The Discreet Charm of Lady Mary (A Howertys Novella)

Chapter 7: Searching

Mary glanced at John as they searched another room of the manor. His face was a mask of focus as he searched through a stack of letters they'd found in a box in the upstairs drawing room.

Because the main events took place at nighttime, they had discovered that most of the other guests were still in bed—or at the very least, remained in their rooms—for most of the day. It gave them an excellent opportunity to search for clues with little risk of discovery. If they ran into a servant or one of the rare instances of another guest appearing, they simply pretended to be busy in a deep discussion to ensure that no one approached them.

He'd been quiet today, even more reserved than usual. She supposed he had not appreciated her joke last night. A smirk crossed her face. He'd scrambled away from her so fast you'd think the bed was on fire. It was almost insulting.

A name signed at the bottom of a letter caught her attention. They had discovered another writing desk in the drawing room and she was busy looking through the letters found inside it.

"I found something!" Excitement bubbled in her as she skimmed the letter from her sister to Hayes.

John abandoned the papers he'd been looking at and came over to look over her shoulder. Standing behind her, he felt far too close.

"Anything?" he asked, his voice near her ear.

"No. It proves they were corresponding, but no details of them meeting up." She brought out the last stack of letters from the drawer and thumbed them, looking for her sister's name, but came up empty. With a frustrated huff, she stuffed the papers back inside the desk. "Nothing! There must be more than one letter."

"If their corresponding became more private, Hayes is unlikely to keep the letters lying about," John said. "I think his bedroom is the most likely place."

She turned around and leaned her hips on the desk. "But how do we gain access to his room? Should I seduce him?"

The widening of John's eyes spoke of his conviction that such a thing would not be possible, and it bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

"No!" He cleared his throat before he continued. "That will not be necessary. You are an innocent. I will not have you put yourself in that situation."

Crossing her arms, she stared up at him. "You don't believe I could."

The masks they wore for privacy, even during the daytime, left his eyes in shadow as he angled his face away from her. "That is not what I said."

She scoffed. "You didn't need to. I'm well aware that I am not as pretty as my friends, but Hayes arranges these parties. Surely he does it because he enjoys a conquest. Any conquest."

"I could not speak to his reasons for these scandalous parties," John muttered. "But I would not assume he can be easily seduced—" Before she could say anything, he quickly added, "By anyone. I did not see him with a single guest last night, other than talking or laughing. Maybe he only enjoys watching."

"That sounds awfully boring. Why would one watch when they can take part?" She assumed. Never having so much as kissed someone before, she didn't know what to expect, but it certainly looked enjoyable. A lot of the things she had seen or read about seemed enjoyable. She captured her lower lip between her teeth as she remembered the couple on the bench the previous night. The way they had touched each other. Moved against each other. The way the man had captured the woman's nipple in his mouth.

"Are you all right?" John was staring at her, and she realised she'd let out a little sound as heated excitement filled her at the memory.

"Yes. Fine."