Confusion lined her face and furrowed her brow. “Mr. Henderson? I don’t understand what he has to do with this.”
“He drove by Mrs. Perkins’s house to check on her tonight. When he arrived, a man matching Davies’s description was digging out in her back garden. He also saw you running toward my house.”
She sank into the closest chair and shook her head. “Simon, I never saw Mr. Henderson. I only came down because the guilt of this was driving me mad. And I knew I had to tell you about seeing Davies tonight.”
He was a fool to want to believe her. But then again, he’d never been anything but a fool for her. “Start at the beginning.” He walked to the corner table and poured two glasses of brandy. He handed her one. “Now,” he demanded. “Before I change my mind.”
Mia pressed her lips together and nodded. Before speaking, she sipped her brandy. “About a year ago, I was assisting Mrs. Perkins with her potato harvest. As I dug up the potatoes, I found what appeared to be a very old gold hilt.”
Simon felt his patience growing short. “What does this have to do with Davies?”
She held up her hand. “Please, let me tell this story. It is a long story.”
“Very well, I shall try to hold my tongue.”
“I didn’t tell Mrs. Perkins what I’d found. I put it in my pocket and then brought it to a pawnbroker and sold it.” She stopped for a minute to sip her brandy. “I gave the money to the tenants who needed it the most. With Mr. Burton raising the rents, many of your tenants were troubled attempting to find the extra money.”
“They could have come to me,” he said harshly.
“You didn’t even know Burton had raised the rents!”
He inhaled deeply and breathed out. “Go on.”
“As I was saying, some of the tenants needed the money so I gave them what I could. And then I started digging around in Mrs. Perkins’s garden and found a few more pieces.”
Simon took a long sip of brandy to calm his nerves. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? After all, you had no idea I was in financial straits so why hide it?”
Her eyes widened. “Simon, I stole from you. Everything on this property is yours. Why would I tell you that I had found gold pieces and sold them to give money to the tenants?”
Simon stared down at the amber liquid in his glass. Why could he always see her point? He wanted to stay furious with her. Even now, he felt swayed by her story. He steeled himself against any piteous feelings toward her. He waved a hand at her to continue.
“After finding those few pieces, I didn’t discover any more.”
“What does this have to do with seeing Davies?”
“When Allan and I were together, he somehow found out that I had given money to the tenants.” She looked up at him helplessly. “I have no idea how he found out. I never told him until after he confronted me. That day in the cottage, he became furious because I wouldn’t tell him where I had found the gold pieces. He was certain there was more to be had, even though I’d told him I’d dug up no more.”
Simon closed his eyes and shook his head imagining the scene that day. “Is that why he beat you?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I refused to tell him. I had no idea he was out there tonight.”
“But why were you out there tonight if you haven’t found any more pieces?”
“I... I did find an emerald out there two days ago.”
“Two days ago? You were out there alone not once but twice?” Simon’s anger returned with a vengeance. “What possessed you to go back out there and dig?”
She shrunk back into her seat. “When I discovered what Burton had done with your finances, I felt dreadful. I thought it was my fault for not telling you about the gold last year. If you’d had the money from the gold, maybe your finances would be better off.”
“More likely Burton would be better off,” he said bitterly.
“I hadn’t thought of that, but you are probably correct.”
“What happened to the emerald you found?” She couldn’t have sold it yet.
Mia glanced down. “I asked Selina to pawn it for me.”
Anger slipped through his veins again. “Why?”