Prince of Ravenscar (Sherbrooke Brides 11)

“You were shaking her, yelling at her, pleading with her, pouring your breath into her mouth—all of it an act to convince everyone of your despair. You were crying—yet another act.”

Julian was seeing it all clearly again, and it nearly bowed him to his knees. He said, his voice thick, “The pain of it has lessened over time, but speaking of it brings it all back again. I can hear Vicky screaming; I can see your father’s bloodless face, see his lips moving, but nothing came out.

“Richard, consider that nothing I did was an act. That what you saw was a husband who was devastated by his wife’s violent death. Do you remember anyone else who was about that day?”

“No. You asked everyone, you questioned every servant, every gardener, every stable lad, but none of them saw anyone else. So if we are to continue your game, it means you want me to believe one of Lily’s family murdered her, either my sister or my father.”

“If you didn’t kill her and you swear to me she wouldn’t have killed herself, then yes, who else is there to consider?”

“Damn you, no, it is impossible.”

Julian said slowly, “You wish to believe me guilty because you can’t bear it to be either Vicky or your father. Blaming me has kept them safe from your scrutiny for three years. Making your focus on me as the killer has kept that awful fear buried deep inside you, the fear that one of them was responsible.” He waited a beat. “Or the only other possibility is that she did indeed kill herself. But like you, I would swear there was no lover, so the question is: Why would she kill herself? We’d only been married six months. It’s true, I was gone a lot in those days, so much to be done. Mayhap she was lonely, mayhap she did meet a man, but I don’t think so, nor does my mother.

“I still feel the guilt of it now, leaving her at Ravenscar by herself. My mother said she spent a great deal of time at Hardcross Manor. And I remember well she still went back and forth most days even when I was home.

“So why, Richard, why would she kill herself? Can you think of anything that happened, anything that could have sent her into such despair that she no longer wanted to live?”

Richard gave him a blind look, kicked a chair leg,

and said, “She didn’t have a lover, damn you, I know it to my soul. I can’t remember that anything out of the ordinary happened. It could not have been either our father or our sister, that is quite absurd. So your moment is over, Julian. You are the only one left. It was you who killed her, no matter your continuous protestations of innocence. So leave it, Julian, for I will never believe you, ever.

“About Roxanne. I did not take her. You must have enemies other than myself; look at the wealth you’ve gained in a short amount of time.

“Since I cannot believe Roxanne somehow brought this down on herself, then it is you who are responsible. What sort of ruthless bastard are you, Julian?”

Julian said, his voice emotionless, “All right, let us move on to Roxanne. I will consider—for a moment only—that you are innocent of this. Then who hired Manners to drug her in her bed and haul her out of Ravenscar?”

Richard was silent.

“You see how difficult it is for me to believe you innocent? I mean, no one else even knew about Manners, did they? Mayhap your father and your sister, but no one else. Who else knows their way around Ravenscar the way you do? Except perhaps your father and your sister?

“I’m very much afraid there is something in your household, Richard, something right under your nose, that you are refusing to see.”

“There is nothing untoward going on at Hardcross Manor!”

“Do you know Manners was going to rape her? He did not succeed, because her father had taught her to kick a man in the groin to bring him down, and so she kept her wits about her and kicked him hard. She saved herself. We arrived at the old barn when she’d already tied him up. She’ll have nightmares, Richard, probably as long as she lives.”

“I did not hire Manners to take her.”

“You see my dilemma, do you not? I must believe you as guilty of taking Roxanne as you believe me guilty of shooting Lily. Tell me, Richard, are you really going to marry Roxanne’s sister, Lady Merrick?”

“That is none of your business.”

Richard was pacing again. Julian didn’t move, merely watched him.

He said, “I believe you searched Leah out on purpose, to use her to get at me. Such an outlandish scheme, Richard, more complicated than any other I have seen you concoct over the years. Did your father tell you my mother wished me to marry Sophie, but all came to believe it was Roxanne I wanted, and that is why you decided to roll the dice? Tell me, what has winning her affection gained you?”

“Don’t be stupid. Knowing Leah has made me aware of your plans, has given me entrance to this house. Damn you, you hate me, call me out, let’s end this like gentlemen.”

“Hate you? I do not hate you, Richard. What I hate is the boyhood friend now lost to me because he simply can’t force himself to look beyond me.

“Do you really intend to marry her? Or will you simply make her—a lady—into your mistress until you have no more use for her?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Richard kicked the sofa, sending the spaniels into a frenzy, and slammed out of the estate room. He shouted over his shoulder, “I did not hire Manners to take Roxanne. If I’d wanted to destroy you, I would have hired him to take Sophie, not Roxanne. I like Roxanne; I would never hurt her. I do not know who hired Manners to do it; surely neither my father nor my sister, that is ridiculous. There has to be someone else, there has to be. Wake the blighter up, he’ll have to tell you.”

Julian listened to Richard’s boots clicking on the marble floor, receding into the distance. Sophie said from the doorway, “What a very hurt man he is.” She walked to Julian, ignoring the spaniels leaping at her. “You did excellently with him. He’s been angry for so long, he doesn’t know anything else. But now you have forced him to think. Perhaps he will realize something he hasn’t wished to see these past three years.”

“You eavesdropped.”