CHAPTER NINETEEN.
Adrian watched the door close behind his wife, his eyes wide with horror and disbelief. Despite their conversation before the wedding on the subject of her obeying him, she"d just flouted his authority with such unconcern ... and in a matter of such import. He could not believe it. Cursing under his breath, he whirled and started up the hall, yelling, "Frederick!"
"Yes, my lord?" The boy had not been far away from his mistress, and now appeared from a door in the hall.
"Take three of the other male servants and follow your mistress and her stepmother. Stay close," he ordered. "Do not let them out of your sight for a moment. And if that woman tries anything the least bit threatening, you have my permission to stop her however you deem necessary."
His Adam"s apple bobbing as he swallowed, Frederick nodded. "Yes, my lord."
Adrian watched the lad hurry away to do his bid- ding, then stood there in the hall, clenching and unclenching his fists. He wanted to go after the women himself, but he and Lord Crambray were supposed to be meeting with Hadley to map out a plan of action. Maybe he should just follow anyway; a plan of action would do little good if Lydia had already killed Clarissa.
Whirling back toward the door, he hurried forward, only to come to a halt when Kibble stepped out of the salon.
"It is not Lady Crambray," he announced calmly.
Adrian stilled, his head c.o.c.king to one side. "You sound very certain of that."
"I am," Kibble said. "From what you told me and from what I saw when Lord and Lady Crambray arrived and Clarissa greeted them, I deduced that the stepmother was the most likely suspect. And so I set two of the footmen to watch her. They have been following her since her arrival, and she did not place the poisoned pie in Lady Clarissa"s room."
In his relief, Adrian reached for the wall as all the strength seemed to trickle out of him. He did not doubt for a moment that what Kibble said was true. Nor was he surprised that the man had taken matters into his own hands. He was a take-charge kind of butler, a leave-over from his time in the royal army.
"I am glad she is not," Kibble went on. "Lady Clarissa and her stepmother had a fine talk this morning. I do believe the two of them may become closer. It may help make Lady Crambray a little less miserable. She is very unhappy."
"You were eavesdropping," Adrian accused.
Kibble shrugged. "You told us to watch Lady Clarissa. I was just following instructions."
Adrian smiled faintly. Kibble had missed his calling. He would have been a fine spy for His Majesty"s army. The man knew absolutely everything that went on in this house-or almost everything, he thought grimly. It would be handy if the man knew who actually had put the poisoned pie in Clarissa"s room.
Nodding, Adrian turned and walked back up the hall to his office, knowing that Kibble would follow.
"I understand that Mr. Hadley, Lord Crambray, and vourself are going to meet for a strategy session. I should like to be present-if you do not mind," Kibble said as Adrian took a seat behind his desk.
"That would be fine," Adrian replied, turning to peer out the window. "We will be having it as soon as Mr. Hadley gets back from the village."
"The village?" Kibble raised an eyebrow.
"He received a message this morning and said he had to go to the village for something," Adrian explained with a shrug. "I imagine he should return soon."
"Very good." Kibble turned and headed for the door, then paused and glanced back to reiterate, "I know you have a great deal of antipathy for Lydia because of her treatment of Clarissa, but I think these two will be much closer now, and I also think it would behoove you to give the woman another chance."
"I shall take your advice into consideration, Kibble," Adrian murmured. He wasn"t promising anything. He would wait on that matter, to see how the woman behaved toward Clarissa, and then make his decision.
"Very good, my lord." Kibble nodded.
As the butler left the room, Adrian turned his chair to face the window. While he was glad that Clarissa and Lydia might find their way to a new relationship, and was happy for his wife"s sake that her stepmother wasn"t the one trying to kill her, it did leave him with something of a conundrum. While it had removed one suspect from the list, it had removed the suspect he most liked: Lydia was the suspect he would have preferred to be the culprit. With her off the list, the alternatives were gready reduced. In fact, Reginald had become the prime suspect.
Frowning unhappily, Adrian stared outside, but he wasn"t seeing the rolling lawns or surrounding trees. He was seeing Reginald when they were younger, the two of them running across the grounds, laughing and joking as they got into mischief. He was seeing Reg as a young man, eyes shining as he thought up some new adventure they could try. Adrian was seeing him as a man, and possibly the murderer trying to take his wife"s life.
"Son! What are you doing?"
Glancing toward the door, Adrian frowned as Lady Mowbray bustled into the room. "What is it, Mother?" he asked.
"I just came in to tell you I am leaving."
"Leaving?" he asked with confusion. "But you only just got here."
"Yes, but it seems that Clarissa and Lydia had a good talk this morning and are now trying to mend their relationship. I do not wish to intrude and possibly hamper their efforts. I am going to visit the Wyndhams for a bit, and will return once Lady and Lord Crambray leave."
"Oh." Adrian nodded, his gaze returning to the window and the past reflected in it. "Who told you about their talk? Kibble?"
"No. Clarissa did."
