“It’s Cousin Walden.”
She sucked in a quick breath. “Are you sure?”
“I’d recognize that thick curly hair anywhere.”
“What is he doing with those branches?”
He withdrew just enough to look into her eyes. “My guess is he’s weakening the branches so they’ll easily break when the wind becomes stronger as it ushers in the storm.”
“Butwhywould he want to do that? If you’re in your room during that time, you could get hurt.”
His eyes widened and his jaw hardened. “Exactly.”
“But... why would he want to harm his own cousins?”
Adrian nodded slowly. “Everything makes sense now. These so-called accidents didn’t start happening until after he and Aunt Beatrice arrived.” He paused briefly. “Don’t you see, my love? If Collin dies, the title would go to me, and if something happens to me and I die, the title will go to none other than my cousin, Walden.”
She gasped and quickly covered her mouth. “Oh, dear. We cannot let that happen.”
He caressed her cheek. “Now that we know, we won’t let him win. But now we have to think of a way to get him to confess to everything he’s been doing.”
Silence stretched between them for a few minutes as her mind whirled with possibilities. All she could think of at this moment were the many pranks her sisters had pulled over the years, and how she’d always been able to get them back.
Suddenly, an idea struck her and she grasped Adrian’s coat. “I have an idea.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” She grinned. “But we’ll need a slingshot.”
His chest shook with silent laughter. “I have one.”
“Go get it.”
He kissed her on the mouth. “I can’t wait to see what you have planned.”
* * * *
IT DIDN’T TAKE LONGfor Adrian to find his slingshot. Lyndsey took it and found several small rocks around the edge of the manor. Thankfully, his foolish cousin was still up in the tree, chopping at more branches. The wind had picked up a little more, so Adrian was certain Walden would want to end his chopping soon and go inside before the storm arrived.
Adrian crouched behind some bushes along with Lyndsey. When she had collected enough rocks, she gave him a kiss and hurried to the other side of the tree, staying in the shadows. Adrian waited for her to shoot the first rock before he made his move.
Keeping his eyes on his cousin, he noticed when a rock hit his cousin’s hooded head. His cousin yelped and rubbed the spot where the rock had hit. Then he continued striking the axe against the branch. Seconds later, another rock hit him. This time, it was on his shoulder. The axe slipped from Walden’s hands, but he quickly stopped it from falling out of the tree.
Walden crouched on the branch, unmoving. Adrian could tell his cousin was scoping out the yard because of the way the hood turned from right to left, but he knew his cousin wouldn’t see anything due to the many shadows.
Suddenly, another rock struck the fool in the tree, and he cried out again. This time, the axe fell from his hands and landed on the ground. The grumblings from Adrian’s cousin were clearly heard as he hurried to climb down the many branches.
Another rock was shot at Walden, and the kerthunk against the man’s head was louder than before.
“Ouch!” Walden rubbed his head again.
Smiling, Adrian shook his head, hardly believing how good Lyndsey was at using the slingshot.
Just as Walden reached the spot where the ladder leaned against the tree, the next rock hit the ladder, knocking it over. His loud surprised gasp ripped through the air.
“Wha – who is out there?” Walden stuttered.
Another rock zipped through the air and hit the man’s chest, and he released a small cry as he rubbed at the targeted area. He positioned himself in the tree so he could slide down the trunk, but another rock sailed through the night air and slammed right into his buttocks. Walden screamed and fell out of the tree. He scrambled to his feet, but another rock hit his leg, crumbling him down to the ground.
