flushed uncomfortably but seemed unable to move away. What was it they said about eavesdroppers?
“I don’t see what good that does you, Grandpapa. If you’re thinking to have the marriage annulled on those grounds, I don’t see anyone buying Christopher’s impotence!”
The old man gave a crack of laughter, and Deborah wanted to die. “No, but there are grounds if she’s denying him her bed.”
“Leave it alone, Grandpapa,” Dudley said wearily. “No good will come of your interference. In fact, you being here is cementing her position with….”
Their voices trailed away, leaving her suddenly more thoughtful than embarrassed. It had never entered her head that a marriage could be ended on such grounds. Or, in fact, on any grounds other than death.
Still deep in thought, she left the room, clutching her plate and cup, and sailed along the passage to the side stairs so that she could approach Rupert’s chamber without being seen.
She scratched at the door and opened it a crack. “It’s Deborah,” she hissed. “May I come in?”
“Please do,” came the immediate, amused response.
She whisked herself inside and closed the door.
Rupert was sitting up against the pillows, his face just a little flushed, regarding her with a friendly smile.
“How are you?” she asked, bringing her plate and cup to the bed and setting them on the nightstand.
“Perfectly well, but Christopher made me promise to stay in bed, so I don’t pace around and give myself away. At least that’s what he said, but in fact, he wants me to look like an invalid when he brings the doctor here for no reason.”
“You’ve seen Christopher this morning?” she said.
He blinked. “Have you not?”
“Just at breakfast, but we couldn’t talk about you because of Lord Hawfield and Mr. Gates being present. Do you like coffee? And I brought you this in case you are hungry.”
Fortunately, this seemed to distract him from her lack of conversation with Christopher, and he fell on the plate with some gusto.
“Christopher has gone to the dower house,” she said, passing his cup from the table to his good hand, “which he is turning into a school. Has he sent for the doctor?”
Rupert wrinkled his nose, drank, and passed her back the cup. “He said he would bring him straight away, though I’m dashed if I know why. He never used to be such a fuss-pot. Mind you, he never used to be such a slow-top either.”
“In what way?” she asked.
“You, for a start,” he said frankly. “But never fear. I know it’s none of my business, and my lips are sealed.”
“I’m sure you know ours is a marriage of convenience,” she said calmly. “Within that, we are friends. More coffee?”
“Thank you.” As he drank, he regarded her over the cup.
“Will your ship wait for you?” she asked.
“As long as it’s safe.”
“It doesn’t seem a very safe profession.”
“Free-trading?” He shrugged. “Safer than some, more fun than most. For a while, anyway. It was only meant to be for a few months until it was safe to come home.”
She blinked. “Did you expect your family to obtain you a pardon?”
“I expected them to prove I didn’t do it!” Rupert fumed.
“But, I thought it was a duel.”
“It was. I didn’t shoot.”
“And yet, your opponent died?”
“Shot straight through the heart, apparently.”
She frowned. “Dueling pistols have hair triggers, do they not? Perhaps you fired without meaning to.”
“I think I would know whether or not I fired my own pistol!”
“Of course, you would,” she soothed. “I was only thinking aloud.”
Rupert munched his remaining toast, appearing to recover his good humor. “So, tell me who you are and how you met my cousin. Who is your family?”
“My family’s name is Shelby. My father was a country vicar, and when he died, we moved to a cottage on the edge of Coggleton. I met your cousin when he was in a towering rage with your grandfather for refusing to break the trust early and give him his inheritance.”
Rupert grinned. “That sounds more like Chris. I hope you made him work for forgiveness.”
She smiled faintly, taking his empty plate from him.
Rupert watched her, then said, “Thing is, I know Chris. He didn’t just marry you to get his hands on Gosmere.”
“It suited us both to be married,” she replied calmly.
“Did it, by God?” He searched her face with sharp, perceptive eyes that were too like Christopher’s. “Well, you could have done worse than Chris. He’ll do anything for you and make you laugh at the same time. Once he likes you. Do you play cards,