“Might we inquire as to your brother’s health, Miss Miller?” Lord Bradford asked. “Is he ill?”
Thea picked up her glass again, hoping and praying she was not in for a protracted battle and soon to be thrown out of the castle. “No, My Lord,” she said, her voice calm though she shook inwardly. “He has been shot.”
“What?” the Duke exploded at the same time his son exclaimed, “Was it an accident?”
“No, My Lord,” she said carefully. “It was no accident. He was shot three days ago while out hunting with his good friend. Fortunately, he was struck in the shoulder, and will make a full recovery.”
“But do you know who did this foul deed?” the Duke asked, almost spluttering in his outrage.
Thea smiled to herself. Their shock did not come off to her as feigned, and Lord Bradford’s faint animosity had vanished.Now let us hope they will talk like civilized men and not throw me out on my arse.“That was the third attempt to kill my brother, Your Grace, My Lord.”
“Why this is terrible,” the Duke said, glancing at his son. “Who in the devil would want the Viscount dead?”
“Actually, Your Grace,” she said, meeting his eyes levelly, her tone cool. “I was hoping you might know.”
“Me? How should I know?”
Lord Bradford made as though to stand, his face now suffused with anger. “Did you come here to make accusations, Miss Miller?” he snapped, his blue eyes hot.
“My Lord, I did not,” Thea replied, her nose rising against her will. “My brother and I had planned to come here together, to discuss whether your father, given his hatred of ours, might have wished my brother harm.”
“How in the blazes could you have arrived at that conclusion,” Lord Bradford snapped. “Look at my father? Does he look like he is capable of doing your brother harm?”
“No, My Lord,” Thea replied, still outwardly unruffled. “However, his money can buy an assassin.”
“Why this is ridiculous,” Lord Bradford growled.
The Duke settled back into the leather armchair, his eyes on the fire. “I do see why you would think that, Miss Miller. Henry, do calm down. As she said, she is not making accusations.”
“She had better not be.”
“My Lord, were our circumstances reversed, and your father murdered by bandits, and then someone tried to kill you, would you not first think of my father’s animosity toward yours as a potential culprit?”
Lord Bradford, at last, glanced aside and sipped his sherry. “I suppose I would,” he admitted with a sigh.
“But I can already state I believe you gentlemen are innocent,” Thea said, taking a drink from her wine. “You both displayed true shock at my story of someone trying to kill my brother.”
The Duke raised a faint grin. “I was indeed shocked. And, Miss Miller, though I hated your father, and still do, I would never take my vengeance out on his son. Lord Frederick of Willowdale had nothing to do with the war between his father and I. I may be old and growing feeble, but I still am in my right mind.”
“I apologize for misjudging you, Miss Miller,” Lord Bradford said. “I fear hearing stories of the war between our fathers has prejudiced myself against anyone in your family.”
“Bah,” the old Duke snorted, waving his hand. “I should never have embroiled you in my grievances, Henry. That is my mistake.”
“My father told Freddie about the issues between you,” Thea admitted. “But I was not included, and thus my concern was for my brother’s safety. We have very few suspects to choose from.”
“Just how do you know all these incidents were not true accidents, Miss Miller?” Lord Bradford asked.
Thea began with the killing of Freddie’s horse, his near drowning in the tampered boat, then the final shooting from the hills. “We know for a fact that my brother’s enemy, whoever he is, planted the killer, or a spy, in our house. He lives in the tunnels built into the walls, and listens to all my brother’s plans.”
The Duke looked baffled. “How can you be sure of that, Miss Miller?”
“One of our footmen took it upon himself to search, and discovered not only where he sleeps, but the villain hit him on the head and threw him down an old well. He is alive by sheer chance. And,” she added slowly, “I saw this villain myself.”
“Good God,” the Duke thundered. “This is outrageous. You should consult the royal authorities at once.”
“And let him slither into a hole and never be caught?” Thea asked with a smile. “No, Your Grace, we will trap this miscreant first.”
“That is what I would do,” said Lord Bradford with a friendly grin.
