Jenna Petersen - [Lady Spies] by Love, From London Read Free Book Online

inner demons, but was it the terrible betrayal she had been sent to prove that caused his eyes to be so empty? Or something else?
    She didn’t know. She didn’t know anything except that she longed to chase after his retreating form and beg him to take her into his confidence. She wanted to comfort him. Help him.
    The last thing she wanted to do was destroy him. Even though that was the inevitable if the accusations against him were proven true.
    “I am sorry.”
    She started when Lady Carmichael laid a gentle hand on her forearm. “I beg your pardon?”
    Lady Carmichael smiled sadly. “My son’s behavior was impolite. I’m sorry he could not staywith us until you were ready to retire to your rooms.”
    Meredith shook her head, and her kindness was not contrived as she placed her own hand over Lady Carmichael’s trembling one. No matter what, this woman had no idea of the potential heartache Meredith was there to uncover. Lady Carmichael only wanted her son to be happy, like any good mother would. Meredith was stung as she examined the other woman’s face and thought of her own mother, long dead and unable to protect and console her. She hadn’t experienced much maternal love since then. Even now she hardly saw her aunt and uncle, and was rarely included in their family gathering, despite having lived with them for nearly ten years.
    “You needn’t worry yourself, my lady,” Meredith reassured her gently. “I’m sure Lord Carmichael has much on his mind with the country party and…and other things. Certainly I don’t require his presence if he isn’t able to share it.”
    Lady Carmichael’s face relaxed as she gave Meredith’s arm a squeeze. “Thank you. The other guests are in their rooms, but perhaps you’d like a moment to stretch your legs after the long journey. Would you take a turn with me around the garden?”
    Meredith drew back. Her ladyship was making a special effort to befriend her, with no agendaexcept perhaps her blatantly obvious matchmaking attempts. To take the offer would give her the chance to probe deeper into Tristan’s activities, as well as garner information about the estate and any other guests who could play into her inquiry.
    Under normal circumstances, she would have jumped at the opportunity this gave her. But looking into Lady Carmichael’s gentle green eyes, the same ones her son had inherited, a pang of guilty conscience made her hesitate.
    “Unless, of course, you’re too tired,” Lady Carmichael said with a slight step away.
    Meredith drew up straighter. This was ridiculous. She wasn’t here to make lifelong friends or explore hidden desires. She was here to solve a case. She had to control these ridiculous emotions. She couldn’t let anything interfere with her objectives.
    “I would love a stroll with you, my lady. I have long heard stories about the exquisite gardens here.”
    With a smile, Lady Carmichael took her arm and led her through the house and out the garden doors. They made their way down a charming path, lined with well-trimmed shrubberies, until they reached a magnificent garden. Meredith momentarily forgot her plans as she gazed over the tended rows of greenery and bright, welcoming flowers.
    “It’s beautiful,” she said on a sigh as she covered her heart with her hands.
    Lady Carmichael beamed with pride. “Our family has always taken pride in the garden,” she admitted. “It was first tamed into the general shape you see by Tristan’s great-great-grandfather, and his sons and grandsons all took a hand in its development over the years.”
    Meredith paused in surprise. “Even Lord Carmichael, himself?”
    Lady Carmichael nodded immediately. “Oh yes. Tristan ordered the planting of those lilacs that line the north wall there over a year ago.” Her smile faded a little. “In memory of his brother, Edmund.”
    Meredith looked at the flowering bushes thoughtfully. Somehow she had never taken Tristan to be a lover of flowers. Everything