Page 25 of Love, the Duke
“If you must know. It’s a registry of the people who visited the church during the time of my brother’s illness.”
His questioning gaze held to hers. “Do you consider all these people suspects?”
“Not all, but some could be possibilities, I assume.” Her stomach suddenly felt as if it were squirming, and she hesitated. She might as well admit it and not dribble the information out a little at a time. “I brought it—I borrowed it from the church to bring with me in case there was a familiar name I came across while I’m here.”
“I don’t believe this.” He gave her a wry look. “Am I hearing you correctly that you are now taking things from the church?”
“What?” she asked, instantly incensed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I haven’t stolen it.”
His eyebrows rose, and then he smiled. Another beautiful smile that set her heart racing and her mind to wondering again why she would be attracted to him.
“Perhaps men aren’t the only ones who fall from grace.”
Her hands snapped to her waist. “I will give it back when I return the chalice.”
“And perhaps someone borrowed the chalice the way you just happened to borrow this book.”
Ophelia gritted her teeth and said, “You are…”
He walked to stand in front of her. “What, Miss Stowe? What am I? Merely curious? Rational? Protective of you?”
“Irritating,” she answered when only words she didn’t want to use came to her mind.Attractive, engaging, tempting.
While continuing in his chuckle, he looked down at the book again. Suddenly his chuckle faded away. His smile turned to a frown.
She didn’t know if she should feel excited or worried about what he saw. “What is it?”
He met her gaze. “William Halaway’s name is here. It looks like his signature too.”
“Oh,” she murmured softly, moving closer so she could study the page he was seeing. “Are you saying someone you know visited Winston’s church during his illness?”
The duke seemed to be looking really hard at the page. “I don’t know that,” he muttered.
“If his name is written there, he did.” Her eyes started searching for his signature. “There would be no other reason for it. Is he titled?”
“No, no, but he has a relative who is.”
“That’s interesting,” she commented as the rhythm of her heartbeat increased at the possibility of finding out more about this man named Halaway and, more importantly, what he was doing at the church. “Perhaps he was with the titled man and signed the registry for both of them. Who is the relative?”
“Me.”
Startled, her gaze met his. The duke’s kin?
“He’s my cousin by marriage.”
“Oh,” she whispered as an uncommon excitement rose in her. If she was lucky, this would get the duke more involved in her search without her having to even consider asking for his help again. “This is quite interesting, Your Grace.”
“Don’t start finding him guilty of the theft, Miss Stowe. My family crest looks nothing like what your maid saw, and he wouldn’t be in a carriage with the crest on it anyway.”
“You can’t say that with certainty.” She pursed her lips for a moment or two before adding, “He could have been with a titled friend of yours. Lord Mullensgrove or Lord Gainstay? Or even the Duke of Stonerick.”
“I told you those names should come off your list. He doesn’t know any of them well enough to be invited into their carriages.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” he grumbled lowly. “I don’t know why hisname is on here. I don’t keep up with him that closely, but I will find out.”
She laid her hand on his wrist and didn’t realize it until she saw him look down. Quickly removing it, she cleared her throat and said, “What will you do if the news points a finger at your cousin being involved?”
