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.
“What—who is out there?” Walden stammered.
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 like a little girl and fell out of the tree. He scrambled to his feet, but another rock hit his leg, and he crumpled to the ground.
Adrian hurried out of his hiding place and stopped right in front of his cousin. Folding his arms across his chest, he glared at the foolish man.
When Walden looked up, a gust of wind blew off his hood. He stared up with wide, frightened eyes.
Adrian shook his head. “I should have known it was you.”
“I… I don’t know what you are referring to, milord.”
Adrian rolled his eyes. “I know you have always been dense, but I thought you would know by now when to accept failure.” He kicked Walden’s black boot. “Admit to me now that you are responsible for all the accidents that have been happening recently.”
“Wh-what accidents?”
Adrian blew out a frustrated breath. “Collin’s saddle girth being cut, and then his being shot at. And let’s not forget when the railing on the stairs was broken and a plant fell off the banister and nearly landed on me.”
Walden shook his head quickly. “I didn’t do that.” Another rock sailed through the air and hit Walden’s arm. He cried out and rubbed the spot, swinging his head back and forth as he searched through the shadows for the person attacking him. “Who is doing this to me?”
Adrian crouched to his cousin’s level. “I’ll make a deal with you. If you tell my father everything you’ve been doing, I’ll make the rocks stop striking you.”
“N-no. I… didn’t do it.”
Adrian shrugged and stood. Seconds later, another rock slammed into his cousin’s jaw. Walden sobbed as his fingers flew to the reddened spot. A drop of blood appeared on his chin.
“All you have to do is tell me,” Adrian continued, “and I’ll stop the rocks from hitting you.”
Tears filled Walden’s eyes. “I didn’t want to do this.” His voice cracked. “This was my mother’s idea, not mine.”
Shock was like a bolt of lightning zipping through Adrian, and he stumbled backward. “Aunt Beatrice? The woman who has pretended to be my mother since my own parent died? Impossible.”
Walden nodded vigorously. “Yes. My mother wanted Collin’s title to go to me.”
Anger filled Adrian, and he wanted to shake some sense into his aunt. Betrayal from her actions left a bitter taste in his mouth and a painful knot in his gut. But that explained why she had shown up to the ball without an invitation, and why she insisted on staying to oversee the living arrangements, even though he’d tried to convince her she wasn’t needed here.
He reached out and helped his cousin stand. “I’ll go with you into the manor, and I expect you to tell my father and everyone in that room what you and your mother have done.”
Tears fell down Walden’s red cheeks in buckets now. “I’m sorry, Lord William. I… I really didn’t want the title, but Mother forced me to do it.”
“Come on,” Adrian snapped. “You can tell that to the others. They wouldn’t believe me if I tried explaining this. In fact, I’m having a difficult time believing this is all real.”
He glanced over his shoulder toward where Bridget had been, and he motioned with his hand for her come over. “We are done, my love. It’s getting too chilly to be out here now.”
She hurried next to him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked toward the house.
Walden dragged his feet as he moved toward the manor. Adrian almost felt sorry for his cousin. However, he wouldnotfeel sorry for Aunt Beatrice. Hopefully, his father punished her for her crimes.
“Are you going to be all right?” Bridget asked.
“Eventually I will. It’s just hard to believe a woman who has been like a second mother to us would do such a thing.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” She slid her arms around his waist as they walked into the house.
The closer they walked toward the sitting room, the more the silence in the sitting room bothered him. Had Walden taken the coward’s way out?
Anger quickened Adrian’s gait until he stopped at the doorway. Walden stood in the room, shifting from one foot to the other, as he wrung his hands against his chest. Everyone’s attention was on the foolish man who didn’t know how to say no to his mother.
