It would be a bit easier, he supposed, were she not bright. Not that he wanted a stupid wife. Well, he hadn't wanted a wife at all, but he had one that was clever enough to reason through a series of events. Unfortunately, without all of the information, she'd come to the wrong conclusion.
Felix drew her into the nearest room, which was a small study that had been deemed for the use of visiting guests. As he let go of her hand to close the door, he said, "Why don't you have a seat? I think this may take some time to sort through."
He crossed to the decanter on the side table and poured a fairly large glass. Then a smaller one for her. He held it out as he drew nearer to her. "I have a confession to make. I only told you how to get out the back way because I'd already put you in a bad position. But it was too late to stop what I'd put in motion. I was going to use you, Ella. And for that, I definitely owe you an apology."