Page 95 of The Moonstone Pirate
She shook her head. “I have no idea. That’s the problem, isn’t it? Healey and Burke make the most sense, but we cannot figure out their motivation. How does harming any of us help their cause?”
“It doesn’t, but they might not see it the same way.”
“All right, let’s try looking at this situation through their eyes.” She poured him a lemonade now that Melrose hadbrought out a tray for them. “They’ve just killed Driscoll on your property.”
Draco nodded as he took the glass from her. “And now they have to be worried I might link them to the murder. They also have to be worried the Irishman will come after them for trying to do business behind his back.”
“The rebels would be angry with them, too. But assuming they are square with them and still working as their agents…still doesn’t make sense. They have to deal with you, because you are the new middleman for the shipment of goods. They have no choice but to pick up their weapons from you, and this means they must return to your property.”
“Maybe this has them worried.”
Imogen nibbled her lip. “So why heap more suspicion on themselves? If I were those two, I would slink in and slink back out as fast as I could, talking to nobody, and certainly not drawing any attention to myself. What happened to the caves they were using before yours? Have you discovered the reason for the sudden change of location?”
“No. All I have ever been told is that it was a stroke of luck, and the Home Office took advantage of the opportunity to attempt to plant me in their rebel group.”
“Perhaps not luck so much as manipulation?” She continued to nibble her lip, paying no heed as the soft flesh turned a darker pink.
But he noticed. He ached to kiss her.
“Who would do the manipulating? Healey and Burke?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe your Irishman. Oh, Draco. I’m sorry, but I do not see how Healey or Burke, or even your Irishman, are involved in today’s incident. It makes no sense from our perspective or theirs.” She leaned back and sighed. “But let’s talkabout the Irishman. Is it possible he panicked? But how is he even involved when his ship is still out at sea?”
“Cross him out as a suspect. He has ice flowing through his veins and would never panic.” Draco had encountered McTavish often enough to know he would remain calm, no matter how tense the situation. In this way, he and the Irishman were similar. They knew each other and understood each other. More important, they respected each other.
As for trust…he did not quite trust the Irishman yet, but neither did McTavish completely trust him. No, firing a shot into a tea shop was not McTavish’s style.
“What will he do if the plot falls apart?” Imogen asked.
“The Irishman?” Draco shrugged. “He doesn’t want to be sitting with a shipload of guns no one has paid for, that’s for certain. Since he is not likely to receive payment until he delivers those weapons to me, there is no way he was involved in this incident. However, once he has his money, I have no idea what he will do.”
Imogen’s eyes widened. “Is this all he is waiting for? Payment? And then he will harm you?”
“No, I will remain on my guard, but I doubt he will do anything to me. If he goes after anyone, it will be Healey and Burke. They certainly have made him angry enough.”
“But he won’t touch them before you get the guns to the rebels, right?” Imogen studied his expression intently. “Oh dear. Will his desire for vengeance ruin your plans?”
“I don’t know. It might. Of course, he has no idea I am working for the Crown and need Healey and Burke left alone until I find out who the big players are behind this rebel plot. Nor will he particularly care even if he knew.”
“Then all your work will be for nothing, Draco. Can you talk to him? Give the Irishman an incentive to hold back once he hashis money? But what incentive can you offer him without giving yourself away?”
“Imogen, you are thinking too hard. I’m meeting him tomorrow and will try to get a sense of what he is thinking. He won’t do anything rash. He has no incentive to interfere with the rebel plot. If the rebels are caught, they’ll turn him in, too. That should be reason enough for him to keep quiet. He’ll know how to make Healey and Burke disappear at the appropriate time without disrupting anyone’s plans.”
“Or casting suspicion on himself,” Imogen remarked.
“That’s right. He isn’t stupid. He will do whatever it takesnotto hang alongside those conspirators.”
“I hope so.”
So did he.
Imogen had made an interesting observation, and he wanted to give it some thought. The way matters looked, with supply lines disrupted and all the players on edge and distrustful of each other, there was bound to be shooting.
But there might be a way to turn things around. McTavish was the key to unraveling the rebel plot. However, Draco had no idea yet how to get him to cooperate.
He was not going to say anything about it to Imogen. She would pounce on the idea and he just needed her to keep safe.
Imogen was giving him a compassionate look again. “I will look through my drawings again to see if anything else leaps out at me. Perhaps there is a fourth person no one has considered. What if this villain on horseback was Lord Trewick? Or Lady Trewick?”
