from G.o.d,” Evangeline blurted out. She nodded vigorously when several doubtful faces gazed her way. ”Heavenly conversation is not at all the sort of thing one brags about. Isn't that right, Lady Stanton?”

She fixed Lady Stanton with a desperate stare. The lady was unmoved.

”If I say yes, will you 'pray' about it?”

”Yes!”

”Then, yes.” Lady Stanton waved a disdainful hand in Evangeline's direction. ”She hears voices from G.o.d. Shall she go touch Hetherington now?”

Evangeline closed her eyes, but not before she saw the baffled expressions bounce from her, to Lady Stanton, back to her again, then on to Mr. Lioncroft.

Of all the times for Lady Stanton to start hinting at her secret, why volunteer her to touch a corpse during breakfast? The way things were going, at least if she got sent to Bedlam, Lady Stanton would be coming with her. Angels above. Perhaps Evangeline ought ought to get religious. to get religious.

”Fine,” Mr. Lioncroft said at last.

Evangeline opened her eyes. His level stare contained more mistrust than curiosity. Splendid. As her mother before her, Evangeline strived to keep mistrust out of other people's eyes. Especially since such an emotion tended to accompany threats of violence or demands to perform on command. In the case of her stepfather, she'd suffered both. Who knew what Mr. Lioncroft would make her suffer.

”F-fine?” she croaked. The last thing she wanted to do was touch the earl's dead body. Her mother had been the first and last victim of violence Evangeline had touched with her bare hands, and that episode-that episode was one she had no desire to relive. She still bore the marks of that folly. ”Truly,” she managed, ”I don't mind not not touching him. In fact, should I be given the choice, I'd have to say I-” touching him. In fact, should I be given the choice, I'd have to say I-”

Mr. Lioncroft pinned her with the intensity of his gaze. ”Far be it for me to prevent the good Lord from speaking to devout disciples like yourself, Miss Pemberton. And since I didn't kill him, I didn't kill him, what do I have to lose?” He glared around the table. Evangeline gulped. No one spoke. ”In fact,” he said, ”I'll take you there myself. Right now.” what do I have to lose?” He glared around the table. Evangeline gulped. No one spoke. ”In fact,” he said, ”I'll take you there myself. Right now.”

Susan jumped up, eyes s.h.i.+ning. ”I'll go, too.”

Lady Stanton snapped open a painted fan. ”You'll do no such thing, young lady. You're coming to my quarters with me, where we'll have a nice chat about appropriate decorum.”

”I thought you wanted me to take advantage of any opportunity to-”

”Not now, now, Susan. Use your head for once.” Susan. Use your head for once.”

”But, Mother...” Susan glanced about the breakfast room as though searching for a logical reason to revisit the late earl. ”I-I don't want to leave Evangeline alone. Like you always say, proper young ladies cannot gad about unchaperoned. And with Lioncroft, Lioncroft, at that. Who knows what could happen?” at that. Who knows what could happen?”

Mr. Lioncroft's voice tightened. ”I am not going to kill her.”

”Plenty else you can do with an unchaperoned chit,” Edmund said with a grin.

”For the love of G.o.d,” Mr. Lioncroft exploded. ”I'm not going to kill her and I'm not going to ravish her in the same bed as my dead brother-in-law.”

Edmund snorted. ”Some other bed, perhaps?”

Despite herself, Evangeline blushed. And dared not meet Mr. Lioncroft's eyes, the devil. If only he hadn't touched her.

”Most ladies,” Francine Rutherford put in as she got to her feet, ”don't go about feeling corpses, chaperoned or otherwise. The very thought makes me nauseous.”

”Nauseous a lot lately, isn't she,” Susan muttered to Evangeline. ”Lionkiller moves fast.”

”Susan!” Lady Stanton snapped. ”Come now. This conversation is not for your ears.”

With a groan, Susan pushed away from the table and reluctantly followed her mother out the door.

Francine touched her belly with one hand and her throat with the other. ”I, for one, have no wish to lay eyes upon Hetherington again before the funeral.”

”Nor I,” Benedict said with a s.h.i.+ver, rising to join his wife. ”True gentlemen are equally as averse to such morbidity as the ladies.”

”Agreed,” Mr. Teasdale quavered. ”Besides, servants crawl over every inch of the property. We're never truly alone, nor would Lioncroft and Miss Pemberton be. Surely a maid or two could be present?”

Mr. Lioncroft nodded. ”Of course. An army of them.”

Edmund slammed his empty winegla.s.s to the breakfast table and lumbered to his feet. He clutched the back of his chair with both hands.

<script>