The Unquiet - J. D. Robb [70]
Lydia is the legitimate relation of an earl and, in fact, better born than I am. “So your family does not even know that you exist?”
“I do not know or care.”
They were about to turn off the road when Lydia grabbed his stick and knocked on the roof. The carriage rolled to a stop.
Lydia spoke in a rush. “I am not finished.”
“All right,” he said, wise enough to wait while she put together her thoughts.
“After he died, Alexei used to come to me in my dreams and at other times when I was almost asleep and say one word. ‘Wish.’ I never understood what he meant. And now of course I do.” She looked at him, fear in her eyes. “Do you think I am going mad?”
“Absolutely not. Now, if you told me that Alexei was sitting beside us, then I might speak differently. But we can no more control the dreams that come to us when we are asleep or halfwaking than we can control who will hold a winning hand.”
Lydia laid her head on his shoulder, and he knew she was either very upset or very reassured. He knocked on the roof, and the carriage began moving again.
“One last thing, Lord Chase.”
“I already know,” he said, taking her hand in a gesture he hoped she read as comfort. “You did not inherit the recipe for the purple dye because you were never married to Alexei Chernov.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she looked down at his gloved hand over hers, the slightest nod confirming his statement.
They had reached their destination, and before Lydia could say anything else, the damned servant had the door opened and the stairs lowered.
Lydia brushed the tears off her cheeks. “If we hope to have the truth from Irina, I think it is best if I talk to her alone.”
“All right,” he said grudgingly. “I will wait here, but you must send a footman for me if there is any trouble.”
“I am going to give her exactly what she wants. What kind of trouble could there be?”
It took forever for the servants to find Mrs. Allerton, and then the footman led Lydia to the garden where a small tributary of the river flowed under a too-picturesque bridge that Mr. Allerton had added recently. The water was running fast after the last week of incessant rain, and was brown, muddy, and wholly unappealing.
Irina was sitting on a bench built into the center of the railing overlooking the stream, lost in thought. She stood when Lydia’s footsteps sounded on the wooden bridge.
“How are you, Irina?” Lydia asked cautiously. It was unlike Irina to be less than formal, to receive her outside without the offer of tea.
“I am well. It is such a lovely day that I thought we could both use some fresh air.”
Lydia nodded and they sat. Now that she was here, Lydia was not at all sure how to start. She did not want to accuse Irina of wrongdoing. There was enough tension in the family without adding Nesbitt to the picture, especially since there was no real proof that Irina had been the one to hire him.
Hadn’t Nesbitt said it was a man? Yes, but perhaps it was a woman disguised as a man. Irina had traveled from Russia dressed as a boy. It was an affectation she had perfected.
Whether Irina had been part of the subterfuge didn’t matter. The coin with its one magic wish was hers now.
Lydia pulled the chain out from underneath her chemise and let the coin lie on her dress. “Alexei gave me this just before he left on his last trip.”
Irina jumped up from her seat and looked at Lydia with poisonous eyes. “It does not belong to you, you imposter. You are not Alexei’s wife. You are no more than his kept woman who has taken all she could from the Chernovs, even now when Alexei is dead.”
Lydia stood up, too, wishing she had let Chase accompany her. “Irina, please. Just listen to me a moment.”
Irina grabbed the necklace and jerked as hard