That got his attention, and Adrian turned a surprised gaze back to his mother. "Clarissa? But she just left for the village."
"They left for the village first thing this morning, and have been back for almost an hour now." She frowned. "You have been in here, silent as a mouse, for hours."
Adrian blinked, amazed that he"d spent so much time in reflection. Sighing, he glanced unhappily out the window again. The time had not been wasted. He had managed to come to a decision. Reginald was like a brother to him, and it was hard to accept that he would try to hurt anyone, let alone Clarissa, but it was time to know for sure, one way or the other. He needed to confront his cousin as soon as possible and learn the truth.
"Adrian," Lady Mowbray said quietly. "I hope you will not hamper their efforts either. I think a relationship would be good for both Lydia and Clarissa. It might even aid the relationship between Lydia and Lord Crambray. There is a lot of unhappiness there, but none of it irreparable."
"I will not interfere unless Lydia returns to her old ways and tries to hurt Clarissa," he said automatically. He would not allow anyone to hurt Clarissa. Not even his beloved cousin.
"That is as it should be," his mother said with satisfaction. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly moved between him and the window, blocking his view and forcing his attention to her. "It would be nice if you could see me off," she suggested firmly, hands on hips.
"Oh, of course. I am sorry." Rising abruptly, Adrian took her arm to lead her to the door. "I have to go out anyway. I shall see you out on the way."
Clarissa waited nervously by the front door as she heard her husband and mother-in-law"s chattering approach. Fixing an anxious smile on her face, she tried not to wring her hands nervously as they appeared and joined her.
"Here she is!" Lady Mowbray smiled rea.s.suringly as she pulled Clarissa into an embrace, then stepped back. "I shall miss you, my dear. You must make Adrian bring you to London as soon as he has finished with this business. He will resist-he does detest the season-but you must be firm. I shall take you shopping and instruct you on which parties to attend and which not, and you really must have a ball-your first as the Countess of Mowbray."
"Yes, my lady," Clarissa murmured doubtfully, not at all thrilled by the prospect of going back into society, even with spectacles. Lady Mowbray"s expression seemed to say she was aware of as much, but the woman simply gave another rea.s.suring smile, patted Clarissa"s hand kindly, and turned back toward her son.
"Give Mother a kiss, dear," she murmured with amus.e.m.e.nt.
Bending, Adrian kissed his mother distractedly, not even seeming to notice a phrase that usually annoyed him. Eyebrows rising, the older woman glanced ques-tioningly over his shoulder at Clarissa, but Clarissa had no idea why he had not reacted to the teasing, either. She shrugged helplessly.
Adrian straightened and took his mother"s arm, walking her out to her carriage. Setding her inside, he closed the door, then banged on the side of it twice before stepping back. The coachman immediately cracked his whip over the heads of the horses, and the carriage jolted forward. Lady Mowbray"s wide, concerned eyes peered worriedly out at Clarissa as the carriage moved off down the drive, her expression saying clearly that she believed something was wrong with her son.
Clarissa had to agree; there was definitely something wrong. Adrian had turned abruptly and moved off toward the stables. He had not even noticed the spectacles she wore.
Clarissa and Lady Mowbray had planned this scheme together as a way to reveal the spectacles to Adrian. The two women had talked after Clarissa and Lydia returned from the village, and it was then that Lady Mowbray had decided to do a little visiting, promising to return in a couple of days. But she had asked if Clarissa might see her way clear to telling Adrian about her spectacles before she went, so that she knew things were progressing in the right direction. Clarissa had reluctantly agreed, and they"d decided she should wait on the front step, wearing her spectacles as her husband saw his mother off.
Now the silly man had ruined all their plans. Adrian hadn"t even noticed. In truth, he hadn"t even seemed to really notice her presence, which was highly unusual. He"d acted terribly distracted. Something was obviously on his mind, and it wasn"t pleasant, if she were to judge by his expression. There was a grim, determined cast to his face that made her anxious.
Frowning, Clarissa picked up her skirts and hurried after him. "Adrian?"
"Yes, my love?" he murmured, not slowing his steps.
She blinked at the term of endearment, startled, then shook off her surprise and asked, "Is aught amiss?"
"No, nothing."
"Then where are you going?" Clarissa asked with alarm. He had reached the stables and begun to saddle his stallion.
"I have to go to the Wyndhams"."
"The Wyndhams"," she echoed. "Your neighbors?"
"Our neighbors," Adrian corrected.
"Our neighbors," Clarissa repeated obediently. "Why?"
"Why, what?"
"Why are you going to the Wyndhams"?" she asked impatiendy. When he hesitated over answering, Clarissa clutched at his arm and drew him around to face her. "What has happened?"
"Nothing," he said at once, but avoided her gaze by turning back to his horse.
Clarissa shook his arm. "Then why do you go see Reginald?"
Adrian stilled. He turned slowly to peer down at her. "You knew he was there?"
"Yes."
"How?" he asked harshly.
