“Oh dear, here it comes,” smiled Kitty. “Grace, you are now about to be reduced to an innocent eighteen-year-old girl.” She turned to Max. “Go ahead, Grandfather. Give us our orders.”
Max frowned in irritation. “This is not a joking matter, Kitty. What happened may well pose a threat to either myself, or anyone associated with me. Which includes Grace, and as of a couple of nights ago, you, as well.”
Kitty shook her head. “I still cannot believe I would be in any danger at all.”
“If you and I had been in that carriage?”
“Then Harris would have been driving much more slowly. In addition, it would have been over roads in much better condition than the ones where the accident occurred. We certainly would have run the risk of breaking wheels, but the likelihood of either of us being killed…I would put that as a distant possibility.”
Max glowered.
“That is quite logical, brother dear. You must admit Kitty has a valid argument there.”
He sighed. “So you’re saying the point of the sabotage was not to kill?”
“If you look at it from an impersonal perspective, yes.” She tapped her fingers on the table in emphasis. “We leave the ball, get in the carriage and drive back here. Our wheels break on the way. We get bumped around, bruised, maybe even break a limb. But…nobody is killed. The result would be some discomfort for us, and probably a lot of additional gossip.” She pursed her lips in distaste. “Not that we need it.”
Grace chuckled. “True.”
Max shot Kitty a glance. “If I recall correctly, you were the one who wished to be known as the scandalous Miss Ridlington.”
She blushed. “Well, yes. All right, that was what I said.” Her chin lifted. “However, I did not anticipate these events in any way, shape or form.”
“I’ll allow that,” agreed Max. “But I’m still going to ask you both to use a great deal more caution until this matter is settled. The incontrovertible face remains that someone, some malefactor sawed through the spokes on the wheel of my carriage.” He bit back the oaths that came to mind. Fury, while still simmering, wouldn’t help the conversation. “Their intent was to do harm. I would not have harm come to either of you. So that, as far as I’m concerned, isthat.”
