Page 33 of A Scandal at Stonecliffe

“You glared at me,” he pointed out.

“You tossed me right into that helpless scared female role, of course I glared.”

“Well, it seemed more distracting. I was just hoping they didn’t know what you’re really like.” He paused. “The question is, who were they? Why did they attack us? At first I thought they simply wanted to steal our money, but clearly that was not the case. They were after something else.”

“Yes. He said, ‘Give them to me.’”

“Is that what he said?” Nathan replied. “Between that scarf and his accent, I couldn’t tell what he was saying half the time.”

“I think those were his words. You’re right—he was difficult to understand. I suppose it could have been ‘give it to me.’ Later he said something like ‘tell me.’”

“The other man said that too,” Nathan went on. “So...‘give them to me’ sounds like they want something we have, but ‘tell me’ sounds like they want something we know.”

“Maybe they aren’t sure whether we possess it or just know something about it,” Verity suggested. “But what were they talking about? And who hired them? Those two didn’t act on their own—they were clearly hired bruisers. I would say it was something to do with one of my investigations, but I don’t have any dangerous jobs right now. This Malcolm Douglas case is the only one I’ve been working on, but none of this fits with his previous comportment or aims.”

“True—there’s no need to stop us seeking the truth if his claims are valid. He shouldn’t have anything to fear.” The man had been a bit threatening the last time Nathan saw him, but it had all been about scandal; there had been no hint of violence in it.

“I suppose there could be some proof that your father married Margaret Douglas after your mother, which would make the marriage to Malcolm’s mother illegal,” Verity mused. “Malcolm might want to get rid of that.”

“No,” Nathan said flatly, standing up and beginning to pace. “If my father was already married to Margaret Douglas but fell madly in love with my mother, I could believe he might commit bigamy. But he would not have deceived a young woman just to have an affair.” Nathan dropped back down in his chair. “Besides, it seems unlikely that Douglas is younger than I am.”

“He definitely looks older. Really, more than a couple of years older. That’s one reason I find it hard to believe that your father married Margaret on the date Malcolm told us.”

“It must be someone else who hired the attackers, someone like...well, like Lord Arden, for instance.” Nathan leaned forward, warming to the notion. “What if that guard you pummeled at the ball identified you to Arden afterward? Maybe he suspects you were the thief who stole his brooch, and that is the thing that those men were after.”

“Well, the brooch wasn’t his,” Verity protested. “Anyway, I don’t have it, I gave it back to Lady Bankwater.”

“He doesn’t know that. For all he knows, you’re merely a common jewel thief.”

“I’m an uncommon jewel thief,” Verity corrected indignantly. “But you’re right. The guard could have described me to Arden, and he could have figured out who I was and where I lived. I wondered about that a bit myself when I saw Arden at a party the next day. He had a rather fierce expression when he looked at me.”

“There might be other people whom you have ‘offended’ with your past investigations,” Nathan offered.

“Of course.” She gave a little shrug of one shoulder. “A couple of weeks ago, I discovered that a grocer was selling adulterated flour.”

“Flour?” Nathan quirked an eyebrow. “That seems a bit minor for you to deal with.”

“It bothered my housekeeper,” Verity replied. “Besides, I don’t like cheats. A month ago I caught a banker who was unfaithful to his wife. He was quite angry at me, as her father is a very important man and is now uninclined to deal with him. Before that, I caught an embezzler. And of course there was the fellow who tried to steal the duchess’s jewels. He swore he’d make sure I got mine in the end. He is in jail, but I imagine he has friends. And there was—”

“Good Gad, Verity. Perhaps I should have asked if there is anyone who doesn’t want to harm you.”

She let out a little laugh. “I’m sure there must be someone—it’s quite a large country.” She leaned forward. “The thing is those two men weren’t there to hurt me. They were just threatening me in order to make us give them something.”

“How do you know they weren’t going to cut your throat after they got what they wanted?” Nathan asked.

“Goodness. You have a nasty turn of mind.” Verity smiled. “I like that about you.”

“Stop trying to deflect all my points with a quip. I’m onto you about that, you know.”

She looked at Nathan, startled. “Well, I’m not trying to deflect anything here. It’s just...” She broke off, dropping her gaze toward the fireplace. “There is another man who might want to hurt me.”

“Who?”

“Lord Stanhope. I saw him at a party a week ago. I didn’t think he saw me, but he might have.”

“Stanhope? I don’t think I know him. Who is he? Why would he want to harm you?”

“He’s my stepbrother. The son of the man I killed sixteen years ago.”