Juliana didn’t, but she nodded as Brogan gave his customary grunt of assent. The guard turned down another hall then stopped in front of a door with metal bars forming a window about a foot square. “Pickens,” he called. “You have visitors. Twenty minutes,” he reminded them before returning back the way they’d come.
“Sister?” Fabric rustled and a shadow crossed the barred window. “You’ve come back?”
Brogan stepped to the door. “No. It’s Brogan Duffy and Lady Juliana.”
“Lady Juliana?” The pale face of her father’s former secretary pressed to the bars, his jaw and cheeks buried under a mat of a dark beard. “What on earth are you doing here?”
A small shiver worked its way down her spine. The last time she’d seen this man he’d been trying to throttle her to death. It wasn’t a happy memory. She pushed out a deep breath. But she was an intrepid investigator now. There was no time for such missish feelings. “I’ve come to discover the truth. The real reason you tried to kill my father, Mr. Pickens.”
He scowled. “I never admitted to trying to harm Lord Withington. Don’t try to get me charged with that, too.”
Brogan shifted closer. The smell of soap and man almost beat back the stomach-rolling odor of the prison. “We don’t need to. Theft and attempted murder of Lady Juliana is quite enough to see you in prison for life. It’s a shame you won’t live to enjoy the rewards you earned.”
“My attorney thinks I have a shot at getting out in ten years or so.” He gripped the metal bars. “I won’t die in here.”
Brogan inclined his head. “And what will you come out to? Your sister is doing a fine job of spending the blunt you were given to make an attempt on the earl’s life. Ten years in prison and you’ll have nothing to show for it.”
Pickens’s knuckles went white. “My sister is a good woman.”
Juliana snorted. “She’s good at picking jewelry. Her new emerald pendant was lovely.”
“She doesn’t wear jewels.” Pickens’s voice had lost some of its assurance. “She wouldn’t.”
“Every woman would when given the chance.” Brogan crossed his arms. “And that’s a fact.”
Oh, really?Juliana glared at the man. That is what he thought of her sex? She ground her teeth. But his prejudice was of no matter. She was here to learn the truth, not become bosom friends with Mr. Brogan Duffy.
“She wouldn’t do that,” Pickens said weakly. He dropped his forehead to the bars and closed his eyes.
“I think you know the truth.” Brogan rested his hand on the wall above the door, thought better of it, and wiped his palm on his trousers. “Confess now and we’ll speak with the judge. Give you a good character.”
Pickens shook his head. “I have nothing to say.”
Brogan took her elbow. “We’ll be back, and perhaps then you’ll be ready to talk. Your victim pleading for leniency to the magistrate can make all the difference in your sentencing. Think about it.”
He drew her away from the cell, back down the corridor, and for once she didn’t protest. Even she could see that they wouldn’t get anything from the man today. He’d looked too beaten. He’d need some time to understand that his grand plans were for naught. That he wasn’t coming out of here a rich man.
Her belly fluttered. But he was going to tell them who’d hired him. She could sense he was giving in. Soon, she’d have her answers.
They came to the barred door, and Brogan pounded on it three times.
“I don’t know how good I’ll be at convincing a magistrate to give him a lighter sentence.” She rubbed her arms, the chill of the prison setting in her bones. “He tried to kill my father. I have very little forgiveness for that.”
“He tried to kill you, too.” Brogan glanced down at her, his eyes curious. “That is the charge he’s in here for. Have you forgiven that?”
She stepped back as the door swung open. “It’s easier to forgive injuries to yourself.”
Brogan’s brows drew together. “But—”
“Good.” The guard waved them through the door and locked it. “I was about to come back for you two. Have a nice chat?” He chuckled.
“Thrilling,” she said dryly. “I’ll recommend the tour to all my friends.”
The guard laughed some more, the keys in his hand jingling. “You lot are a bit of all right.” He opened the outer door, and Juliana had to will herself not to race forward into the sunlight. Just that short bit of time inside a prison had been almost more than she could bear.
Brogan nodded to the guard as they made their way outside. He inhaled deeply once they hit the street.
Juliana’s lips quirked. She hadn’t been the only one uncomfortable in that place. “Where to now?”
