Love Is Blind (32 page)

Adrian frowned as he walked around his desk and dropped into his chair. Put into those words, it did not sound very good.

"His lordship did not wish to worry or upset your daughter, Lord
Crambray
," Hadley said when Adrian remained silent. "He felt she was under enough stress with the wedding preparations and such. He
did
see to it that she was well looked after."

"Not well enough, obviously," Lord
Crambray
said grimly. He turned back to Adrian to say, "And while I understand your wishing to protect Clarissa, there is no excuse for not telling me. I should have been told."

"Yes, you should have," Adrian admitted with a sigh, and ran one hand through his hair. He had managed

to mess everything up. Again. "I apologize. I ever seem to be doing things wrong where your daughter is concerned. I fear my faculties are not all there whenever she is involved."

At this admission, Lord
Crambray's
anger seemed to run out of him like water out of an upturned pail. Sighing, the older man ran his hands through his own hair, then fell into one of the two seats in front of Adrian's desk.

"You mentioned fires, and being pushed in front of carriages, and falls down the stairs." Clarissa's father frowned. "Lydia mentioned none of this in her letters to me. Please tell me ... what the hell has been going on?"

Nodding, Adrian sat up and leaned his arms on his desktop, carefully explaining everything that had happened since he'd met Clarissa, including things he'd heard had happened before they met. As he spoke, Hadley moved to the table along the wall and poured three snifters of brandy. He handed one to each lord, taking the third for himself as he settled in his own chair. He remained silent as Adrian finished speaking.

"Dear God," Lord
Crambray
murmured once Adrian was quiet. "Who could be behind all of this?"

"I do not know," Adrian said grimly. "Clarissa seems to think they are all just accidents, but—"

"No." John
Crambray
shook his head firmly. "If it were not for the incident at the fountain, I might believe that, but no. The note that was not from you and her ending up unconscious in the fountain—it's all just too much to be a prank or an unhappy accident."

Adrian nodded in silent agreement.

"What are we going to do about this, son?" Lord
Crambray
asked.

Adrian sighed and then glanced to Hadley, who had

arrived at the house just as Kibble came below with the news that Clarissa was awake. Adrian had given the man a brief explanation of what had happened as they'd rushed upstairs, but he had yet to hear why he was here.

"I hired Hadley," he said. "Mr. Hadley has handled several situations for me in the past, and I hoped he might be helpful this time." Adrian raised an eyebrow at the man. "I gather you are here because you have news?"

"Aye, I have news," the man admitted, his expression grim. "However, I fear you will not like it."

Adrian frowned. Sinking back in his seat, he gestured for Hadley to continue.

"I looked into each incident, and then I looked everywhere I could think to look, my lord. Most people have skeletons in their closets, and I thought this was where we would find the snake causing all these accidents."

"And?" Adrian prompted.

"And every lead turned into a dead end," Hadley said with a frown. "There is nothing in your wife's past that would leave someone with ill will toward her."

"What of Lydia?" Adrian asked, casting a quick apologetic glance at his father-in-law.

"Aye, well. . ." Hadley glanced uncomfortably toward Lord
Crambray
, then said, "The stepmother does appear to have it in for Lady Clarissa, but I do not think she would take it so far as attempted murder. I could keep an eye on her if you like, but.. ." He shrugged.

"I have already told my wife," Lord
Crambray
said grimly, "that if she
is
behind this I will wring her neck myself. I shall keep an eye on her."

Adrian grimaced sympathetically at him, then asked Hadley, "What of the business with the captain?"

"Captain Fielding, aye." Hadley sat up a bit. "Well, I did look into that too. After all, it is about the only thing in Lady Clarissa's life that might have caused anger toward her. Howbeit, the man died during his term in prison, so your culprit cannot be him. And from my investigations in that area, I've learned that he had no family but for a mother and sister. The mother died of a heart attack when he was first imprisoned, and the sister not long afterward in a fire in the row where she rented a room."

"I see," Adrian murmured. "As you say, this is hardly good news. Someone is trying to kill my wife, yet there is
apparendy
no one who has motive."

"Well, now. I didn't say I haven't found a likely culprit, merely that you wouldn't like what I learned."

Adrian's eyebrows
beeded
, a frown tugging at his mouth. "Explain."

"Well, as I said, I looked into those areas you suggested. I also looked into a couple others. In my experience, my lord, murder is most often based on greed. So I was positive that it would be the case here . .. and I was right."

Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Why would anyone kill Clarissa for greed? The only one who would benefit at this point is myself. I am her only heir, as far as I know." He blinked. "I hope you are not suggesting—" "No, no, of course not," Hadley said quickly. "You would hardly hire me to look into the matter if you were trying to kill her. Good lord, everyone else has accepted everything as mere accidents. You're the only one looking for a person out to harm her."

"Well, then, who, man?" Lord
Crambray
said impatiently. "Whom have you set your sights on?"

"Lord
Greville
."

Adrian blinked, sure he'd misheard or misunderstood. "What?"

"Lord
Greville
, your cousin," Hadley repeated firmly.

"Reginald?" Adrian said with disbelief. "What on earth would make you think that he would harm Clarissa?"

"He is
presendy
your heir," Hadley pointed out.

"No, he is not. Clarissa is," Adrian corrected. "She has been from the day we married."

"If she is alive," Hadley agreed. When Adrian began to shake his head, Hadley added, "He seems to me to be the one with the most likely motive."

