Page 101 of The Duke’s Hidden Duchess

She was at the writing desk with a book open before her and appeared to have been reading the same page for some time. She looked up when he entered, saw the packet in his hand, and stopped.

“Are those mine?”

“Yes.”

She rose.

“All of them?”

“Every original Rowland admits to having kept. Petherick has also taken a written declaration from him that there are no others.”

Georgiana looked at the packet. “Do you believe him?”

Nathaniel considered the question. “I believe he has nothing left to gain by lying about it.”

He held the packet out. Georgiana took it. For several seconds, she did nothing. Nathaniel watched her thumb pass once over the string.

“I thought they would look different,” she said.

“Different how?”

“I do not know.” She gave a small, embarrassed shrug. “More dangerous.”

They were only folded paper.

Georgiana crossed to the hearth and sat upon the low stool before it. The fire was small in the mild weather, but there was enough of it.

Nathaniel remained standing.

“I can leave you.”

“No.”

He waited.

“I would rather you stayed.”

So he stayed.

Georgiana untied the string. Nathaniel had expected her to put the packet into the grate unopened. Instead, she unfolded the first letter and read it.

Her face coloured almost immediately.

Nathaniel looked towards the window.

She put the page into the fire.

The flame caught one corner, travelled rapidly along the fold and curled the paper in upon itself.

She opened another.

“This is worse.”

“I am certain I do not need to know.”

“You do not. Nobody does. That is now the point.” She read another line and closed her eyes. “I told him I should die if he failed to answer me by Thursday.”

Nathaniel said nothing, though his mouth moved. Georgiana caught it.