All she’d done was step to the side.
“He lurched. I moved, and his momentum carried him into the fountain.” It was as though a ton of bricks lifted off of her.
“You did not fight him?”
She shook her head. “I moved. He fell into the water, and I ran.”
“You didn’t so much as touch him.” More a statement than a question from Justin. Of course, he’d realized this when she had told him in a rush. He’d told her to just tell the truth.
She glanced at him with a wobbly smile. “I didn’t so much as touch him.”
“Did the earl say anything after he fell into the water? Did you ascertain that he was not injured?”
“Surely, you’re joking?” She’d had quite enough.
“No, Miss Mossant. I am quite serious.”
“When Lord Kensington moved to attack me, my only thoughts were on escape. He’d said he had a witness nearby, and I feared I wouldn’t get away. I did not care that he had fallen into the water. I did not care if he’d hit his head or hurt himself in any way.” She leveled him with an unwavering stare. “I did not care if he was dead or alive.”
For all of thirty seconds, all that could be heard in the room was the ticking of the clock sitting on the mantel.
“But you never touched him,” Prescott reiterated.
“All I could think was to escape his touch. No. I did nottouchhim.”
“Did you see this witness Lord Kensington referred to? Do you know who it was?”
She’d thought whoever it was would take chase. She’d almost felt somebody behind her. But she’d never seen anyone else, in fact. She shook her head. “No.”
“Do you have any further questions, Mr. Bradley?” Rhoda had never heard such an edge of steel in Justin’s voice, even when she’d told him what she and Emily had done at Eden’s Court.
When the other man didn’t answer right away, Justin rose, as did Prescott.
Sophia remained seated but sent a conspiratorial glance in Rhoda’s direction. Ah, yes, her mother would wish to have a… word.Don’t leave me, Sophia!
“We’ll see you to the door then.” Justin had firmly taken matters in hand. “If you ladies will excuse us.”
When Mr. Bradley didn’t protest, Prescott and Justin led him out of the drawing room, firmly closing the door behind them.
When the room fell silent at their departure, Rhoda dared to glance toward her mother.
“Oh, Rhoda. Well done.”
Not the words she’d expected. Sophia had withdrawn a parchment fan and was waving it in front of her face.
“Mother?”
“I’ll admit to nearly suffering apoplexy when I opened the door. That Lord Carlisle must do an abundance of riding…”
Sophia’s fan waved even faster.
“I thought you did not want for me to be betrothed.” What was her mother up to?
“Well, if you were betrothed then every gentleman with half a brain would be betting on Carlisle. We wouldn’t want that, now, would we?”
Had the world tipped upside down? What was her mother talking about? “Don’t tell me, Mother…”
“Well, yes. I admit it was something of a risk.”
