Dangerous Secrets (86 page)

Simon nodded brusquely.
‶
I understand. I
will save my questions for tomorrow. Tonight I just want to assure myself that
he will be well.″

Before he passed through the doorway, he turned
back to Katherine.
‶
What manner of poison was it?″

She tensed and her brows drew together.
‶
Toadstools.
I very much fear they were some I had discarded from my basket this
morning.″

‶
Your basket?″

‶
When I take the girls for their
stroll, I collect leaves, bark, medicinal herbs —″

‶
And poisonous
toadstools?″

She flushed, and Miranda gasped at the slight
to the healer held in his accusatory expression.
‶
She discarded them when she
realized that, Simon. You heard her say so.″

‶
So she did.″ He turned
his head toward her, and his eyes imprisoned hers. They were sharp as green
glass.
‶
Katherine
and I will get to the bottom of this, Miranda. You must go back to our
guests.″

Miranda went downstairs reluctantly, leaving
Simon to check in on Arthur and question Katherine alone. She worried that he
would be too hard on the healer, as tense and angry as he was. But he was a
just man, and would listen fairly to her story, perhaps finding a clue as to
what — or who — was causing all of Arthur′s
‶
accidents.″
It had become more than obvious to her — and she was sure that Simon felt the
same, that someone was deliberately trying to kill Arthur. But who?

Downstairs, everyone seemed subdued. Although
the musicians still played, there were few dancers on the floor. Many people
had apparently chosen to retire, and had already been led away by footmen to
their guest chambers. She checked anxiously for Hero and Juliet, relieved to
find them still surrounded, though sparsely so, by admirers.

Although, she reflected, seeing her sisters
still holding court in the ballroom, that meant they had not found anyone to
lure them out to enjoy the fragrant gardens. She smiled, thinking that there
might have been young men in the group disappointed that neither girl had
agreed to a walk in the garden, or a turn about the balconies for fresh air.
But she could only be glad. Perhaps her sisters did have more sense that she
had had at their age.

A sinking feeling began in her stomach when she
heard a familiar oily voice addressing her from behind.
‶
The duke′s
heir seems likely to predecease him. Have you and my dear cousin been making a
concerted effort to produce a less accident-prone male?″

Miranda turned toward the sound of
Grimthorpe′s chilling voice.

Chapter 21

His smug demeanor so irritated her that she
wanted to tweak him where it hurt. But this was her home, every nook and cranny
filled with guests this weekend, and conversation with Grimthorpe tended to end
with trouble for her. She did not want to embarrass Simon in that manner. No
matter how angry she was at him this very moment.

‶
Arthur is recovering nicely. It
was only a minor accident.″

‶
If accident is the correct word
for poisonous mushrooms being served to him and him alone.″

He was fishing, Miranda knew. But she was
beginning to become desperately afraid that he was right, as distressful as she
found agreeing with Grimthorpe on any subject at all.

Arthur′s accidents were stretching the
line of credibility to the thinness of gossamer. It was no surprise that
Grimthorpe had realized that someone intended harm to Simon′s heir. No
doubt he would be pleased to spread the gossip as thickly as he could.

She sighed. He would get no help from her on
that score.
‶
We
are all fortunate he is well. After all, he is Simon′s heir.″

‶
Then there is to be no little
Simon Watterly running about anytime soon?″

Miranda was shocked speechless by his audacity.
Taking her silence as a sign of consent to the subject of conversation, he
moved closer.
‶
Perhaps
you would like me to hasten matters?″ Suddenly she caught the scent of
him, the same scent he had worn five years ago. Her fists curled of their own
accord.

She stepped back,
‶
You forget
yourself, sir.″ She turned on her heel, and would have departed except
that his hand had somehow fastened tightly to her elbow, preventing her from
moving away into the safety of the group of remaining guests.

‶
Don′t hurry away, my
sweet. You have not heard the ways in which I′d please you.″ His
face was slightly flushed. Perhaps he was foxed?
‶
I am known among the ladies for
my prowess. Surely you would enjoy a taste of spice now that you have had your
fill of the dull attentions of the saintly Simon.″

‶
I will assume that you have
enjoyed the spirits a bit too freely this evening,″ Miranda said
frostily, doing her best to imitate the dowager in her most quelling mood.
‶
And
I will not tell my husband of this incident, nor ask you to leave, if you
release my arm at once.″

Instead, his hand tightened, and he leaned
forward until she could smell the brandy upon his breath.
‵
′Just
one kiss for a pair of boots? Doesn′t that seem like a reasonable
request?″

She went cold with panic. Not now, not another
disaster upon the heels of Arthur′s poisoning.
‶
Take your hand from
my arm immediately.″ He did so, with haste, when he felt the muscles in
her upper arm clench. Obviously, he well remembered their last encounter.

