know what’s done and not. Miss Ragland was destined to be the new mistress of this house and someone, someone was invading her private bedchamber and bringing her unordered tea.
The unknown maid, as she was with plain brown hair in a severe knot and no special color to her skin, surveyed the room and then she did exactly what Ellie expected, she poured something into the teapot. Ellie gasped but thankfully, at that exact moment Miss Ragland squealed. She must have squirted her soap free again and with that exclamation, the imposter maid made for the door and was gone.
“Ellie, are you there?”
“Yes, Miss Ragland, I am here,” she choked out, trying not to let her mistress hear her distress. Her mistress was especially astute to people’s feelings, uncanny like her knowing what’s what.
“I forgot to put my towel close enough to the tub. Do you mind bringing it to me so I don’t make a mess dripping everywhere?”
59
Duke of Her Dreams – Olivia Ritch
“Yes miss,” she whispered and crossed to her Lady’s side. Ellie hoped and prayed Miss Ragland did not ask for tea. She was not yet ready with an answer about the mysterious pot but she knew she needed to get it out of there right away.
* * * *
Sometime later that night, in the Master’s study, the poison-laced tea was being examined by his Grace of Asterleigh and his close friend Julian Thornton, Earl of Weatherford, recently of the Guards and His Majesty’s Secret Service. The house had been scoured from the basement to the rafters and there was no sign of the well-shod house maid. “Arsenic?” Michael asked Jules.
“Concentrated and deadly, but I am not sure what, although arsenic makes the most sense. This is something very sinister, expensive, to be executed by a hireling. And why, Michael? It’s very deliberate if Miss Primble is to be believed.”
“You don’t believe her?’
“Yes, I do.”
“I knew you did. Don’t tease me, Jules. What the hell is it?” He forced through clenched teeth.
“Something lethal and clean. Is that really what you wanted to hear?”
“Yes. Dammit, no! Do I want to hear that a guest in my home is the deliberate target of an assassin? What the hell?”
“I have been in this line for a number of years and I need to know. Is she just a guest in your home?” Jules was deadly serious. “It makes a difference.”
Michael knew it was true but he stiffened at the implication reflexively. He had not laid a demmed hand on the woman and no one could accuse him of any impropriety. “What the hell, I say?”
“Michael. Is she more to you than a guest? It may explain things.”
Michael hesitated before he answered because truly, he had only known this woman for half a day. What did he know of her at all? “She’s just a guest. Really, though, she is better described as a wayward traveler, a rescue of sorts. I spent the night at the Blue Bell and she was there alone.” He relayed her strange circumstances including the shoeless walk in his breeches, which elicited an evil grin from his friend, leaving out any mention of his utterly unexplainable sensibilities toward the woman.
“So she could have enemies? She could be lying about her lack of circumstances and trying to hide, right here in your house?” Jules suggested it and Michael was forced to answer.
60
Duke of Her Dreams – Olivia Ritch
“I had been considering that this evening but she is so open, nothing is false with her. She is either a brilliant liar or she is who she says she is.” Michael had seen her, truly seen her and she was not a liar.
“I won’t ask for an introduction this evening while we sort this out but we must consider that she is here because someone wants her dead.
You’ll want to take precautions.”
Protectiveness was Michael’s most ungovernable emotion. Any woman in his realm was subject to its strictures and this woman, who had already breached so many of his usual defenses, drew out the most violent of
The unknown maid, as she was with plain brown hair in a severe knot and no special color to her skin, surveyed the room and then she did exactly what Ellie expected, she poured something into the teapot. Ellie gasped but thankfully, at that exact moment Miss Ragland squealed. She must have squirted her soap free again and with that exclamation, the imposter maid made for the door and was gone.
“Ellie, are you there?”
“Yes, Miss Ragland, I am here,” she choked out, trying not to let her mistress hear her distress. Her mistress was especially astute to people’s feelings, uncanny like her knowing what’s what.
“I forgot to put my towel close enough to the tub. Do you mind bringing it to me so I don’t make a mess dripping everywhere?”
59
Duke of Her Dreams – Olivia Ritch
“Yes miss,” she whispered and crossed to her Lady’s side. Ellie hoped and prayed Miss Ragland did not ask for tea. She was not yet ready with an answer about the mysterious pot but she knew she needed to get it out of there right away.
* * * *
Sometime later that night, in the Master’s study, the poison-laced tea was being examined by his Grace of Asterleigh and his close friend Julian Thornton, Earl of Weatherford, recently of the Guards and His Majesty’s Secret Service. The house had been scoured from the basement to the rafters and there was no sign of the well-shod house maid. “Arsenic?” Michael asked Jules.
“Concentrated and deadly, but I am not sure what, although arsenic makes the most sense. This is something very sinister, expensive, to be executed by a hireling. And why, Michael? It’s very deliberate if Miss Primble is to be believed.”
“You don’t believe her?’
“Yes, I do.”
“I knew you did. Don’t tease me, Jules. What the hell is it?” He forced through clenched teeth.
“Something lethal and clean. Is that really what you wanted to hear?”
“Yes. Dammit, no! Do I want to hear that a guest in my home is the deliberate target of an assassin? What the hell?”
“I have been in this line for a number of years and I need to know. Is she just a guest in your home?” Jules was deadly serious. “It makes a difference.”
Michael knew it was true but he stiffened at the implication reflexively. He had not laid a demmed hand on the woman and no one could accuse him of any impropriety. “What the hell, I say?”
“Michael. Is she more to you than a guest? It may explain things.”
Michael hesitated before he answered because truly, he had only known this woman for half a day. What did he know of her at all? “She’s just a guest. Really, though, she is better described as a wayward traveler, a rescue of sorts. I spent the night at the Blue Bell and she was there alone.” He relayed her strange circumstances including the shoeless walk in his breeches, which elicited an evil grin from his friend, leaving out any mention of his utterly unexplainable sensibilities toward the woman.
“So she could have enemies? She could be lying about her lack of circumstances and trying to hide, right here in your house?” Jules suggested it and Michael was forced to answer.
60
Duke of Her Dreams – Olivia Ritch
“I had been considering that this evening but she is so open, nothing is false with her. She is either a brilliant liar or she is who she says she is.” Michael had seen her, truly seen her and she was not a liar.
“I won’t ask for an introduction this evening while we sort this out but we must consider that she is here because someone wants her dead.
You’ll want to take precautions.”
Protectiveness was Michael’s most ungovernable emotion. Any woman in his realm was subject to its strictures and this woman, who had already breached so many of his usual defenses, drew out the most violent of
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