Page 84 of So Wild A Heart

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Devin hooked one hand around her arm and dragged her into the sitting room.

“What do you—” Leona yelped in protest. “If you think that is going to win me back, I can tell you that you are fair and far off!”

“I don’t give a damn about winning you back. I came here to tell you that I am on to your scheme. And I swear to you that if you harm one hair on Miranda’s head, I will not rest until I have hunted you down and put you in the ground.”

Leona gaped at him, her preconceptions tumbling down around her with a thud. “What? Miranda? How dare you!”

“Oh, I dare!” he shot back. “Don’t think that you can twine me around your finger again. I know you. I know all the things you did—the lies you told me, the games you played.”

“What? Don’t be absurd. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Devin opened his mouth to explain about Elizabeth, but stopped. He was not about to give Leona any ammunition to use against Miranda or anyone connected to Miranda. He would have liked to spew out what he thought about her and what she had done to both him and Elizabeth, but he knew that Leona must never know who Elizabeth was or that Veronica was his illegitimate daughter. So he shoved back his grievance and said only, “Oh, yes, I think you do. You have played me for a fool for years, Leona, and you may think that I will never hurt you because I’ve been your lapdog for so long. But I am not anymore. You have seen how I am with others who cross me. You know what I’m capable of.”

“I know that you have gone quite mad,” Leona snapped back, trying to wrest her arm away from him.

“No, not yet. But I can promise you I will if any harm comes to my wife.”

“You keep prating on about her! I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“The ‘accidents’ that have been befalling her, that is what I am talking about. I realized that it was you who must be behind them. So I came here to tell you that it will do you no good. I will never come back to you, no matter what might happen to Miranda. The thought of touching you again makes my skin crawl. And should she be hurt, I will know that you are the one who caused it, and I will make sure you pay for it. Physically, socially, every way possible. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly!” Leona seethed. “Now let go of me. I hate you!”

He released her abruptly, and she staggered back a little. “Then the feeling is mutual,” he told her bitterly. “Just remember what I said. Leave Miranda alone.”

“I wouldn’t touch your precious little wife!” Leona cried, her voice cracking with fury. “Now get out of my house.”

“Gladly.” Devin knew that he had made an implacable enemy of her, but he also knew that Leona was far too interested in self-preservation to discount his words.

He took a last long look at her, wondering how he had thought himself in love with her for so long. Then he turned on his heel and strode out.

After Devin left, Miranda went down to the library. It had been a taxing day, and she was glad to seek the solace of her work. Hiram was not there, being upstairs closeted with Joseph and the architect, going over the expenditures for the renovation of the house. Mr. Strong, however, was there, and she remembered that yesterday she had told him to meet with her almost an hour earlier. He jumped to his feet when she came in.

“My lady.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, Mr. Strong. I forgot our appointment.”

“That is perfectly all right, my lady,” Strong said with alacrity, getting to his feet. “I will come back another time.”

“No, we should go ahead,” Miranda said. “I need to get it done before Lord Ravenscar and I leave for Apworth Mountain.”

“Apworth Mountain, my lady? Are you sure? I mean, are you still planning to go after, well, your ordeal yesterday?”

“Of course. Why not? Now, where were we? The final set of books?”

“Yes, my lady. But, ah, I was thinking. Perhaps we might ride over to one or two of the tenant farms today. You had been wanting to go to them, you said.”

“That’s true.” Miranda considered the idea. It was tempting to think of riding out instead of staying cooped up in the house today. And now that Devin had figured out that it was Leona who was to blame for the “accidents,” she supposed there would be no problem with leaving the house. She sighed. “No, I had better not. I need to get through with this or I will find it hard to enjoy our excursion.”

“Of course.” He started to sit down, then stopped. “Oh, wait, I left part of the papers in my office. If you will excuse me for a minute.”

“All right.” Miranda sat down at the table and pulled the ledger book to her as he left the room.

She was deeply engrossed in an examination of the accounts some ten minutes later when the door opened again.

“Ah, there you are,” she began, swinging around to look at Strong. To her surprise, it was Devin’s uncle who had come into the room. “Oh! Uncle Rupert. I thought you were the estate manager.”

“No. Sorry.” He smiled. “How are you doing, my dear? All recovered from your fright yesterday?”