‶
You will regret spurning my
attention, one day, Your Grace.″ There was vicious emphasis on her title.

Wondering if he intended to display her boots
to the remaining guests, Miranda found that she did not care. Arthur′s
accident had made such a trifling matter seem completely beneath her notice
tonight.
‶
I
already regret having this conversation. I should have walked away immediately.″

She half-turned to leave, adding,
‶
But
that is something I can rectify immediately. I hope the rest of your weekend is
pleasant, but I am certain that you understand my reluctance to spend time in
your company.″

He did not seem to understand her words. The
smile was still fixed upon his lips. But he did not look at her, rather beyond
her.

She understood why when Simon′s voice,
deep with anger, sounded from close behind her.
‶
My wife has bid you good
evening, Grimthorpe. Did you not understand her clearly?″

She twisted to glance up at him, and Simon
enjoyed the feel of her soft curves pressed against his torso as he looked down
upon her serious face. With her bottom lip caught between her teeth, she turned
back to see Grimthorpe walk stiffly away from them.

He felt the tension drain from her, leaving her
weight resting against him.
‶
Simon, why is it that some men cannot believe that a
woman does not desire him?″

He wondered that very same thing.
‶
Lust
is a strong emotion in most men, Miranda. I have seen it turn the most
reasonable person into a gibbering idiot, and yet I cannot tell you why.″

Smiling, she turned, bringing herself into his
arms.

She laid her cheek against his chest. He could
not resist encircling her with his arms, despite the ache of need that filled
him immediately.

‶
I am so glad that you are not
like other men, Simon. I cannot imagine you behaving so foolishly.″ There
was a touch of wistfulness in her voice. It called to the spreading need that
he felt almost all the time nowadays.

He buried his face in her elegantly coiffed
hair, enjoying the faint scent of roses there.
‶
Nor can I,″ he lied,
knowing how close he was to taking her upstairs to his bed then and there, be
damned with their guests, be damned with begetting a child. Be damned with
dying.

He released her and stepped away. It was
becoming harder and harder to resist the urge to bed her, to make her his true
wife. To make love to her. He groaned softly. If only there were some way to
bring her with him. But he could not ask her to exile herself from her sisters,
her brother. Nor could he ask her never to hold a child of her own in her arms.
He knew what it felt like to lose a family.

He forced the sorrow away again, though he
found it more difficult each time. Still, there were serious matters that
needed his attention. He could not waste any time cursing fate.
‶
Katherine
discarded the toadstools in the dustbin. We checked. There are several
missing.″

Her eyes darkened. He knew she would not miss
the meaning of such a thing.
‶
But who would have known that they were poison? If
only we could find out, we′d have some answers.″

Nothing about this matter would be easy.
‶
There
were several guests around who might have overheard Katherine′s lecture
to the girls about the danger of those particular toadstools. She spent several
minutes going over the dangers, and the way to recognize those toadstools from
nonpoisonous mushrooms.″

‶
She did not know who, then? She
gave you no names?″

‶
At the time, her concern was
with ensuring that the girls understood the danger fully; her attention was
given over completely to them.″

Miranda shivered, her eyes huge in her pale
face.
‶
What
does this mean? There is no doubt now that someone is trying to do away with
Arthur. But why?″

He embraced her tightly, wishing that he could
reassure her.
‶
It
seems that someone does not want Arthur to succeed me to the title.″

She nodded.
‶
How long have you
suspected?″

Since I learned that the heirs who came before
Arthur on my list all died unexpectedly before my agent found them.″

‶
Is there nothing we can
do?″

‶
I may send you to stay with
your family for your own safety.″ He had just thought of it as he held
her in his arms and realized how vulnerable she was. The murderer, if this was
the work of one fiend, had no way of knowing that his bride was — and would
remain — a virgin and in no danger of giving birth to a ducal heir.

‶
I won′t leave you.
I′m no coward.″

He smiled.
‶
You are indeed no coward, my
fairytale warrior. Still, I would rest easier if I knew you were out of harm′s
way.″

‶
I′ll consider it.″
Her voice was cool, and he looked down to see her watching the deserted ruins
of the decorated dance floor.
‶
As soon as our last guest has left. ″

He would have felt a bit more comfort if the
hairs on the back of his neck did not prickle when she spoke. He had no doubt
he needed to find his answers swiftly, or risk having her launch herself in to
the effort beside him.

