Clara’s smooth brow wrinkled as she concentrated on what her father was saying. “Is my mama with angels?” she asked gravely.
“Yes.”
She thought about that for a moment. “In heaven?”
“Yes. Do you know about heaven?”
Clara’s head bobbed quickly. “Mishannon told me. She says my other grandmama is there. She says it’s beautiful.” She raised her head, uncertainty in her eyes, wanting to hear the truth from the person she loved best in the world. “Is it?”
“I expect so. It must be.”
“You’re not going to heaven, are you?” Clara’s bottom lip trembled and her chin dimpled as she tried to hold back tears.
“Not today,” he assured her. The pressure of his arms increased, and this time Clara didn’t make any attempt to get away. “And not tomorrow.”
“And Mishannon?”
“Mishannon will be here.” Brandon bent his head, pressing his cheek against Clara’s hair as she began to cry. “Papa’s here,” he murmured as he rocked her. The words took on the gentle cadence of a lullaby, and Brandon held his daughter long after she fell asleep in his arms.
When Brandon was able to return downstairs, he found Davey French waiting for him in the library. He had only to glance at the twist of Davey’s mouth and the heavy set of his shoulders to know his friend’s pursuit had been unsuccessful.
“Sorry, Bran,” Davey said, unconsciously crushing one corner of his hat. “I lost the trail. If it was Parker I was chasing, then you know why. He’s a damn fine tracker in his own right.” He accepted the drink Brandon offered him and knocked it back in a long swallow. “What’s going on, Bran? Why do you think it was that young pup Parker who shot Rory?”
“I know you deserve an explanation, Davey, but I would ask that you not press for it now. Sir James Harrity will be here and—”
“That bloody-minded son of a—”
Brandon held up his hand. “I know you have had disagreements with Sir James in the past. So have I. But he has been helpful to me, and I would like you to speak to him.” He drew a deep breath. “Davey, if Cody and I had not met you today, one of us would have been accused of killing Aurora. I cannot help but believe that was the intent—or part of the intent.”
“Hell, Bran.” Davey shifted his bulky weight from one foot to the other. “You know I’ll help you any way I can.”
“And I thank you for that.” Brandon took Davey’s hand in both of his and shook it briefly. “I’ll ring for Jemmy and see if we can’t get you settled.”
After Davey was shown to a chamber, Brandon went to his own room to speak with Shannon. She was no longer there. “I thought you agreed to stay where I put you,” he said when he found her in the chamber adjoining Clara’s. “Emily, you can go,” he told the servant. “I can see you have no control over her either.”
Shannon sat up in her small bed, propping a pillow between the small of her back and the headboard.
“Don’t blame Emily,” she said after the young girl skittered away. “I said I wouldn’t argue with you, and I haven’t. I couldn’t stay in your room. Surely you must see that. I came here when I heard you go downstairs. I want to be close to Clara.”
Brandon lowered his voice at the reminder of his sleeping daughter in the next room. “Very well,” he said reluctantly. He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Have you rested at all?”
“A little. Aurora…is she…”
“Martha is preparing Aurora’s body.” He reached for Shannon’s hand when he saw her shiver. “The burial will be tomorrow.”
“It doesn’t seem possible she’s dead.” Shannon closed her eyes a moment, shaking her head in denial. “I still don’t understand what happened, Brandon. We were talking…and then…” Her voice trailed off and she looked at Brandon, a question in her eyes.
“How is it that you came to be riding with her?”
“She invited me. I didn’t want to go, not really, but she was so insistent, and she promised to stay close. It seemed better to go with her than to allow her to go with one of the grooms.”
“And why that particular trail? Why not the road?”
“I asked her that. Aurora said she was afraid Anthem would bolt if we were in the open.”
Brandon’s mouth was firm. Faint white lines cut the corners. “She knew where Cody and I were hunting.”
“No, she didn’t. I asked her.”
