The Heir - Catherine Coulter [84]
“Oh my God.” She surged to her feet. Justin believes the comte to be my lover. I did not understand. I had no answers. All I could do was swear that I was innocent. Can it really be that Elsbeth, my shy, uncertain Elsbeth, is the comte’s lover?
Suzanne untangled her shapely legs and rose to stand beside Arabella. There was a blind glazed look in her friend’s eyes that quite unnerved her. She grabbed her arm and shook her. “Bella, what has upset you so? I daresay that I could be in the wrong about Elsbeth and the comte. You know me, I’m always talking, and not necessarily thinking enough before I do speak.”
Arabella turned to look at her friend. “No,” she said slowly, “you are really quite right. I have been blind to what is going on about me. I have paid dearly for my blindness. As has Justin. But how did he know? Why did he believe it was me? And he was so very certain, as if he’d seen me, but that isn’t possible, is it?” She added urgently, her riding crop tightening in her hand, “I must return to Evesham Abbey now, Suzanne. I have much to think about. Oh God, there is so much to say now, so much to learn. Listen to me, Suz. Please keep this to yourself. But I thank you for telling me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Arabella swung upon Lucifer’s back and dug in her heels before Suzanne could put two thoughts together.
20
The earl stared thoughtfully down at the single sheet of paper from his friend Lord Morton, of the war ministry. Jack certainly conducted an efficient operation despite French control on the Continent. He read the few lines once again, then shredded the letter and watched the fragments settle atop the logs in the grate. He lit a match and watched the small pieces of paper grow black about the edges and then crackle into orange flame.
He was on the point of leaving the library when the door opened and Lady Ann appeared. “My dear Justin, I am so glad that you have not yet gone out, for I wished particularly to speak with you.”
The earl’s thoughts flew to Arabella. He looked at Lady Ann’s set face and grew instantly wary. He became instantly formal. “It is true that I was on the point of riding to Talgarth Hall, Ann, but of course I have still a few minutes. Would you care to sit down?”
Lady Ann sat down and patted the place beside her. She said quietly, “I have no intention of bringing up uncomfortable topics, Justin, so you may be at your ease. It is Elsbeth I wished to discuss.”
“Elsbeth? Surely all decisions relating to her are in your domain, Ann.” He crossed a booted leg over the other and waited none too patiently for her to speak.
Ann knew she couldn’t carry off her fiction any longer. “Very well, Elsbeth is my domain and I frankly don’t care what your opinions are concerning her.” She drew a deep breath. “I know that you do not think highly of Gervaise de Trécassis. For that matter, neither do I and neither does Dr. Branyon. I don’t trust him, it’s that simple. I don’t care for his attitudes in many areas. There is something wrong. He is not what he appears. I don’t approve of the easy way he has with Elsbeth or Arabella. I do know that Arabella quite detests him. What I wonder is why he is still here. Why don’t you simply ask him to leave Evesham Abbey? You don’t need to kill him as Dr. Branyon thinks you would like to do.”
He eyed her for a very long time, then said something that made her blink. “What makes you think Arabella detests him? That is a very strong word, Ann.”
All that and he had thought only of Arabella. “I know it’s true because I can see that not only does he repel her, she’s also afraid of him. I think she’s afraid that he will speak untruths about her to you. Has that happened?”
“No.”
“Ah, well, he might, at least Arabella thinks so. But what I don’t understand is what she believes he will say to you.”
“Has she told you this?”
“No, not really. But I am her mother. I understand her very well. It’s odd, but Elsbeth quite appreciates him. Several