Page 39 of Winterset

Con gave her a smile that held a glimpse of his normal cheeky grin. “Not according to most of our tutors.”

“Then they are not very discerning men.”

“That is what Kyria says.”

They were silent for a moment, and Anna saw Con’s eyes drift over toward the body. To keep his mind off it, Anna asked, “How did you two decide that it was Alex who should go? I did not see you discuss it.”

Con shrugged. “We didn’t have to discuss it. We just…knew. I always know what Alex thinks.”

“And he knows what you think? It must be nice to have that sort of communication with another person.”

“I don’t know. Makes it hard to play a trick on him,” Con pointed out practically.

“Yes, I can see how that would be.”

Anna kept the conversation going in order to keep both their minds from returning to what lay only a few yards away from them. They talked about tutors and governesses, and Anna soon had a good idea of the educational views of the boys’ mother, the duchess of Broughton.

She did not know how long it had been when she heard a noise. She whipped around, her heart pounding, and saw Reed running toward them.

“Reed!” She jumped to her feet, and Con leaped up and ran toward his brother, meeting him just this side of the footbridge.

Reed lifted Con up, giving him a hug, then set him down and hurried on toward Anna. His arms opened as he neared her, and, without giving it a thought, Anna rushed into them, throwing her arms around his chest and holding on for dear life. Suddenly, after all the time that had passed since they reached the body, she found herself crying.

Reed held her close, stroking her back and murmuring soft words of sympathy. The meaning of them scarcely registered with Anna, only the feeling of comfort. She had no idea how long they stood that way. She was aware only of the strength and warmth of his body against hers, enfolding her, protecting, comforting…. She felt his lips press against her hair and heard the murmur of her name.

There was the sound of a horse’s hooves, then splashing as it crossed the stream. Reluctantly, Anna and Reed pulled away and turned to face the arrival.

It was Rafe McIntyre. He pulled to a stop and dismounted, and Anna saw that he wore a belt with a holster into which a pistol had been thrust. After tying his horse to a low branch, he strode over to them.

“Kyria sent a groom with a message to the doctor and the constable. I reckon they’ll be here pretty soon.” He tipped his hat to Anna. “Ma’am. Con.” He ruffled the boy’s hair and pulled him against his side for a brief, hard hug. “You all right, son?”

Con nodded. Rafe gave his back a pat and nodded toward the body. “I’ll go take a look.”

Anna made a sound of dismay, reaching out her hand toward him and shaking her head. Rafe paused and gave her a faint smile. But she could see in his eyes something she had not noticed before, something hard and world-weary.

“Don’t worry, ma’am,” he told her. “I’ve seen a good many of them before now.”

He turned and walked over to the body, leaning over it, then carefully dropping down on one knee beside it.

Reed turned to Anna. She wished that his arms were still around her, but she pushed down the treacherous thought.

“Did you recognize him?” Reed asked.

“I don’t know his name. I think—I think it is one of the Johnsons. There are several cousins. Their fathers are farmers.” She looked away, feeling again the queasiness she had experienced when she looked at the body. “The way he looked—I am not sure I would have recognized him even if I had known him well.”

“Don’t think about it,” Reed advised, taking her arm gently. “Just let it go.”

“I’m not sure I can.” Anna passed a shaky hand across her forehead. “I fear that I shall be seeing…that whenever I close my eyes. Oh, Reed, I so hate it that the boys saw him.” She looked over at Con, who had wandered back to the footbridge and was sitting, gazing down at the water.

“There was nothing you could do,” Reed told her. “I will talk to both the boys. And Rafe will, as well.” He glanced toward the other man, who had finished looking over the body and was walking back toward them. “Rafe was in the war in America. He has seen worse things than I can even imagine. He will help them.”

Reed turned toward Rafe inquiringly as he reached them. “What did you find?”

“There’ll be a hell of a lot more talk about your ‘Beast,’” the other man said dryly.

“It looks like an animal attack?”

Rafe shrugged. “That’s what it’s set up to look like. But the only animal involved here is a man.”