The Unexpected Wife - Jess Michaels Page 0,10

way to keep it from happening. The murder of a bigamist son of an earl? If no one else tells the tale, my mother will not be able to stop herself.”

“Even though it will hurt you? Hurt herself?”

“Gossip is currency,” she all but hissed. “She will revel in my pain as swiftly as she does in anyone else’s if she gains some notoriety for the story.”

She rested her head back in her hands for a moment, and that gave Owen the opportunity to observe her unhindered. He felt for her, of course. He felt for all the women Montgomery had betrayed, for he had seen their various reactions over the past few days. Their humiliation and their destruction did make them part of a small sorority.

But Celeste stood out from the others to him. She was so very clever and lovely.

And a plan began to form. One that might not be a very good idea, considering the instant attraction he’d felt toward her. But there were other considerations. She had already shown herself to be a mind that would work well within the job he was doing. She had provided him information he hadn’t had before. And since he was certain she had not committed the crime, something he couldn’t say about Montgomery’s other wives, she might also be a useful tool in uncovering further information on that score.

Plus, in truth, he wanted to help her. He wanted to…save her in some odd way, even though he couldn’t. But couldn’t he make it easier?

“I am returning to London soon,” he said slowly, as if hearing the words would help him decide if he wanted to continue saying them.

“Of course you must,” she said, glancing at him briefly. “You have done your duty here. You must have a great deal to do in Town.”

“Yes, and some of it might require additional answers from you,” he said, feeling stronger about this with every word. “I will be examining timelines and looking into connections that you might have the only information about. The distance between there and Twiddleport will slow the exchange of that information and perhaps cause difficulty in my case. Would you…would you come to London with me?”

Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him in shock. “Go with you!”

He nodded. “Yes.” He was convincing himself even as he tried to convince her. “It could be of great help to me.”

She still looked stunned, but he could also see that the idea of escaping this horrible house and the parents that had forced her into this situation was intriguing to her. “Where would I stay?”

He hadn’t thought of that. With him would be a very bad idea. “The…er, gentleman who hired me…if you are to go with me, you’ll meet him. I might as well tell you.”

“My mother would be hysterical to know I have the information she was so interested in. A secret pleasure amongst all this pain.” She smiled briefly. “And who is he?”

“It is the Duke of Gilmore.”

She leapt to her feet. “Great God!”

“Yes. I’m certain he will make arrangements when he realizes how vital you could be to the resolution of the case. As will Montgomery’s brother. The two of them are friends and they both seemed determined to get to the bottom of this for their own reasons.”

“I-I don’t know,” she whispered, but he could see she was poised on the edge of saying yes. How much she wanted to say yes.

“Please,” he said softly.

Her eyebrows lifted and then she exhaled a ragged breath. “Very well. When would we depart?”

“Tomorrow, if you can be ready,” he said.

Her eyes widened again. “You do not hesitate.”

He caught that stare, holding it steadily, hoping she could see his honor. “No, I do not. And I do not lie. I promise you that you can depend on me and that I will make this as easy for you as I can.”

Her breath hitched. It seemed that promise was not one she had been able to trust often in her life. Not from her family. Not from her false husband. He wanted to be able to earn that trust. An odd thing to feel toward a stranger, lovely or not.

“No one can do that, I fear. It will be a difficult path I’ll just have to travel for a while.” She set her shoulders back and he could see a steel enter her, a strength he might not have guessed just by looking at her. He respected it enormously, for