They both moved toward the corridor that ran parallel to the drawing room wall, which happened to have a connecting door that happened to be very slightly ajar. They stood on either side of it and listened. Calder's voice was already in the room. It was the quietest Nora had ever heard it, which somehow made it the most serious. He did not raise it.
He did not need to. "Lord Harwick. " He was saying. "I want to be direct with you. The information you gathered regarding Miss Vane was gathered with the intention of damaging her standing in this house. I know this.
I want you to know that I know it. " A silence. Lord Harwick's voice, stripped now of pleasantness. "Your Grace I was acting in the interests of due diligence. A man in your position has every right to know the full financial picture of "The full picture. " Calder said. "Was given to me by Miss Vane herself on Wednesday evening before you sat down to dinner. " Another silence.
"Due diligence does not explain the framing you and Lady Mirabelle intended. It does not explain letters sent before breakfast or the performance at the dining table this morning. " He paused. "I am asking you to leave Ashvale Manor today. " The drawing room went completely quiet. Lady Mirabelle's voice came then. It had lost its warmth entirely and what was underneath was harder and considerably more honest.
"You are making a mistake. She said. Whatever she has told you, whatever impression she has made, you are choosing instability over everything this selection was meant to accomplish. My family. Lady Mirabelle, Cordelia said.
I have the greatest respect for your family. I have none at all for the methods used in this room over the past two days. You are welcome to remain at Ashvale Manor through the end of the week as my grandmother's guest. Lord Harwick will leave today. The connecting door shifted slightly in a draft and Tilda grabbed Nora's arm and they both moved back from it quickly.
Tilda's eyes were enormous. Nora pressed her hand over her mouth for a moment. Then they heard footsteps and they walked very quickly and quietly back down the corridor and into the side parlor and sat down on the nearest available chairs and picked up the nearest available items. Nora had a candlestick. Tilda had a small decorative vase.