“I will take it easy after tomorrow. I mean to greet that bastard Thomas when he comes to the door tomorrow morning.”
“Surely he will stay away now. He must know you have escaped.”
“I cannae believe those two rogues will tell him they failed to do what he paid them for. I have Shelton and Lambert watching for Thomas. If anyone warns him I am still alive, we will ken it. I just hope the doctor’s presence willnae make Dillingsworth suspicious.”
“You mean to thrash Thomas again.”
“Aye, I do.”
“Well, I do not believe the doctor would approve.”
“I dinnae give a tinker’s damn what the doctor thinks. I do care whatyethink. Ye have nae said ye believe me.”
She sighed and shook her head. “I am torn. ‘Tis such a wild tale, yet I cannot believe you would concoct it out of thin air. But it raises so many questions.”
“What sort of questions?”
“How carefully could Thomas have thought this out? There are a great many holes in his plan.”
“Enough to sail a clipper through,” Ballard agreed. “I believe he or one of his hirelings was spying on Grendall, for he kenned I saved the horse. The rogues who set upon me thought it odd that they were paid ere they had done their work.”
“What did Thomas plan to do when questions were asked about your death?”
“I suspect he thinks no one will care. I would be just another backwoodsmon killed outside a dockside tavern.”
“And, at the moment the fact that you are my husband would make little difference.”
“Those who suspected something wouldnae speak out. Grendall made that plain enough. Thomas has a tight grip on this town.”
“But he is short of funds.”
“Probably because he lent out so much to tighten his hold on the people here. Grendall said a lot of people could be ruined if Thomas called in the debts owed him. Now, I ask ye again—do ye believe me?”
“Yes, I do. When he arrived on our wedding day, Thomas revealed how low he can sink. He thought he was offering me such a treat, that being his whore would be so much better than being your wife.” Clover shook her head. “It is hard to understand how I could have been so blind to his true character.”
Ballard started to reach out for her in sympathy, then cursed as pain gripped his ribs, echoing the throbbing in his head. As he sagged back against the pillow, Clover scrambled over to his side. He gave her a weak smile.
“I was going to give ye a wee bit of sympathy,” he said.
“‘Tis not I who need sympathy. And you plan to thrash Thomas tomorrow? In your bruised state?”
“After a good night’s rest I can manage Thomas Dillingsworth.”
She could see by the stubborn set of his jaw that he was not going to be convinced otherwise. Ballardwould confront Thomas tomorrow even if someone had to hold him up. Clover sighed and lay down beside Ballard. Men were strange creatures.
“I was afeared ye wouldnae believe me,” Ballard murmured as he slipped an arm around Clover and sighed when she cuddled up to him.
“It took some convincing,” she admitted. “I will be glad to leave this town. Everything I believed about it and the people here has been turned on its head. And the way Thomas has acted makes it clear that it would be best to get as far away from him as possible.”
“Aye, ye can soon leave it all behind ye.”
Clover stood at the parlor window staring out at the road. She had not slept as well as Ballard had. He had the peace of mind that came from knowing exactly what he faced and how he would confront it, but that calm had eluded her.
When Thomas’s carriage pulled up outside, she sighed with regret. She had hoped Ballard was wrong about Thomas’s plans. She felt the worst of fools, blind and naive, for having seriously misjudged her former fiancé.
The rap on the front door made her wince. It was difficult to stay where she was and let Molly answer the door, but she had promised Ballard. Molly would come and get her. As she talked to Thomas, Molly would fetch Ballard from the kitchen. Clover suspected that Ballard wanted her to talk to Thomas so that she could see the final truth of his tale for herself. She dreaded the revelation.
“Miss,” Molly called from the parlor doorway, “that man is here.”
