A clatter of hooves outside interrupted her gloomy meditations. The door opened wide with welcome. On a blast of cold air that sent her huddling into her cloak, a tall man swept into the hall.
The superior butler could raise a smile. Who knew? Sourly she watched footmen dash forward to take the newcomer’s cape, gloves, hat, and cane and whisk them away.
Sidonie had never seen a man so beautifully turned out. His garments fit like a second skin. She slid her slippered feet beneath the chair. In spite of her efforts last night, she was humiliatingly aware dirt from the streets around Newgate soiled her shoes and her hem was black with grime.
“Sir Richard!” The warmth in the butler’s voice was in marked contrast to his greeting to Sidonie.
Her heart kicked into a gallop. Sir Richard? Could this be Jonas’s rescuer? The man who had asked the duke to call at Castle Craven? She heard a sharp yip from outside and the elegant gentleman turned to pat a shaggy mongrel that trotted in after him. Sidonie waited for the starchy butler to expel the dog, but he merely smirked indulgently.
“Water for Sirius, Carruthers.”
“At once, Sir Richard.” The butler shot a peremptory glance at a footman, who disappeared in search of the hound’s refreshment. The hound clearly rated above Sidonie.
Sirius was astoundingly ugly. Part lurcher, part whippet, part any number of breeds Sidonie couldn’t place. He was a medium-sized dog with a brindle coat and a curved, feathery tail. He made an incongruous companion for the exquisite Sir Richard. As if aware of her curiosity, the dog turned his bright black eyes in her direction and wandered across to investigate, claws clicking on the marble floor.
“Hello, Sirius,” Sidonie said softly, standing and extending a hand for him to sniff.
“He won’t bite,” Sir Richard said, and she realized he too had strolled closer.
“I’m not afraid.” She scratched the animal behind his ears. His eyes shut with bliss. “I like dogs.”
“He’s an unregenerate flirt. No pretty lady escapes his notice.”
“Sir Richard, His Grace awaits.” Behind them, the butler sniffed with disapproval.
“A little patience will do his ducal soul good.” Sir Richard’s blue eyes didn’t waver from Sidonie’s face.
Sidonie mightn’t be familiar with London gentlemen, but she recognized an out-and-out rake when she met one. Sir Richard was accustomed to charming women into doing exactly what he wanted. Up close, he was as handsome as his dog was ugly. Perhaps that’s why he kept the beast, to emphasize the contrast.
“Are you waiting to see Cam?”
Sidonie couldn’t imagine why he wasted his considerable address on her, but if there was a chance this man—whether the Sir Richard she sought or not—could get her in to see the Duke of Sedgemoor, she wouldn’t discourage him. “Yes.”
“Miss Forsythe arrived without appointment or introduction,” the butler said frostily.
“I need the duke’s help,” she said, still fondling Sirius’s ears. The dog’s tail waved back and forth with lazy enjoyment.
The man’s gaze ran over her, as if assessing her intentions. Perhaps he feared she was a discarded mistress, except surely no duke’s ladybird worth her salt would sport such a dreary outfit. “I’ll help if I can. What is your name?”
“Sidonie Forsythe. My sister Roberta is… was married to Viscount Hillbrook.”
Loathing swiftly darkened the man’s face under his thick golden hair before urbanity descended once more. Sidonie’s instincts, already aroused, screamed this must be the Richard Harmsworth who had saved Jonas. Hope surged, dousing the exhaustion of this long, frustrating day.
“My condolences for your loss, Miss Forsythe.”
Her hands fisted in Sirius’s wiry coat. Dear God, let her be right. Let this man be Jonas’s childhood ally. “Thank you. I’m here about Jonas Merrick.”
“Jonas?” The man looked surprised. “I hear he’s been accused of Hillbrook’s murder.”
Sidonie stared straight at him as the dog, sensing her tension, butted her skirts. “He’s innocent.”
“You seem sure.”
“I am.”
“He’s an obvious suspect. The long-running animosity between the two men means—”
“He didn’t kill Lord Hillbrook,” she interrupted, eliciting a soft whine from Sirius. She laid her hand on his head to soothe him.