“So it was, but you knew the way well enough not to need a lantern.Who were you going to meet, Edward?”
“No one.”It was a mechanical answer, with no belief and no effort to make her believe either.
“Edward.I’m not going to punish you or whoever you were trysting with, but you must see we can’t let such a nasty attack go.”
“I wasn’t meeting anyone.And I don’t know who hit me.Might have been poachers.”Again, he was making little effort to convince her.
“Was it Peggy?”
“No.”
“Anne Jenson?”
“No.”
“Me?”she asked, just to see if his wooden expression would change.
It did.His lips even twitched.“No.Look, my lady, there’s no point in you naming every woman in the house or the village.Nor every man neither.I don’t know anything.”
“You’re notsayinganything, which is hardly the same thing.Edward, whoever hit you is dangerous.We have to stop him from hurting anyone else.”
“That’s whathesaid.Lord Petteril.”
“Then why are you defending your attacker?”
“I’m not.I’m...”He frowned, struggling for words.“Understanding.”For an instant his eyes were clear.
“Because you think you deserve it?”she said slowly.
“Not a matter of deserving, is it?It’s consequences.”
Remorse?It scarcely seemed in character.“Your silence,” she said, trying another tack, “is leaving everyone under suspicion.People who don’t deserve to be.”
“That won’t last.I had it coming.Ask anyone.”
“Are you afraid?”she asked suddenly.
At least it got his attention back.He stared at her for a moment, almost as though he was thinking about it.Then he shrugged.
“I think I’ll go to sleep now.”
***
AS SOON AS SHE’D GONE, Edward opened his eyes again.He wondered how long they would keep up this questioning.They had rented the house for a fortnight, which left too many days still for comfort.But Sir Dominic and Lady Temperley wouldn’t care.In the servants’ hall as in the village, he would be a nine days’ wonder, if that, and everything would get back to normal.
Providing he kept his mouth shut and improved his behaviour.
It was possible, of course, that the Petterils were right, and his attacker would come back for another go, if only as a matter of self-protection.No matter.Edward would be ready this time, if necessary.But there were many ways to make it clear he would not tell.
He owed Becky that much.
