Page 70 of Marigold and the Marquess
Julius grinned. “Um, yes.”
Syd was momentarily taken aback. “So you will let your brute of a brother hit me?”
“First of all, you know Octavian has no intention of hitting you. Nor will he ever strike a woman, any woman, no matter how vexing she might be. Syd, you must admit you are the most vexing woman my brother has ever encountered. You are also the least helpless female I know. Do not even pretend to be afraid for your physical safety. If anyone should be cowering, it is me and Octavian. Are you certain you and Gory are not demonic spawn arisen from the underworld? I have never met two ladies more fascinated by blood and gore.”
“What about me?” Marigold asked, a little indignant that she was not considered just as bloodthirsty. Wasn’t she the one who had found that dragon-like skull? And traveled from Devonshire to London with a crateful of skulls and bones? Did everyone dismiss her as a little pet?
Julius’s grin broadened. “You are a marchioness now and should not be consorting with the likes of these two ghouls.”
Syd harrumphed.
Gory looked surprisingly hurt. “Is this what you think of me?”
Marigold patted her hand. “If the two of you were men, you would be hailed as great thinkers of our day. Your advancements in medicine and forensic knowledge would be hailed as brilliant. As a marchioness, I will do all in my power to see that you are recognized for your intelligence and ingenuity.”
“Thank you, Marigold,” Gory muttered, tossing a glower at Julius.
Syd smiled at her, too. “Yes, thank you. You are a worthy addition to our circle of friends.”
“Oh, look! There’s Leo,” Gory said.
Marigold gasped. “Where? Oh, I see him.”
She jumped out of the carriage and ran toward him.
By the sound of footsteps pounding behind her, she realized they had all leaped out after her. Julius meant to stop her. Syd and Gory meant to steal the chance to hunt for bloodstains.
Leo took one look at her and his expression turned savagely angry. “What are you doing here?”
Marigold immediately came to a stop. “We wanted to search for Syd’s reticule.”
“Her reticule? What in bloody blazes are you talking about?” The remark only served to make Leo angrier. “How in heaven’s name did Syd’s reticule happen to end up on this street?”
“Well…” Marigold swallowed hard. “Um…we were riding by, since this is directly on the route to our house, as you know…and…” She could not tell him Syd had tossed it out.
“And what, Marigold?”
“It somehow fell out of the carriage.” Oh, how lame this excuse sounded even to her own ears.
“Amazing. And you think I am stupid enough to believe that fib?” He plunged his hand into a nearby hedgerow and plucked out Syd’s reticule. “Go home, Marigold. Now.”
“It is not a fib. I would never lie to you. One moment it was on her lap, and then it was flying through the air and landed on this street. As to precisely how such a thing happened, I cannot say.”
“Cannot? Or will not tell me the truth?” His eyes were fiery embers as he handed the reticule to Syd. “We have already searched outdoors for possible bloodstains. It is one of the first things we did for fear we might lose the killer’s tracks in the impending rain. This assumes he left any tracks for us to follow.”
“Did he?” Marigold asked.
“No. There were none to be found. Denby might have struggled with his assailant, but he did not wound the man severely enough to make him bleed. Satisfied? This is what you were really hoping to find out, wasn’t it?”
Marigold nodded. “Are you sure the villain did not leave any other evidence behind? A footprint in the soil? An item accidentally dropped? A piece of fabric caught on a bramble? Well, we are here now and can help you search more thoroughly. Where’s the harm? We can work efficiently. Assign us tasks.”
“I will do no such thing. All you have done is disturb the area of the crime and possibly trampled clues. You are not helping, but hindering. The magistrate has been notified. We are going to seal off the vicinity as soon as he arrives. He and his men will conduct a thorough search immediately thereafter. We will conduct another search come morning when the light is better and we might find something previously overlooked.”
Marigold gritted her teeth, now irate herself. “But the rain, Leo. How will you get any of this done within the next few minutes?”
“Likely, we won’t. It doesn’t change a thing. You are not staying.”
Leo was being quite impossible.
