“Really? You shock me,” Theo responded dryly.
Megan grimaced at him. “When I came to, I didn’t remember anything past leaving the ballroom. I was following Mr. Coffey. But later I remembered that I went after him and then I heard someone on the back stairs going down to the basement. So I followed him. I didn’t see Coffey anywhere, but I did see Mr. Barchester walking down the hall. I thought it was strange that he was in the basement.”
“There seem to have been a number of people down there,” Theo murmured. “You are sure it was the basement?”
“Of course I’m sure. The blow didn’t rattle my brains enough that I don’t know down from up,” Megan retorted tartly. “I don’t know how I ended up on the second floor. I may have followed him up there. Or maybe whoever knocked me out carried me up there. I still can’t remember being hit on the head. But it is possible, I suppose, that Barchester could have seen me, then doubled back and hit me over the head.”
“Or that someone else took advantage of an opportunity to get rid of a troublesome snoop.”
Megan sent him a quelling look. “At any rate, it is enough to make me wonder exactly what Mr. Barchester is up to. And I still want to interview Mr. Coffey. I will need someone else’s word to convince my father that you are not Dennis’s murderer. He has believed it for so many years, and he does not know you as well as I do. And he—” She shot him an apologetic glance. “My father tends to be somewhat prejudiced against the English, especially English noblemen.”
Theo grinned. “Having been acquainted with some other Irishmen, I am not really surprised. And you are right. It would help if you had some corroboration from Coffey.” He paused, then added, “I would like to accompany you when you talk to both of them, if you don’t mind.”
Megan’s heart grew immediately lighter. “All right. That would…I would like that.”
Theo’s smile was slow, and Megan’s heart took a hard, slow thump at the sight of it. “I would like that, too.”
She felt suddenly breathless and ill at ease, and she had the irritating suspicion that she was beginning to blush. She glanced toward the door. “Well…I should…rest now.”
“You have had a busy evening,” Theo concurred. He watched her as she walked to the door and opened it. “Megan…”
She turned and looked back at him, brows lifting slightly in inquiry.
“Did you mean what you said earlier…?” he asked, his eyes intent on hers. “About despising my touch?”
Color bloomed on her cheeks, matching the warmth that filled her loins. “No,” she said, the words coming out in a hoarse whisper. “I didn’t mean it at all.”
She turned and hurried from the room.
CHAPTER 16
Megan was surprised, the next morning, to find that her interview with the duchess was neither as long nor as difficult as she had expected. The duchess was an imposing woman, but she listened to Megan’s explanation with a quiet attentiveness and an astonishing lack of rancor that led Megan to suspect that this was not the first time Theo’s mother had heard the story.
She knew she should resent the fact that Theo had obviously stolen a march on her and told the duchess all about her deception, but, frankly, Megan was glad that she was not having to face the older woman’s first reaction. She suspected that the duchess’s cool blue eyes could light with a temper to match her red hair, particularly if danger threatened one of her beloved children.
When Megan at last finished her statement, pleased that her voice had trembled only slightly, and added a final, heartfelt apology, the Duchess of Broughton regarded her for a moment, then sighed.
“I am sure you are aware, Miss Mulcahey, that I abhor lying,” she told her calmly, rising from her chair and beginning to pace. “However, in this instance, I suppose there was a certain amount of reason to your charade. Not knowing my son, you could not have realized before you came here that any tale of his murdering someone was bound to be nonsensical. And I cannot disdain the sort of love and loyalty for your brother that impelled you to try to bring down his murderer.”
“Thank you, your grace,” Megan said, making a point of getting the troublesome form of address correct. “You are very generous.”
“I am merely truthful,” the duchess responded. There was a twinkle in her eye as she went on, “I must confess that I was not entirely convinced of your qualifications, as Rafe had cabled the school where you received your training and received the less-than-reassuring news that it had closed down. Also, Anna experienced some…troubling feelings regarding you. Not, let me hasten to assure you, that she did not dislike you. She does like you, which made her doubts all the more upsetting to her. However, I trusted my instincts and those of the twins enough to let you continue for the moment. I was rather pleased, quite frankly, when Theo told me this morning what you were really doing here. It is so much more pleasant than thinking you were perhaps a thief.”
Megan struggled to keep from looking as astonished as she felt. “I—I don’t know what to say.” She smiled a little ruefully. “Obviously I must not have been as clever as I thought.”
The duchess smiled back at her. “Oh, you were clever enough, Miss Mulcahey. However, it is a mistake sometimes to confuse an easygoing manner with carelessness.”
“I can see that. I want you to know, ma’am, that I have been much torn, knowing the pain that what I believed was the truth would have caused you and your family. I am extremely fond of Alexander and Constantine.”
“As they are of you, my dear. Of course, I will begin to look for another tutor for the twins.” The duchess looked somewhat downcast at the thought. “In the meantime, I do hope that you will continue to stay with us as our guest.”
Megan stared, completely caught off guard by the request. “You want me to stay here? After what I have done?”
“Why, yes. We are all quite fond of you, not just the twins. And Theo tells me that you and he are going to look into the matter of this Mr. Barchester’s lies about Theo. It would seem the easiest thing for you to remain here. I do hope that your father and sister will come to meet us. Theo has told me how close he was to your brother.”
“Of—of course,” Megan agreed, her mind boggling a little at the thought of suggesting to her father that he call on the Duchess of Broughton.
“And if it would not be too much trouble…the twins seem to be doing so well under your tutelage. They are much more willing to work on their studies and stay out of mischief when you are overseeing them. If you could simply check on their work, keep them going in the right direction—only a few minutes a day, really—while I look for another tutor?” The duchess paused, looking hopeful and a little worried.