All About Love by Stephanie Laurens Read Free Book Online Page A

a piece of cake. She wouldn’t see twenty again, but how much older was she? Her cool composure he suspected was misleading. Jonas’s age was easier to estimate; his body was still all long bones and spare frame. He was in his early-to-mid twenties, at least four years younger than Lucifer’s twenty-nine.
    Which made Phyllida the same.
    And a puzzle. There was no ring on her finger, nor had there ever been one. He’d noted that last night; even in extremis, his rakish instincts hadn’t failed him. She was twenty-three, twenty-four, and still unwed. Definitely a puzzle.
    She was aware of his scrutiny, but not a smidgen of that awareness showed. The urge to shake her—to see her lose that cool control—flared. Lucifer looked down, set aside his cake plate, and picked up his cup.
    Sir Jasper did the same. “Now, to business. Let’s start with your arrival. What brought you to the Manor yesterday morning?”
    “I received a letter from Horatio Welham.” Lucifer settled his head back on the cushion. “It was delivered in London on Thursday. Horatio invited me to visit the Manor at my earliest convenience.”
    “So you were previously acquainted with Welham?”
    “I’ve known Horatio for over nine years. I first met him when I was twenty, while staying with friends in the Lake District. Horatio introduced me to serious collecting. He was my mentor in that field and became a close, very trusted friend. Over the years, I frequently visited Horatio and his wife, Martha, at their house by Lake Windemere.”
    “Lake District, was it? Always wondered where Horatio hailed from. He never said and one didn’t like to pry.”
    Lucifer hesitated, then said, “Horatio was deeply attached to Martha. When she died three years ago, he couldn’t face living alone in the house they’d shared for so long. He sold up and moved south. Devon appealed because of the milder climate—he used to say he chose to move here because of his old bones and because he liked this village. He said it was small and comfortable.” With no managing local mesdames . Lucifer glanced at Phyllida—how had Horatio viewed her?
    Her eyes had grown dark. “No wonder he never spoke of his past. He must have been deeply in love with his Martha.”
    Lucifer inclined his head, then looked at Sir Jasper.
    “Would any of Welham’s servants know you?”
    “I don’t know who he kept on. Is Covey still with him?”
    “Yes, indeed.”
    “Then he knows me, certainly.” Lucifer frowned. “If Covey’s here, why did the servants suspect me of killing Horatio? Covey knows how long I’ve known Horatio and the nature of our relationship.”
    “Covey wasn’t here,” Phyllida said. “He visits an old aunt in Musbury, a village nearby, every Sunday. By the time he returned, you were here at the Grange.”
    “Covey would be very cut up by Horatio’s death.”
    Phyllida nodded.
    Sir Jasper sighed. “No getting any sense out of him yesterday—I did try. Daresay he’s still feeling it today.”
    “Covey was devoted to Horatio over all the years I knew them.”
    Sir Jasper threw Lucifer a shrewd glance. “Quite—no reason to suppose Covey knows anything about his master’s death.” He sat back. “Now, let’s see. This is your first visit to Colyton?”
    “Yes. Until now, matters never fell out suitably for a visit. Horatio and I discussed it, but . . . We met at least every three months, sometimes more frequently, in London and at collectors’ gatherings around the country.”
    “So you’re a collector, too?”
    “I specialize in silver and jewelry. Horatio, on the other hand, was an acknowledged expert on antique books and a highly regarded authority in a number of other areas, too. He was an inspired teacher. It was an honor to have learned from him.”
    “Were there others who learned from him?”
    “A few, but none who remained so closely in touch. The others took up collecting in Horatio’s own spheres, and so became competitors of