"Motive be hanged; it cannot be him. First of all, the accidents were taking place long before I even met Clarissa—the carriage incident and the fall down the stairs, for instance. And his inheritance would hardly have been a motive for him to hurt her before she and I met. Second, Reginald is my friend as well as my cousin. He helped me in wooing Clarissa. And money would not be a motive for him; he is at least as well-off as myself."

Lord
Crambray
nodded solemnly after each of Adrian's points, agreeing with every one. Hadley just shook his head. "What if those first accidents were just that: accidents? The carriage incident and the fall down the stairs might have been. We really have nothing that proves otherwise. If that is the case, he might have simply taken advantage of that history of accidents."

Adrian frowned at the possibility, then said, "Why has he not attacked me?"

"If he kills you first, Clarissa inherits. If he kills her first, then kills you, he inherits," Hadley pointed out.

Adrian shook his head and repeated, "He is wealth. and hardly in need of my funds."

"Ah, well, you see, that is the news I learned. It seems Lord
Greville
is not as well-off as he likes to
ap
pear. In fact, he is nearly bankrupt. The creditors will be dragging him off to debtors' prison any day now if he does not do something about it. However, were you and your wife to die unexpectedly, all his financial problems would be solved."

Adrian frowned at this news, taken aback, but still opened his mouth to protest. He was forestalled by Hadley raising one hand.

"He also had opportunity. When the fire and the fountain incidents occurred, he was right there, not only in London, but at the
Crambray
house."

Adrian relaxed. "But he is not
here,
so could not have poisoned Clarissa." He shook his head firmly. "It cannot be
Greville
."

"I am afraid he
is
here," Hadley countered apologetically.

Adrian stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"When you returned to the country,
Greville
did as well. He has been staying at the neighboring
Wynd
-ham estate since the day after you arrived here.
'Tis
only a half hour's ride away, and I have learned through inquiry that he is off 'hunting' most of the days and sometimes at night," Hadley informed him.

Adrian dropped back into his seat with something resembling a moan, his face pale as he considered the damning news. Hadley nodded sympathetically.

"I fear he is your culprit, my lord. I would stake my life on it."

"You are staking Clarissa's life on it," Lord
Crambray
said grimly.

Adrian shook his head as he tried to absorb the possibility. He and Reginald used to be as close as brothers, and while it was true that they had grown apart over the last ten years, they had seemed to pick up their friendship right where they had left off. Adrian had counted on him for help in wooing Clarissa; he'd listened to the man's advice and accepted his comfort. It couldn't be him.

"I
know it is hard to believe, my lord," Hadley said sympathetically. "I know the two of you were close. But that was over ten years ago. Closer to twelve. You went off to war at twenty and returned two years later, wounded. I gather you did make one foray into London after that, but have spent most of your time here, taking care of the estates. Twelve years is a long time. People change. Affections change. Circumstances change. Priorities change." He paused and let Adrian consider that, then added,
"I
think your cousin changed."

Adrian frowned. He just could not believe it, and said so. "Nay, I know Reginald. He is not behind this. He would never hurt either Clarissa or myself this way. We may have grown apart, but our friendship returned once I came back to London. And he simply would not do it."

Hadley looked doubtful. 'Your cousin is a rapscallion, my lord. He has ruined more than a few virtuous girls. His feelings have never proven very deep, from what I can see."

Adrian waved that away. "That is all rumor and gossip. Reginald never ruined anyone. The only women he bedded were experienced ones. The few so-called

'good girls' who were ruined were liars trying to trap him into marriage by getting caught alone in a room with him. They thought the threat of scandal would move him to marry. Unfortunately for them, Reginald saw no reason to ruin his life for any scheming little fortune hunter."

"I am afraid I have to agree with Adrian," John
Crambray
said suddenly. "Murdering Clarissa seems a bit extreme. Why would he not have at least tried to break them up first? Turn Adrian against Clarissa, or her against him? It does seem ..." His words trailed off as he saw Adrian's expression change; then he asked sharply,
"Did
he try to turn you against each other?"

'Yes. No. I do not know." Adrian frowned. "Reginald
did
try to warn me off her that first night at the ball. He told me she was clumsy and had burned his piffle, and that I could be taking my life in my hands by going anywhere near her. But after that he helped me see her. He dressed as a fop to convince Lady
Crambray
to let her go out for a ride in the park with him, just so I could see her and read to her for a bit. And he tried to see her to get her to meet me at the fountain. .. ."

They were all silent for a moment, and then Hadley got to his feet. "Well, I shall continue to look into the matter, my lord. But from here now, I think, since a poisoning occurred here. There is no more I can learn in the city. However," he added quietly, "I do think it is
Greville
. He was there. He is here. And he knew about the two of you, so he could have written that note and signed your initials to it and would—quite rightly— expect Lady Clarissa to rush out to meet you."

"What about
Prudhomme
?" Adrian asked abruptly. "He knew about Clarissa and me."

Hadley shook his head. "
Prudhomme
is happily pursuing his affairs with married women in London. He could not have poisoned that pie. I will have to focus now on people who were both in London and are now here. That is, if you wish me to continue my investigations," he added.

"Yes, of course," Adrian said quietly. "I asked Kibble to arrange for a room for you when he came to tell me Clarissa was awake. He should be able to tell you which one is yours."

Nodding, Hadley turned and left, and Adrian sat back in his seat, a frown pulling at his face.

Lord
Crambray
and he both sat silently for several moments, each lost in his own thoughts; then Clarissa's father said, "He is right about one thing."

Relieved to have his contemplation interrupted, Adrian glanced at John
Crambray
. "What is that?"