"We ran into him in the village today. He explained he was staying at the Wyndhams"."
"My G.o.d, he could have killed you," Adrian muttered in a horrified whisper. "Clarissa, you are not to go walking alone again."
"I was hardly alone, my lord. I had Lydia with me, and at least four servants trailed us to the village and back," she pointed out dryly. "And don"t you start suspecting Reginald of this. I know Hadley does, but I thought you had better sense. Reginald would never harm anyone."
Adrian sighed impatiently. "Kibble has had men hing Lydia since she arrived. According to them, she could not have put the poisoned pie in your room. That really leaves only one person."
"Reginald?" She shook her head. "I do not believe it." Neither did I at first. But-according to Hadley- he needs money, and he is my heir if you are not... around. He is also the only other person who has been both here and in town with us. The Wyndhams live only half an hour away, easily close enough to slip in and leave the piece of pie by your bed."
Turning away, he cinched the strap on his saddle. "Stay close to the estate. In fact, stay indoors until I have returned." And without waiting for her agreement, Adrian led the horse out of the stables, mounted, and road off toward the Wyndham manor.
Clarissa watched him go with a frown. She did not believe for a moment that Reginald was behind all these accidents. It was obvious to her that Adrian wasn"t thinking very clearly. Again, he hadn"t even noticed the spectacles! Now the silly man was about to ruin a friendship he"d had since childhood. She sighed unhappily and turned back toward the house.
Adrian"s words played through her head as she walked.
He is also the only other person who has been both here and in town with us. That was what the men were speaking about when she"d overheard them in the library. Whoever was behind the fountain incident, the fire, and the poisoning had to be someone who had been in London when she was, and who was out here in the country now.
There was Lydia, of course. In fact, Clarissa hadn"t suffered any accidents here until Lydia"s arrival. But according to Adrian, Kibble had ordered men to watch her stepmother, and the woman hadn"t done it. Not that Clarissa would have believed it of her anyway. Still, it was good to have proof.
Reginald had also been in the city and was now in the country, but she found it impossible to believe that he was the culprit either. He had been very kind to her every time they met before the wedding, and even today in the village.
Nay, she thought unhappily. There must be someone else. Someone ...
Clarissa"s steps slowed to a halt as a sudden thought struck her. There was someone else who had been both in the city and here, she realized with surprise. But no, she thought at once, it could not be. Could it?
Frowning, Clarissa entered the house and headed for her room, then changed direction and headed for the library instead. She needed to think on this.
"Cousin!" Reginald entered the salon into which Adrian had been shown, a wide, welcoming smile on his face. "I thought you would be too busy with your new bride for visiting, else I would have ridden over to see you myself."
"I already have a houseful of guests," Adrian said. "One more would have been no bother."
"Actually, I knew that," Reginald admitted. "I did not think you needed another."
"How did you know?"
Reginald"s eyes widened at his cousin"s sharp tone. "For one thing, Aunt Isabel arrived here just moments before you and mentioned it. In fact, I was seeing her to her room when Lord Wyndham"s butler came up to inform me that you were here."
"Oh." Adrian frowned. He"d thought he"d caught Reg out: If Reginald had been sneaking about Mowbray the last few days, that was one way he"d have known about the guests presently there.
"So, what can I do for you?" his cousin asked lightly, dropping into the chair next to Adrian. "Do you need help with your wife? Advice on wooing her or some such thing? I am at your service as always." He grinned.
Adrian"s mouth tightened. It was so hard to believe hat this man might be trying to kill Clarissa. In fact, all but one small corner of his mind did not believe it. But that uncertain litde corner was causing him trouble. He had to know.
"The night of the Crambray ball," Adrian said abruptly, and Reginald"s eyebrows rose in surprise.
"What of it?" Reginald asked.
"You did not give that letter to a lad to give to Clarissa, did you?"
"Of course not. I went to the ball to speak to her in person, and to send her out to you as planned. Why id I send a message?" He paused and frowned. "Though perhaps I should have thought of that. It would have saved my having to attend. That ball was Rally quite boring, even for the short while I was there."
Adrian frowned and glanced away, then asked, "What time did you leave?"
"Right after I talked to you. Well, not right after. I had a little difficulty finding Jeevers. But once I"d found him and told him I was leaving, I did so. I went to Staudt"s and lost a small fortune."
Adrian"s mouth tightened. Jeevers was Reg"s friend who had actually been invited to the ball, and whom Reginald had accompanied to get in to speak to Clarissa. Staudt"s was a gaming h.e.l.l known for being shady.
"You went alone?" he asked.
"To Staudt"s?" Reginald glanced up in surprise. "No, actually, I ran into Thoroughgood on the way and he came with me." He frowned. "Why all these questions, Adrian?" His mouth tightened when Adrian hesitated to answer, and he said slowly, "Aunt Isabel told me that Clarissa was poisoned the other day. I gather this means you were right about some of her accidents being attempts on her life."
Adrian shrugged and avoided his gaze.