Page 83 of Marigold and the Marquess
He also owed Ian an apology. He was one of Leo’s best friends. In truth, he owed Ian everything. It was Ian who had managed his estate while he rotted away in a foreign prison. Ian and the other conservators serving with him who had done an excellent job of managing the assets and thwarting his cousin whenever the wretched cur attempted to have him declared dead.
It would take an entire lifetime to begin to pay this man back for all he had done on his behalf. He felt his throat constricting and his heart now began to pound.
Marigold remained by his side. “Leo, take a deep breath.”
He curled his hands into fists to steady himself. “What if Ian never finds the proof? How long am I expected tobehave?”
“Always, if this is what it takes for us to move forward and share a happy life. Between Ian, Finn, and Mr. Barrow, nothing will be missed. If your cousin is not implicated, then perhaps your instincts were wrong about him and he was never involved.”
“He was. I know it to the depths of my soul. You believe it, too.”
Marigold nodded but she still frowned at him. “You intend to disobey Ian’s orders to stand down, don’t you? Leo, do not be a fool and force Ian’s hand. I could not bear to see you held on charges of murder. I never want to see you confined, not even within our marriage. It would destroy me if you did not want me as your wife, but I would let you go because I could never hurt you in this way.”
Did she think he was in any way grumbling about her?
She was hope and light, a far better reward than he deserved.
That she cared for him and loved him was nothing short of a miracle. So, what was he doing? Why hold onto his rage when she was offering him peace and happiness?
He cupped her face in his hands and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, for the last thing he ever wished to do was beg out of their marriage. “Let’s search the grounds, love.”
They spent the next hour combing through the underbrush of Denby’s overgrown garden. His assailant would have had to pass through here in order not to be seen on the street.
Leo’s search uncovered nothing.
Marigold found a scrap of fabric, probably from a gentleman’s jacket. She also found a button.
They turned the clues over to Ian, then took their time searching through the house. Since it had already been searched from cellar to attic by the magistrate’s men and Crown agents, Leo did not expect to find anything.
Marigold sighed in disappointment, her frustration mirroring his. “Nothing.”
They helped Ian question the housekeeper and cook. Those were also empty leads, although the housekeeper was able to give them a vague description of several men who had visited regularly. Nothing sufficiently precise to give them a solid lead. She did not even know their names. “It wasn’t my duty to answer the door. These men did not leave calling cards.”
“Did you overhear nothing?” Leo asked.
“Not a word, m’lord. It wasn’t my business and I did not care.”
This woman obviously resented Denby and cared more for her bottle of gin than knowing what he and his late-night visitors were up to. Had there been silver to steal, she would have taken it and run off at the first opportunity. Had she seen Denby stabbed, she would have gone through his pockets and taken any loose change before raising the alarm.
“I merely brought in refreshments before his guests arrived,” she said rather defensively, “then he always dismissed me for the evening. Ask Greeves, if you don’t believe me. Cook and I never got a good look at their faces. Greeves might have, though. As for last night, we did not know Lord Denby was expecting company.”
They questioned Denby’s cook next, but this also led to a dead end.
After spending what felt like wasted hours, he and Marigold bid farewell to Ian and Finn, then returned to Chipping Way to meet with the Thorne brothers and Marigold’s friends.
Marigold sat with her lips pursed and staring out the carriage window, obviously lost in her thoughts as they rode along the congested streets. “Leo, how does a man live an entire life span without leaving behind a single clue as to his past? There was not a letter, nor inscription in a book, nor locket…not even a calling card to give us a hint of his life.”
“Not even a Bible,” Leo remarked, finding this quite telling since most people– even those with no religious scruples– would have had one passed down through their family line. “It is clear now that this man had no family or friends. This is what made him so perfect to be the man to front any scheme to defraud the Crown.”
She sighed and nodded. “I hope my life never passes by so meaninglessly.”
“You have already made your mark on the world with your discovery of that skull. Your name will survive in history.”
She laughed. “Nonsense, I did nothing extraordinary. Someone else would have found that relic within a matter of days had I not already been digging at the spot. It was just luck that I happened there first.”
“Not mere luck, Marigold. You have good instincts.”
She cast him a wistful smile. “They were not of much use today.”
