The Formidable Earl (Diamonds in the Rough #6) - Sophie Barnes Page 0,39

to the back of the house. He followed, ever conscious of the fact that the last few minutes had been life altering. Whatever happened between him and Ida from this moment on, it would be with the awareness that she mattered to him more than he ever would have expected her to.

The air had warmed significantly since the previous week. Not a single cloud blocked the sun, allowing its rays to bathe everything in their path with golden light. Strolling through Green Park with Simon, Ida admired the vibrancy bursting forth from the flowerbeds. Even the grass was an uncommonly bright shade of green.

She drew a bit closer to him, savoring the strength in his arm and the sense of security he offered. During the past week and a half, they’d continued their search for the traitor by creating a timeline of all the events that had taken place since her father’s return from the war and until his death. They’d worked from her memory at first, and when her knowledge had been depleted, they’d turned to the Mayfair Chronicle. Simon’s connections had truly paid off in that regard. He’d only had to show the clerk at the front desk his card to gain access to all the newspaper articles written during that period.

Working side by side at a wide table in the Chronicle archive, Ida and Simon had made note of all pertinent information pertaining to the case, including each mention of Elmwood, Kirksdale, and Nugent.

It had been a laborious undertaking and one that had not yielded many results. Most of what they’d learned had to do with each man’s political view and the bills they’d voted on, none of which had anything to do with Napoleon, international policy, or anything else that might demand further investigation. They lacked information with which to fill in some very large gaps.

“I hope the ball proves more fruitful than our other efforts,” Ida said as they strolled. “If not, I really don’t know where to go from here.”

“There’s still the captain. As soon as he returns, we’ll question him. I’ll make sure of it.”

Ida glanced at Simon and smiled. He’d become her closest confidant and her dearest friend. She was also fairly certain he would be open to a more intimate relationship with her, and while the notion was certainly tempting, she needed to make sure she wasn’t making a dreadful mistake if she went down that path.

He was a peer while she was less than a nobody from a socially acceptable point of view. Marriage would be out of the question, so that meant all they’d have was an affair. Which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Becoming the mistress of a wealthy peer she found attractive would certainly help secure her future. It was without doubt the easiest way for her to better her life right now. As long as that was all it would ever be – an opportunity not to be passed up. But what Ida feared was getting attached. According to what Philipa had once told her, a young woman had to be cautious when choosing her first lover. If she cared for him even a little, the experience could lead to love and a broken heart if he failed to return the affection.

Where Simon was concerned, it wouldn’t even matter if he returned it or not. His position as earl would never permit him to even consider offering marriage. Instead, he would have to marry someone else, and Ida wasn’t sure she’d be able to bear losing another person she loved or that she would be able to abandon her own dream of marriage and children. She wanted what her parents had had, nothing less.

So their relationship remained unchanged for now, allowing them to focus on their objective and, when they had a free moment in between, to simply enjoy each other’s company. It was comfortable, Ida decided. Both pleasant and reassuring.

“Oh Christ,” Simon muttered, putting a halt to her musings. He tugged on her arm and moved to the right. “Come on. This way. Quick.”

Ida stumbled after him while doing her best to match his increased pace. “What’s going on?”

“It’s the Duke of Coventry.”

Glancing over her shoulder as they went, Ida managed a quick glimpse of the man in question and the woman with whom he was walking before she was yanked behind a tree.

“Is that his wife?” she asked while wondering why on earth Fielding felt the need to hide from these