“I had the very same thought but alas, Lord Gillespie is dead.” Miss Lawrence let out a gasp of horror, and William cursed himself silently for speaking so bluntly. “Forgive me, I did not mean –”
“He is dead?” Miss Lawrence’s eyes widened. “Then surely there is an even greater concern?”
“What do you mean?”
Her hand tightened on his arm.
“Surely there is now a chance that you yourself are in danger, and by continuing to search for whoever it was who did such a thing, you are putting yourself into harm’s way. What if you find yourself in the same situation as Lord Gillespie?”
It was not a situation William had ever considered, and yet the more know that he thought of it, the more he realized that Miss Lawrence had an excellent point. There was a little more danger here than he had perhaps thought.
“You had not thought of such a thing before.”
“No, I had not.” William found himself reaching across to press her hand as they continued to walk together. “You cannot know how much of a relief it is to hear you say that you trust me - and now to hear your wisdom when it comes to considering my situation!”
“I hope I will be of some aid to you, but what can be done next? What can be your recourse, now that Lord Gillespie can be of no aid to you?”
William opened his mouth to answer, but quickly shut it again. The truth was that he had not even considered such a thing, having found himself confused and thinking mostly of Miss Lawrence herself.
“I… I do not know.”
Inwardly, William realized just how foolish he must appear. He had no plan of what he could do next.
If this is so very important to me, why do I have no answer?
“I can understand that you are, of course, struggling against shock and great dismay.” Miss Lawrence did not appear to express any such doubts over his wisdom… or lack thereof. “Might I ask if Lord Gillespie had any close acquaintances whom you might speak with?” Turning sharply, she grasped his arm with her free hand, her eyes suddenly bright. “Was he courting anyone?”
William blinked.
“That is an excellent suggestion. I believe that he was, yes.” Squeezing his eyes closed, he tried to remember the young lady’s name, all too aware of Miss Lawrence’s grasping hand. She was waiting for him to answer, and he was struggling to remember the young woman’s name. “A Miss….” He shook his head. “No, it was not Miss Messer. Now I recall!” His eyes flew open, and he saw Miss Lawrence smiling back at him. “She is Lady Sarah, daughter of the Earl of Gainsborough.”
“Then I can speak with Lady Sarah. If Lord Gillespie has any close acquaintances, then might I suggest you speak with them? I do not know what you can discover, but it may be that one at one time or another, Lord Gillespie said something of importance.”
“That may very well be the case.” William’s heart soared as his hand found hers, pressing her fingers lightly. “Thank you, Miss Lawrence.” The hope he had lost was now returning to him, for he had a way forward at last, thanks to her wisdom. “I am very grateful to you, Miss Lawrence.”
A gentle flush edged itself across her cheeks, but she did not look away from him.
“I am only glad that I can be of aid to you, Lord Foster. After all, that is what I must do, is it not?”
Reminding himself that this was nothing more than an arrangement, and he ought not to allow his heart any overwhelming feelings as regarded the lady, William nodded, releasing her hand and dropping his own back to his side as he gave her a brief smile.
“I should return you to your mother. Whether or not she has noticed your absence, I feel duty bound to take you back to her.”
Miss Lawrence did not move with him. Instead, she remained where she was, holding his arm still.
“When will I see you again?”
William blinked, and to his surprise, his heart filled with a warmth that seemed to seep through every pore. It took him a moment to form any response, such was his surprise.
“I… I had not thought.” Her smile faded, and something stabbed through William’s heart. “Allow me to return home and ensure that my invitation to tomorrow evening’s ball is still present, and then I shall write to you to state whether or not I will be able to meet you there or not. If I am unable to attend, then I will make another arrangement, so that we might walk together again. Would that suit you?”
Miss Lawrence nodded, although she did not smile. William found himself almost desperate for the gentle smile to return to her lips, wanting to watch the way her eyes lit up, but he was not to have his wish granted. Miss Lawrence dropped her hand from his arm, and they stood apart, looking back at each other for a few moments.
Then she began to walk along the path, and he had no other choice but to follow her, cursing himself silently for bringing a look of sorrow to her face. They said nothing more until they returned to the place where they had first met. With a murmur of farewell, Miss Lawrence made her way back to her mother. William let himself watch her as she departed, eager for her to look back over her shoulder towards him so that he might smile, nod or wave. But he was to be disappointed again. She did not so much as glance back at him, walking forward with her back straight and her head held high. Frustration built in his heart as Lady Blackford and Miss Henrietta did not even throw a look towards Miss Lawrence as she drew near, for they were much too busy in conversation with other gentlemen. She did not deserve to be treated in such a fashion, but yet what could he say? He could not go over to them and demand that they pay attention to Miss Lawrence. No, the only thing he could do was turn away in frustration and make his way home.
Chapter Eight
“Who was it you were walking with?”