Lydia frowned. “I can understand sisters coming to sisters,” she agreed, “but perhaps she felt like there was something she could not discuss with you.”
“I highly doubt that.” he said, his brows knitting. She feared that she might have offended him somehow by suggesting that his sister did not have enough trust in him, bBut the truth was that there were certain things a lady would not share with a male confidant, no matter how much she trusted him. Still, Lydia decided to let it go.
“You have been doing this for two years on your own without any help?” she asked, leading him right where she wanted him.
“Pretty much, yes,” he nodded.
“You can’t deny that you need help,” she pointed out.
His eyes squinted at her suspiciously. They were back to the part of this conversation which he thought was finished with. Lydia would prove to him that he was far from done.
“How would you know what I need?” he surprised her with his own question.
“Well, you need a fresh, new perspective for one,” she revealed. “For instance, you as a man have had a male perspective on what happened. Don’t you think you could benefit from a female point of view?”
She obviously titillated him with her suggestion. He seemed to ponder it for a few moments then he stared her down.
“That may be so, but what makes you think you could be that help? You already ruined one of my leads, and this evening, you placed yourself in danger,” he reminded her.
“Point taken,” she nodded with as much grace as she could muster. He was right, after all. “I won’t deny that. But you’ve spoken to me enough to know that when I want to do something, I will do it. Nothing will stop me. So, basically, you have two options. Do you know what they are, or would you like me to tell you?”
At this point, he seemed amused. “Do tell,” he grinned.
“We could either work together, which is what I would advise, or I could start following you around, which could result in something even more dangerous than tonight.” She dared him to reply with her eyes.
“You would do that?” he asked, incredulous.
“You know I would,” she assured him although there was no need for that. She was certain that he already knew it. She could see it in the way he sighed. He had almost given up. “Like I said, your perspective is too close to see things clearly. Your judgment is tainted by the love you feel for your sister. You need someone who will see things objectively.”
The carriage suddenly stopped. Lydia knew that they had arrived at her home. Susannah did not even stir. She was still sleeping soundly. Lydia looked at the Duke. He looked back at her. She waited for him to reply.
“We are here,” he told her, instead of answering her comment.
“I know,” she replied stubbornly.
“You won’t let this go, will you?” he asked with a heavy sigh that assured her he was slowly coming to her side. All she needed to do was shake her head in confirmation of this. “Fine. But you must prove yourself first.”
“How?” she frowned.
He thought about it for a moment then continued. “Find out where I was last Saturday, and I will allow you to help me in my investigation.”
“How much time do I have?” she shot her question out without even thinking.
“One day,” he told her.
“One day?” she exclaimed, her brows knitting in displeasure. “That’s not nearly enough.”
“That is all you get. Take it or leave it.”
He said it in such a way that made her adamant to find out if for nothing else than to prove to him that she could do it. He obviously doubted it.
“I take it,” she told him with as much confidence as she could muster.
Then, she turned to Susannah and gently nudged her to wake her up. Susannah opened her eyes, and for a moment, she was shocked to find herself asleep in a carriage. Then, her brain flooded with information, and she realized where she was and with whom.
“Did I sleep through the whole trip back?” she asked.
“Yes,” Lydia smiled. “Let’s go to bed now, hopefully, without anyone seeing us.”