draped over my lap, my detangled chestnut tresses falling over my shoulders. My head still smarted from Bree’s exertions in that area.
A smile curled her lips at the sight of me thus, and she nodded at the neckline of my wrapper where a hint of the lace trim of my nightdress peeked out and my amethyst pendant rested in the hollow of my décolletage. “You look quite fetching, my dear.” She sank down on the chair adjacent. “Sometimes the less the effort, the more it is so.”
I tipped my head in agreement, and sipped from the warm teacup cradled in my hands. The duchess had not come here to compliment my appearance, so I waited for her to state whatever she had come for. Her own appearance was wan, her eyes shadowed with fatigue, and the sparkle that normally lit them noticeably dimmed.
She sank deeper into her chair. “I wanted to thank you, and your dashing husband. But you, in particular. Eleanor told me it was you who stopped John from killing Helmswick.” The frail skin tightened across her features. “And much as I would like to wring the scapegrace’s neck myself . . .” She exhaled wearily. “I understand you saved my son from certain death.”
“You truly didn’t know about Helmswick’s bigamy, did you?”
She shook her head. “Eleanor never told me. Though I wish she had. Surely there could have been something we could do.”
I didn’t question this point, afraid to hear what sort of solutions they might have dreamed up. Just as I didn’t broach the subject of Lord John, and how much she had known or even suspected about his actions. There were some things it was better not to know.
But there was one topic I was interested in hearing her answer to.
“I know who Henry’s father is. His real father,” I clarified, lest she attempt to wriggle out of the truth.
She gave a tense huff of laughter. “He said you would figure it out. Henry did. Not Stephen.” She tilted her head. “I received the impression your father-in-law underestimates you a great deal.”
“You must have known I was married to Henry’s half brother when we met.” Though I was careful to keep my voice and expression neutral, she must have apprehended the emotions roiling beneath.
“Yes, of course. I admit, I’d taken an interest in you from afar as soon as I learned of Sebastian Gage’s attachment to you. How could I not? But I did not contrive our introduction. That was all my goddaughter, Lorna. When she asked me to hire you to paint my portrait, to help salvage your reputation after the revival of your scandal following the discovery of those burkers, well, I jumped at the chance.” She stretched an elegant hand out toward me. “And not simply because of your connection to Mr. Gage. You are quite the gifted artist, my dear. But given the other, I would have been a fool and a coward to say no.”
I tapped my fingernail against the porcelain of my cup, unable to fault her logic, though that didn’t ease my mistrust entirely. “Did you hope Gage and Henry would meet?” I suspected she was not aware they’d already done so, if briefly, during one of our previous investigations.
“I did. I’ve wanted them to meet for some time.” Her eyes slid to the side, her brow furrowing as she seemed to search for her words. “Henry is different from his brothers and sister.” She lifted a hand. “Well, they’re all different in their own ways. What I mean is that . . . Henry doesn’t seem content with the aristocrat’s normal life. He might have gone into the church, but I don’t think that is the life for him either. Perhaps the military, but then he would most likely be dispatched to India or Africa, and I don’t think that’s what he truly wants.” She cast a distressed look my way. “Given Lord Gage’s noble career with the Royal Navy, I feared he might take to the sea, but he becomes rather alarmingly seasick even on a small body of water.”
I frowned. “What do you expect Gage to do?”
“Why, I don’t expect him to do anything. But perhaps he might have some advice to offer him.” She smoothed the silken fabric of her skirt. “Perhaps if he knew something about the other side of his blood it might help. As I understand it, the Gages are rather notorious for their restlessness.”
I didn’t know much about that, not