Page 17 of The Moonstone Major
Fionn regarded him with some surprise. “Did you know him?”
“Not very well. He was a quiet, thoughtful man, and a bit older than myself. Ours was more of a political acquaintance in the halls of Parliament. But I know his nephews and nieces. We travel in the same social circles.” Fionn tried to smother his disapproval, but Claymore easily saw through his silence. “You don’t like them either, do you?”
“As I’ve said, it is not my place to judge.”
“So? You are related to them?”
“No, my lord.” Fionn walked out before the man continued the conversation. Why should any of that lofty lot care who he was? Had Lord Claymore heard Viscount Brennan’s odious family disparaging him as a lowborn beggar during one of their elegant dinner parties? Did he now intend to taunt him about it?
That taunt would be the last words out of Lord Claymore’s mouth if he dared.
Fionn strode out of the inn, ignoring Claymore’s friends, who were now sprawled in their languid poses in the seating area near the entry. As expected, the ladies ogled him and tried to gain his attention, but he merely kept walking down the street to Constable Angel’s office, which was just beyond the village green and closer to the harbor.
The residents of Moonstone Landing were not an unruly lot, but as the village expanded, one could not overlook the possibility of thieves, cutpurses, and other unwanted miscreants coming into the area along with the wealthy.
The constable’s so-called prison would not hold a hardened criminal. It was comprised of two cells designed to hold drunks or petty thieves. Perhaps Fionn would talk to the Duke of Malvern and Marquess of Burness about expanding the town’s prison facilities. He would help with its layout and construction.
He strode into the constabulary office just as Constable Angel was about to walk out. “Glad I caught you,” Fionn said. “What do you think happened?”
The man scratched his head. “It wasn’t a child’s prank. I know all the children here, good and bad. They are all accounted for at the time the dart would have been shot. Same for our usual group of ne’er-do-wells and layabouts. Most were already in their seats imbibing at the Three Lions tavern. No, this smells of an outsider’s doing.”
“Someone staying at the inn?”
“The Kestrel Inn? Unlikely. It is much too fancy for a common cove to afford. I’ll ask around at the local lodging houses and check the nearby woods for sign of a campsite. But don’t get me wrong, I haven’t ruled out the viscount’s friends or other inn guests. Thaddius has promised to write up the list of everyone staying at his inn, although I cannot imagine any of them carrying such a weapon around or ever bothering to get off their vaunted arses to commit this sort of mischief.”
Fionn nodded. “They are a lazy lot, aren’t they?”
The constable rolled his eyes. “Lazy, insufferable, and generally useless. And they think they are our betters? Ah well. Such is the luck of the draw in life.”
“Indeed.”
Fionn was glad the constable was going to continue investigating the incident. So was he, but there was something none of them had considered because it seemed too remote a possibility. What if this incident was not about Lord Claymore and his friends?
What if the culprit had meant to harm Chloe?
Chapter Four
The following morning,as the midday hour approached, Chloe was comfortably ensconced in a shady spot on the terrace with her foot bound, packed in ice, and elevated on a tufted ottoman. She had just taken a sip of her lemonade when Fionn paid her a visit. “Good day,” she said, her heart beating a little faster as he strode toward her. “A very hot day, isn’t it? The rest of the family is down on the beach, but they should not be gone long.”
“Hot as blazes,” he muttered in agreement, and settled his large frame in the seat beside hers, inching it closer so that he also sat in full shade. “I might have a swim later to cool down.”
She sighed. “I wish I could. That would be lovely, but I am not allowed out of this chair on pain of death.”
He chuckled. “It is for your own good. How are you feeling today? Any better? Actually, I’m glad I caught you alone.”
“You wanted to be alone with me?” Tingles of excitement ran through her, and her heartbeat quickened further still.
Was he finally realizing she was the only woman who could nourish his lost and wounded soul?
“I need to ask you some questions.”
Had he anguished over the possibility of losing her and realized time was fleeting and precious?
Was he going to ask her to marry him?
“About your foot…”
Gad, how could she be so stupid? Yesterday’s fall must have left her addled. “What about my foot?”
