A sweet smile graced her lips. “Stanton House.”
Adrian almost bolted out of the bed. Surely he must have misheard. “Alone?” A pointless question when he knew the answer. “What the devil were you thinking?”
“I had a few questions I wished to address.” A sideways glance fell upon Murry. “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d love a cup of hot tea. When you return, we can replace my husband’s compress with a fresh one.”
Murry met Adrian’s gaze – a clear indication of whose orders he followed. Adrian nodded and the valet set aside the cloth and polish he had been using. Clearly, Samantha wanted to speak with Adrian in private. He’d not question her reasoning. Certainly not in front of a servant.
“Well?” he asked as soon as the door had closed behind Murry.
“I stopped by the hospital too. In order to fetch Isak. Elks is helping him settle in as we speak.”
It pleased Adrian greatly to know they were helping the boy. “How’s he faring?”
“Very well. He was happy to see me and can’t stop talking about how impressive the house is.” She chuckled, the soft smile touching her lips conveying the same kind of joy he felt in his heart. “I believe he will be very content here.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” He cleared his throat and pinned her with his most serious gaze. “What else do you have to share?”
No hint of defiance or irritation in response to his brisk manner. He appreciated the fact that they could skip straight to the point with each other without causing offense. It made everything so much simpler.
“I’ve learned a couple of interesting things from Lord Stanton this morning.” She lowered herself to theedge of the bed, positioning herself in a way that allowed the late morning light spilling through the windows to make her face glow. Her hand caught Adrian’s, the look in her eyes convincing him that what she said next was sure to surprise him.
She didn’t disappoint.
“He’s not responsible for last night’s attack.”
Adrian stared at her while coming to terms with this truth. He was fully aware that she would have made sure her facts were correct before she reported back, so he did not doubt what she told him. “Do you know who was?”
A quick nod. “Those men who attacked you in the alley and later at Reed’s, were indeed hired by Stanton. Turns out he was being blackmailed by someone impersonating you. I saw the threatening letter Stanton received from the individual. It was signed with your name.”
He tightened his hold on her hand, outrage pulling at every muscle as he drew her nearer. “By whom?”
The depth of her deep blue eyes held him captive. “The demand made in the letter was for Stanton to hand over his shares in North Atlantic Trade. As luck would have it, we happen to know someone for whom the acquisition of those shares would be advantageous.”
Adrian’s mouth fell open. “Mr. Benjamin Lawrence.”
“Exactly.”
Air rushed from his lungs as he slumped back against his pillows. “With the shares he stood to gain through marriage, along with the ones he hoped toacquire from Stanton, Lawrence would have had complete control of the business.”
“Turns out he’s far more calculating than I believed.” A dark shadow fell across her brow. “It infuriates me to think of how calmly he sat and discussed Lady Eleanor with you after usingyourname for extortion.”
Adrian was of like mind. He needed to speak with the bastard again and when he did, he’d be less considerate of his handicapped state. After all, considering the timeline for when the attacks occurred, Lawrence must have sent the blackmail letter to Stanton at some point after his injury.
There was one thing he couldn’t quite figure out though. “Why attack us?”
“I believe the true target in the attack was Stanton. When he failed to meet Mr. Lawrence’s request, Lawrence attempted to use us against him, just like he used him against us.”
“You think he expected me to punish Stanton?” It was a devious scheme, albeit a somewhat flawed one since all it had taken for Samantha to learn the truth was an open conversation with the viscount. Convinced he had to be missing something, Adrian frowned on that thought. When the answer remained elusive, he asked, “Did Stanton say when he received the blackmail letter?”
“At some point in the middle of May, I believe.”
“And it was the only one Lawrence sent?”
“I believe so. There was no mention of a follow-up.”
“Why not?” For some inexplicable reason, Adrianknew that finding the answer to that one question was key. “Something must have caused him to change his plan.”
“I can’t imagine what that might be,” Samantha told him after a while.
