The heavy double doors of the drawing room clicked shut, sealing the guests inside and leaving Ines and Delaney alone in the grand, marble-floored hallway.
The moment the latch caught, Delaney's polite, unreadable mask vanished. She dropped all pretense of the quiet, accommodating cousin. She spun around to face the Duchess of Carleton, her hazel eyes wide with a mixture of sheer confusion and rising annoyance.
"Your Grace," Delaney said. She kept her voice low, but the sharp edge in her tone was impossible to miss. "What in heaven's name is going on?"
Ines did not look guilty. She looked incredibly pleased with herself. She smoothed the front of her green silk dress and turned to face Delaney with a calm, business-like expression.
