Page 24 of Fit for a Duke
‘Not necessarily. Not if his having done so resulted in the death of a duke.’
Ezra acknowledged the point with an inclination of his head. ‘Even so, the keepers’ whereabouts at the time has been established beyond doubt. It wasn’t one of them. It could easily have been a poacher, but of course no poacher has ever been found or his presence on the estate that day established, which is why the magistrate was unable to rule that the killing had been unlawful.’
Clio absorbed that information for a moment or two without speaking. ‘What happened to your father?’ she asked eventually.
‘Again, I was not here, but all the signs point to deliberate poisoning misdiagnosed as food poisoning. I might have accepted that view but for the fact that my mother, my cousin Silas and several guests all ate the same thing that evening but only the pater was struck down. The others suffered no ill-effects. They tried to tell me that a rogue oyster might have been the culprit. I have heard of it happening and might have believed it, had it not been for Richard’s accident occurring so quickly afterwards.’
‘Goodness, someone really doesn’t like your family.’ Clio closed her eyes and swallowed. ‘Two brothers and a father dead. I can quite see why you are so concerned.’
‘My elder brother died of natural causes. That at least has never been in question. He was sickly from the cradle. Nothing could be done to ease the congestion on his lungs and no one was surprised when he caught a summer chill and succumbed to his ailments. It was almost a relief. He had no quality of life.’
‘If your father was poisoned,’ Clio said in a considering fashion, ‘then the poisoning had to have been carried out by someone who had access to him or his food, which points the finger at your own family members, or a senior servant.’
‘Precisely.’
‘Have any attempts been made on your own life?’ she asked. ‘Is there something that proves beyond doubt in your own mind that the previous deaths were not the accidents they were made out to be?’
‘I was set upon in London recently but managed to fight my assailant off.’
‘Not a very efficient attacker then.’
‘Wishing me dead?’ he asked with mock severity.
‘It was merely an observation. One would imagine that a rogue with murderous intent would be better prepared and not so easily deterred. Anyone willing to kill a duke would, I assume, be a proficient assassin, prepared for his victim to fight back.’
‘It would have had to look like an accident, and the man very nearly succeeded,’ Ezra admitted with a wry smile. ‘If I had not been on my guard, and if I had not seen a movement in the periphery of my vision moments before he launched his attack then things could have worked out very differently.’
‘You do hear of wealthy men being set upon in London after dark, ifthey are foolish enough to stroll about unprotected.’
Ezra sent her an amused glance, wondering if she realised quite how much he enjoyed her spirited retorts. No one in his recollection had ever spoken to him so brazenly, certainly not since he had become duke. ‘Are you accusing me of being a dullard?’
‘Certainly I am. You are aware that someone wants you dead and you have responded by making it easier for them to bring that situation about. If that is not the height of lunacy or arrogance, then I do not know what is.’
Ezra chuckled. ‘No one has ever dared to refer to me as a lunatic before.’
‘If the cap fits,’ she replied with a sweet smile. ‘What else has this mystery assailant done to arouse your suspicions?’
‘Pharaoh is a new acquisition,’ he said, nodding towards his stallion.
‘He’s magnificent.’
‘I thought so too, and he agrees with us both.’ They laughed. ‘He was a bargain at Tattersall’s because he has a reputation for depositing his riders on the ground.’
She sighed. ‘And you couldn’t resist the challenge, of course.’
‘Where’s the fun in riding a docile beast? I know you agree with me because I can see that your gelding is a lively animal and is probably considered unsuitable as a lady’s mount.’
‘Well…’ Her eyes glistened with amusement. ‘Even so, if Pharaoh tried to evict you from the saddle, no one would think anything of it.’
‘Especially if the stitching attaching the reins to the bit had been cut almost all the way through.’
‘Ah, that does point to a deliberate act. Did you take a bad fall?’
‘Thankfully, my head groom is diligent and noticed the sabotage. It would be relatively easy for a stranger to slip into the tack room while the grooms were about their business and the work of a moment to cut the stitching. I trust all my grooms and have no idea where to look for answers.’
‘So you came to this party, made sure the world knew you had accepted the invitation, and now are waiting for someone to strike again.’ She scowled at him. ‘Has it occurred to you that he might succeed on this occasion?’ She shook her head in exasperation, not waiting for a reply. ‘I cannot decide if you are reckless, desperate or completely insane.’
He chuckled, moved by her obvious concern for his wellbeing. ‘It seems to me that I can either spend the rest of my days looking over my shoulder or else make plans to draw the killer out.’ He sent her a challenging look. ‘What would you do in my situation?’
