Frowning, she thought back. “I was with Mrs. Phelps for at least ten minutes—we had to rearrange the entire week’s worth of menus. Assuming you rode out within two minutes of reaching the stable—” She caught his eye. “Did Hockey have Argus saddled and waiting?” When Julian nodded, she went on, “Then assuming that you and I took close to the same time to reach the stable from the house, you must have ridden out at least eight minutes before I walked into the stable yard.”
“That’s enough time for someone inside the stable or watching the yard to decide I’d ridden out alone and leave to go and set up the wire.” He paused, then went on, “Given they so carefully measured the height of the wire, I think we can safely assume I was their target, and they couldn’t have set up the wire earlier because others use that path as well. Some of those who work in the house and gardens but live in cottages about the estate walk along that path every morning and evening.”
“So we can be certain the wire was set up some time after those people passed this morning.”
“And they wouldn’t have wanted it up if there wasn’t a good chance of catching me riding back, and everyone knows I always take that path home.” His jaw firming, Julian nodded. “They would have waited to confirm that I was riding out and that I was alone.”
They walked the horses on, then Melissa observed, “It can’t be anyone who works in the stable.” She glanced at him. “You’d asked for Rosa to be saddled as well as Argus, and she was ready when I got to the stable yard.”
He grimaced. “You’re right. Rosa was ready and waiting when I mounted Argus, so yes, everyone in the stable ought to have known you would be riding out as well.”
“So we come back to someone watching the stable yard long enough to see you ride out alone, then leaving before I walked out.”
Lips compressed, Julian said, “We need to sit down and work out what each incident tells us of the person responsible. Given the number of incidents we’ve weathered, we should be able to produce a list of possible suspects or at least define who the culprit can’t be.”
Melissa’s face set, and she nodded briskly. “Enough of this. Like you, I’m heartily sick of our apparent impotence. Let’s get back, put our heads together, and see if we can find some way forward. Some way to get to the bottom of this.”
She shook Rosa’s reins and urged the mare into a trot, and Julian brought Argus alongside.
After leaving the horses in the stable, they retreated to their apartments to change their clothes, then as the maids were in their sitting room, descended to the library.
Julian ushered Melissa through the door. He followed and closed it behind them as Melissa exclaimed, “Damian! You’re back.”
She went forward, hands outstretched, as along with Felix, his little brother rose from one of the armchairs in the group before the fireplace.
Julian arched a resigned brow and followed more slowly. Unnerved by the attacks in London, after the wedding, Felix and Damian had both wanted to remain at the castle, but as Julian had pointed out, that would have raised eyebrows all around. In the end, he’d agreed that Felix could stay, his presence excused by unspecified estate business, and rather grumpily, Damian had returned to town with his friends.
After the more recent incidents, Julian had written to Damian purely to keep him apprised of developments, but of course, Damian had come haring back.
As Julian’s sometimes rapscallion little brother, Damian had quickly become a favorite of Melissa’s. When she finally released him, and Damian turned, rather more warily, to Julian, resigned, he held out a hand.
Damian grinned, gripped, and shook, then as they moved to claim seats, sank into the armchair he’d earlier occupied and, in more sober vein, said, “Felix has told me about the latest attacks. Good Lord! It’s—” Lips compressing, he shook his head. “I mean, this is England. We don’t go about bumping off aristocrats.”
Despite the situation, Julian almost smiled. “I seriously doubt it’s any of my tenants trying to ‘bump me off.’”
“Yes, well,” Felix said, “these attacks are getting too serious to simply brush aside. We need to find who’s responsible and string them up by their thumbs.”
Julian inclined his head. “That’s more or less the reasoning that’s brought us here.” He exchanged a glance with Melissa, then looked at his brothers. “Because speaking of attacks, we’ve just weathered another.”
“What?” Felix demanded.
Damian looked incredulous. “When?”
Between them, Julian and Melissa described the latest incident, including their staggered departure from the stable yard.
Both Damian and Felix listened intently.
Leaning forward, his forearms braced on his thighs, Damian said, “So whoever it was thought you would be riding alone, as you used to do all the time, and returning—as you always do—along that particular path.”
“That they were so particular about the height of the wire…” Felix shook his head. “I really don’t like that.”
“But,” Melissa said, “it suggests that whoever put up that wire knew how tall Julian sits on Argus and that whoever it was left soon after he rode out.”
Frowning, Damian looked at Julian. “Can we…I don’t know.” He gestured. “Call in all the outdoor staff and work through who was where, when?”
“Whoever left to put up the wire wouldn’t have been about to be seen by others for at least twenty minutes, more like half an hour.” Felix looked at Julian. “And we can’t forget someone was in the woods, ready to do you in after you fell.”
Melissa grimaced. “But that person could have been anyone—even someone from outside the estate.”
