“It appears young Deveraux’s concerns were well-founded,” he said heavily. He looked at Leona. “Before he returned to Castle Marin, Mr. Deveraux warned me that he felt Lady Christiana’s kidnappers were not the sort to abandon their game as bad luck and go on to other endeavors. He expected they might try some form of revenge action. This note proves him right.”
“It would seem so on the surface, but I’m inclined to believe it is more in the nature of a ruse. They are trying to scare me, for I ask you, what would they benefit from taking action against me? I have neither money nor position.”
“My dear Miss Leonard, from what Mr. Deveraux told me, it doesn’t appear that money was the primary motive in the kidnapping of Lady Christiana. You, my dear, have lived asheltered existence, far removed from the cankerous aspects of our great country. You have no notion of the depths of depravity men sink to. Some, regrettably, are forced into it by circumstances in their lives. Others are the devil’s minions from birth. I, just as a country magistrate, have seen more horrors than you can imagine, things that are not fit for polite discussion with gently-bred ladies.”
Leona smiled slightly. “I am hardly the swooning type.”
“I know that, Miss Leonard. You have the heart of the lion that graces your family crest.” He reached over to press her hand, the steadfast suitor once again. “It is a wonder that you remain unwed, my dear, for you possess elegance and strength of mind. A rare combination.”
Leona felt a tide of blush creep up her cheeks.
He smiled gently at her, then again became the magistrate. He grabbed his coat lapels, a heavy frown pulling his cheeks into jowls. “Mr. Deveraux requested that I urge you to go to Castle Marin should any whisper of danger from this incident come to my attention. Now that his people are aware of the danger, they are prepared. It will be no burden to add you and Miss Sprockett to the number they are guarding. As much as it personally pains me to see you leave the district, I concur with Mr. Deveraux.”
“That is precisely what I do not wish to do.”
“Rose Cottage is too secluded. You need to be surrounded by people.”
Leona shook her head. “Why should the Norths risk doing me harm? If, as Mr. Deveraux believes, their purpose was to obtain more than money, isn’t it likely they have some grudge against the Deveraux family alone? Particularly against the Earl of Nevin?”
“My dear, what do you have against going to Castle Marin? The Earl of Nevin is wealthy, and the castle is mentioned in the guidebooks as worthy of a visit.”
Leona compressed her lips. How could she tell Sir Nathan that she feared Mr. Deveraux more than she feared the Norths? That she feared him as a man? She sucked in her breath sharply. Until now, that was something she’d refused to acknowledge.
“I have a duty to my family. There is much to do at Lion’s Gate this spring. New tenants to find, fields to be planted, repairs to be made. I cannot see to those things if I am immured in Castle Marin.”
“Brother, could not Miss Leonard and Miss Sprockett stay here at Furleigh House as our guests?” suggested Miss Cruikston. She smiled warmly at Leona.
Leona had not calculated on that as a proffered solution.
She looked at Miss Cruikston. There was an alarming eagerness in the woman’s eyes, and its import dawned on Leona.
Though bound by duty to care for her widowed brother and family, she was not content to reside in the country. If she could see her brother suitably wed, she would be free to resume her life in London. And she saw Leona as the bride
“Oh, I could not possibly,” Leona demurred.
“Of course you could, Miss Leonard. We should be delighted to have you as our guest. You should have no fear for your safety here—Nathan would guard your life well.”
Too well and too closely, Leona thought acidly. “If the Norths are as ruthless as Mr. Deveraux believes, I could not bear to put your children’s lives in danger, as my presence well may. What if they were to get the notion to kidnap one of them? No, no. Your kind offer most touches me, but I must decline. My conscience would never forgive me if anything happened.”
“But weren’t you just arguing that nothing would happen?”
Hoisted by her own petard.“And so I still believe, but I will admit to you I would not sleep well at night here for wondering if I might be wrong.”
Pleased to see they had no response to that argument, she began to breathe easier.
“There is also her sister and brother-in-law,” Maria said slowly, the gleam of mischief in her eyes.
Leona glared at her.
“Brother-in-law? I didn’t realize you had other relations in the country, Miss Leonard, what with the estate management left to you,” Sir Nathan said.
“I manage the estate because I must do so,” Leona said shortly.
“But surely your brother-in-law?—”
“I prefer to handle Lion’s Gate in my brother’s absence. It is my duty to the family. I shall speak candidly with you and admit to a blot on the Leonard family escutcheon that I am trying to remove. My eldest brother, Edmund, ran through most of our fortune and ultimately came to a bad end.”
“You’rethatLeonard?”
