and Rose had paid for their fight. “What are you doing here?”
Her eyes had widened, staring past him. Turning, he followed her line of sight to where a drunkard was relieving himself very loudly with a satisfied grunt in the corner. Jesus Christ, what a place for a young woman. He gestured to her to come to the other end of the cell, peering at her through the bars and was just about to ask her again why she had come when she spoke.
“I need you to know something...” she trailed off, twining her hands. “I... I know that you are innocent.”
Hadn’t he told her as much at the burial? “Of course I’m innocent!” His words came out much too loud, causing the Duke of Wellington to pick up a chorus of “Innocent! Innocent!”
She shook her head impatiently, the tattered ribbon in her plain straw bonnet nearly coming undone. “Yes, but no one will believe you unless we have proof. And to get proof I need you to tell me about Rose.”
He stared at her. If her thoughts were following some logical trajectory, he certainly couldn’t see it. “What about Rose?”
“How long did you know her? Did she have any enemies, anyone who might wish her harm? Other suitors, perhaps?” The questions tripped off her tongue faster than Caleb could keep track of them until she suddenly stopped. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, worrying at it, and for a moment Caleb was transported back to their kiss at the cemetery, his regret tempered with a sudden jab of longing. “I can help you,” she said softly.
“The only person who can help me is my lawyer. Now if you would be so kind, I believe I have some pensive brooding to do just over there on that bench while I figure out what the hell he can do to get me out of here.”
Color rose to her face. “You may not want my help, but I promised Rose that I would bring her killer to justice, and I always honor my promises.”
What on earth was she talking about? “You promised Rose? You didn’t even know Rose! Don’t you think you’ve done enough? She wouldn’t be dead and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”
She jerked backward as if he had struck her, and he instantly regretted his sharp words. He knew full well that he had been the one to instigate the kiss, that it was his impulsive and base behavior that had caused this mess. The fault was his and his alone. Perhaps that was why he said what he did, because his own guilt was unbearable. “Look, I don’t know what you’re going on about, and frankly, I don’t want to know. I’m just as much responsible for that damned kiss as you, but I think it would be better for all parties involved if you were to stay out of my affairs.”
She gave him an unreadable look, her cloudy eyes seeming to see right through him. When she spoke again her voice was low and more forceful than he had ever heard from her before. “You forfeited that right when you came into the cemetery and kissed me. For better or worse, I would say I am already rather entangled in your affairs.” With that she turned on her heel and marched out.
“Tabby!” he called after her. God damn it, she meant to get involved. “Tabby, wait! Stay out of this!”
But it was too late. The strange young woman was already floating down the hall as if she were a spirit herself.
* * *
Blinking back the brightness as she emerged from the dank prison, Tabby walked briskly through the city, too preoccupied to worry about being followed for once.
She had so carefully fortified her defenses over the years, and then this young man came along and they all but came crumbling down when he so much as looked at her. She should have been angry with herself for her lack of restraint, but instead she found herself irritated beyond all reason with him. He was a temptation, a threat to the life she had worked so hard to salvage. Harden your heart against that which you can never have. The old refrain ran through her mind as she walked. She would harden her heart against Caleb, but she was determined to help Rose. The dead, after all, could not break your heart.
Her feet carried her as her thoughts churned. Though it was less