“Very true.”
Several minutes passed in silence as they continued to watch the unknown person slowly chop at the branch closest to Adrian’s window. Just before the branch was chopped off completely, the person moved to another branch and started chopping on that. The wind caught the person’s hood and pulled it off. It was a man with thinning hair. He quickly pulled the hood back over his head.
Adrian swore softly as he pulled her back around the house and pressed her up against the wall. When she looked into his shadowed face, she could see his tight lips. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer as he bent his mouth to her ear.
“It’s Cousin Walden.”
She sucked in a quick breath. “Are you sure?”
“I would recognize that balding head anywhere.”
“What is he doing with those branches?”
He withdrew just enough to look into her eyes. “My guess is he is weakening the branches so they will easily break when the wind becomes stronger as it ushers in the storm tonight.”
“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 earldom will 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 allow him win. But now we have to think of a way to get him to confess to everything he has 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 had always been able to retaliate with something even better.
Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she grasped Adrian’s coat. “I have an idea.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” She grinned. “But we shall 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 takelong for Adrian to find his slingshot. Bridget 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, 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 Bridget. 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.
He noticed when a rock hit his cousin’s hooded head. Walden yelped and rubbed the spot where the rock had hit. It didn’t take very long for him to continue 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 to the ground.
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 knew he wouldn’t see anything due to the many shadows. Adrian had never given his cousin credit for having a lick of sense, mainly because the man had always been coddled byMother Dearest. So, was this plan to kill Collin and Adrian for a title really Walden’s idea? Did the grown man with a childlike mind really have the smarts to act out like this? Or had being mentally challenged been a cover for his vindictive ways all along?
Suddenly, another rock struck the fool in the tree, and he cried out. This time, the axe fell from his hands and landed on the ground. The grumblings coming from Adrian’s cousin were clearly heard as he hurried to climb down the many branches.
Another rock was shot at Walden, and thekerthunkagainst the man’s noggin was louder than before.
“Ouch!” He rubbed his head again.
Smiling, Adrian shook his head, hardly believing how good Bridget was at using the slingshot. He loved her playfulness. Most women in society would have scoffed at the mere idea of using a slingshot. Then again, most women were not as clever as his Bridget.
