Mr. Harrold turned to Oliver for confirmation and he nodded subtly. So far, this was all truth. Lord Draydon had been calling on Claire for weeks before he took her out on the carriage ride and made known his intentions towards her.
“Does anybody know of Lord Draydon’s intentions with the young lady in question?”
“I wouldna know, sir. Mayhap his father did.”
“His father?”
“His Grace, the Duke of Lorchester,” Hornby muttered numbly. “I suppose as his lordship intended to marry, he mighta gone and said somethin’ to His Grace of his intentions.”
“And what do you think the Duke of Lorchester thought of all this?” the constable asked him.
“I don’t know. All I know is that his lordship didna want to marry yet and His Grace has been pesterin’ him for months on end to pick a nice, wealthy young lady.”
“What about the Duke of Lorchester? Does he know that his son has been attacked and kidnapped?”
“I wouldna know for certain, sir. See, when I went to His Grace’s residence to report the matter, he wasna there.”
“What do you mean he was not in his residence?” the constable frowned. “You mean His Grace was out?”
“I meant he wasna in there. Nobody was in there. The whole bloody house was empty!”
Oliver sucked in a harsh breath and looked at the constable, his mind in a whirl.
What is going on here? And what has all this got to do with Claire?
Mr. Harrold met his glance and briefly excused himself, taking Oliver with him.
“Do you think he is telling the truth?” the Duke asked him.
The constable flattened his lips into a grim line. “It is not possible to truly tell at this point, but everything he says appears to be mostly true. We also have evidence that they have been attacked.”
Oliver nodded. “But if all that is true? Why would they feel the need to go after Lady Claire and my sister?”
“I will need to investigate more on the matter, Your Grace,” Mr. Harrold replied seriously. “By all appearances, both the Duke of Lorchester and the Marquess of Draydon made some very dangerous enemies. These enemies of theirs might have noted that Lord Draydon frequented your townhouse and inferred that he must be courting a young lady. They might have followed him all the way to the park earlier this afternoon before springing their attack.”
Oliver sucked in a harsh breath.
Damn the Marquess and whatever shady business he was involved in! Now, it appears that he has roped in both Suzanna and Claire into the fray.
“They might have thought of using the ladies as a way to hurt the Marquess,” the constable continued. “In any case, this is not yet for certain. I still need to investigate more before I get to the bottom of this.” He cast a pointed glance at Oliver. “Do not worry, Your Grace. I will spare no effort in making sure whoever is behind this will be brought to justice.”
“In that case, I will have to thank you for your efforts in advance.” Oliver nodded towards Smithson, who immediately understood and left to prepare the carriage. “I find it highly disconcerting that somebody would be so bold as to attack two carriages in broad daylight—with the intention to kill, no less.”
Mr. Harrold nodded somberly. “Whoever is behind this is certainly cold-blooded. I certainly hope that I am right and the ladies never were the main target, only pawns that might be used as leverage against the Marquess and his father.”
“I certainly hope so, too,” Oliver muttered, feeling a measure of relief. He was still worried for Claire, though, as she and Suzanna had suffered quite a fright this afternoon.
It was well and good that they had withdrawn from social gatherings ever since the Viscount died.
“Well, I shall leave this matter in your most capable hands, Mr. Harrold,” Oliver sighed. “If you wish to contact me, you know where to find me.”
The constable smiled a little. “I shall update Your Grace of the outcome of our investigation as soon as I can.”
Oliver nodded at him before going back to his carriage. Before he got in, he looked up to the stars and frowned.
With the Marquess and his father missing, who was behind the attack on Claire and Suzanna?
“Your Grace?”
