“You’re certain of this?” Rowan sounded baffled.
Simon nodded.
“There is no other explanation. No one outside this house would have known when to strike or where. That means someone inside these walls has been feeding information to Grace.”
“Bloody hell. A traitor in your own home.”
Simon remained silent, though his mind was anything but. He was trying to make sense of all of this.
“The assassin knew exactly where to go and exactly where to find Rachel and Marina. Someone gave them that information,” Simon continued.
“So, what’s the plan now?”Rowan demanded, cracking his knuckles as he spoke.
“That I’m not sure about yet,” Simon admitted with a sigh. He had seemed so confident when he had assured Rachel, but in reality, even he did not know what exactly they should do next. “But I will come up with something.”
“That wicked woman needs to be taught a lesson,” Rowan sneered. “The audacity she displayed that day was astounding. I still feel regretful that I let her slip away.”
“You couldn’t have done anything else that day,” Simon said sympathetically. “You did the right thing by following me. But now, we are going to have to approach this a bit differently.”
Rowan’s amusement faded slightly as he considered the situation further. “And what about Rachel? Does she have a role in all of this?”
“I will keep her safe,” Simon replied immediately. “Now and for however long I am alive.”
“You have changed your stance on this.” Rowan was watching his friend carefully now. “Were you not of the opinion that you were better off leaving her alone? Now, you have become her guardian?”
Simon raised an eyebrow, realizing that Rowan had not yet caught up with the developments.
“I love her,” he admitted. “If I do not do it, who will?”
Rowan let out a loud chuckle, shaking his head.
“What a revelation. The great Simon Linwood finally admits to having feelings.”
Simon shot him a look, but Rowan only grinned more widely, shaking his head. The mood was temporarily lightened.
“I knew it, you know. Even before you did,” Rowan continued. “And all this time, you were being so stubborn and making it sound like I was ridiculous for suggesting it.”
“Are you done?”
“Not nearly,” Rowan smirked.
Simon sighed but ignored him, turning his focus back to the matter at hand. “
“We need to be careful. Grace will not stop until she gets what she wants. And whoever is working for her will try again.”
Rowan’s expression turned serious once more, the time for teasing over. “Then we make sure that this time, they fail.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Faster,”Simon instructed under his breath. The wheels of the carriage in front of him shrieked against the road, kicking up mud and gravel as Simon urged his horse forward. His focus was locked on the carriage.
Grace Langston was getting away.Coward.
Simon gritted his teeth, pushing his horse harder. Beside him, his companion rode alongside him but had yet to say a word. They had been riding for miles, neither willing to lose sight of their prey.
A glance over his shoulder revealed the constables trailing behind, their shouts nearly lost beneath the thunder of hooves.
“She’s desperate,” Simon muttered, keeping his eyes on the carriage. “She must know we’ve cut off every route out of the country.”