He wished once again, as he held her tight,
that he had never been struck with moon madness and married her. He had brought
her nothing but heartache, and he would never be able to bring her anything
else.

***

Katherine′s patient recovered quickly
from his poisoning, and the next morning Miranda found him in the library with
Hero. Her sister was reading in a clear and steady voice. Arthur sat with his
eyes closed, an expression of bliss on his narrow features.

Miranda waited for Hero to come to the end of a
line.
‶
Good
morning. How are you feeling?″ She shot a troubled look at her sister.
Did she not realize that Arthur was included in the category of men she should
be careful not to allow herself to be alone with? Or had she so quickly come to
think of him as family, though he was not?

Hero flushed guiltily as she hastily marked her
place in the book and sat it on the table next to her chair. Arthur himself sat
ramrod stiff upon the sofa, his color higher than that on Hero′s cheeks.

‶
Good morning, Miranda. I was
just keeping Arthur company. He did not feel like taking breakfast this
morning.″ Her eyes did not meet Miranda′s — a clear indication that
she knew of her own forwardness. At least, thankfully, she had not sat beside
him on the sofa.

‶
That was thoughtful of you,
Hero.″ With her eyes, Miranda conveyed that no matter how thoughtful the
gesture, it made it no less unwise for a young unmarried girl.
‶
Why
don′t you go in to breakfast now. I wish to speak with Arthur
alone.″

Panic flared in Hero′s eyes, a quiet
mortification that expressed itself only in a slight gasp of protest.

Miranda, realizing that her sister was afraid
that Arthur would be chided for her own transgression, put her fears to rest
quickly.
‶
I
just want to see to his health. Katherine said he could easily have died last
night. I must find out what happened so that I can prevent it happening again.″

Hero paled and swallowed convulsively. Tears
made her eyes bright as stars. Without further comment, she hurried out of the
room. Miranda doubted she would be indulging in much breakfast, however. It was
difficult to eat with a bruised heart.

Arthur hurried to say,
‶
Your sister and I
share a love of literature, that is all. Please be assured that I would not
think to hurt her reputation in any way.″

Miranda wondered if she had been too hasty in
her judgment. She sighed. It was a sin she had committed before. She would do
her best to try not to commit it now.
‶
Exactly how many accidents have
you had since coming here, Arthur?″

Miranda tried to keep her question casual. She
knew that Simon would know the answer. Of course, he would refuse to tell her
and be forewarned that she was asking questions. She did not want Arthur to let
slip that she had winnowed the details from him. But she need not have worried.
Arthur apparently had not a suspicious bone in his body.

‶
Let me see —″ He closed
his eyes to concentrate.

‶
When I was but a few miles from
arriving here, my carriage broke a wheel and I was thrown a distance.
Fortunately I landed in a boggy spot and wasn′t hurt. Not that Laddensby
was any too pleased about the state of my clothing, I can tell you.″

He was silent for a moment, whether in sympathy
for his valet′s annoyance or in thought, Miranda could not be certain.
But she watched him closely, and saw the exact moment that suspicion leapt into
his face.

‶
I say.″ His voice was
pitched higher than normal, as if his mind might be racing.
‶
It′s
quite extraordinary, really. Counting that incident, which actually happened
before I arrived, I have fallen down the stairs; my room has been afire once;
the girth of my saddle broke twice.″

He sat forward, his voice sharp with
excitement.
‶
Oh,
and I was set upon by a mad swarm of bees the doctors have told me that if I am
so set upon again, several stings at once might kill me.″ He settled back
against the sofa, obviously drained of energy.

Quietly, he added,
‶
And, of course,
that unfortunate substitution of poisonous mushrooms. Indeed, I have been quite
unlucky of late.″

Miranda smiled and nodded. Indeed. Or could it
be that Arthur had actually been quite fortunate?

Fortunate enough to make someone quite
desperate. But who?

***

Miranda could not help the frisson of guilt
that assailed her at her intrusion into the dowager′s privacy. She was in
the garden gazebo, resting, a piece of sewing on her lap.

The older woman had worked tirelessly these
past weeks to ensure a successful party and deserved whatever moments of rest
she might steal in between seeing to the needs of the guests and the duties of
the servants.

However, of all those involved, the dowager had
motive. She had been vocal about the fact that she counted Arthur a worthless
heir apparent. Though the thought was absurd on the surface, Miranda could not
dismiss it. Arthur had nearly been killed. Who knew if his luck would hold him
safe if there were to be another attempt? The question must be asked.

And so she asked it boldly, without pretense.
‶
Why
do you object to Arthur as Simon′s heir?″