Page 88 of Honor Unbound

“But I can manage it for her.” Platt’s voice held the tone of a child demanding an extra serving of pudding. “Wait. What news?”

“Haven’t you heard? Lady Mary says she spoke with Sir Kelsey. He’s on the verge of making an arrest.” Caldwell lowered his voice. “And, he told Lady Mary we would all be much surprised at whom it was he arrested.”

Brett grinned. Lady Mary’s bait had hooked at least one fish. And with the way people loved to gossip, it would take no time at all for the rumor to spread.

He retraced his steps back to the first set of doors and strode inside, his back to Platt and Caldwell. He caught Lady Mary’s eye, and she nodded to him.

He hurried to the kitchens and took off his borrowed jacket. Slipping out the back door, he ignored one of the other servants calling after him and made his way to the street.

Lady Mary’s carriage was about a quarter of a mile down the road. He nodded to Ernest and hopped in the back. Even with the windows down, there was still a slight smell from Southey’s accident. He wrinkled his nose, glad at least of the new cotton covers that blanketed the seats.

Ernest clicked to the horses and slowly started toward the front of the Hammonds’ house. Lady Mary and Marie were waiting when they rolled up.

Brett hopped down, lowered the steps, then followed them back inside.

Lady Mary settled on one of the benches. “Well, that went well, I think.”

“Do you really think it will work?” Marie rested her hand on Brett’s knee for a moment before snatching it away. She cleared her throat. “And how will we know?”

Lady Mary rapped on the ceiling of the carriage, and they started moving. “We wait. And watch.”

Thirty minutes later, Brett’s rear end was going numb. “When you said wait and watch, did you mean all night?” They were parked down the street again. Lady Mary had insisted that once her rumor reached the right ears, the killer would come racing out of the Hammond house to flee before the magistrate could arrest him or her.

No one had left the house except one elderly couple.

Lady Mary sniffed. “Repeat everything you heard at the ball,” she told Brett.

He went over the conversations again. Lady Mary nodded, as though what he relayed was of great import, sounding an occasionalhmmat certain points in his narrative. “Interesting. Very interesting.”

Marie looked at him, and he shrugged. He hadn’t found much of import in his recitation, either.

The Hammond door opened, and they all crowded about the window.

Two couples emerged, neither of them containing one of their suspects.

They all sat back.

“He should have torn out of there,” Lady Mary muttered.

“Perhaps the killer is Mrs. Trent,” Marie said. “She won’t have heard the rumor yet.”

“Gray would go running to her to tell her the news, I would think.” A man in love would do most anything to protect his woman, a fact Brett was only now coming to fully appreciate. “If he’s not directly involved, he must know she is.”

“I think there’s a problem with your logic but I’m too tired to work through it.” Lady Mary grimaced. “Oh, all right. Maybe they won’t leap into action tonight.” She knocked on the ceiling again. “Home, Ernest,” she called.

Brett’s body felt immediately lighter. Home. He let his pinkie finger brush against Marie’s skirts. That was the best idea of Lady Mary’s yet.

He was imagining all that he’d do to his wife when they reached their bed when Lady Mary tossed a bucket of cold water on his fancies with her next words.

“Besides,” she said, “I think I already know who the killer is. All that remains is to catch him.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Marie

“Will you stopthat incessant singing?” Lady Mary’s peevish tone snapped Marie out of her reverie.

She flushed, and darted a glance at Brett. “Sorry, ma’am.” She wasn’t really. It was a beautiful sunny day with a cool breeze. Every moment together with Brett reaffirmed she’d made the right decision in marrying him. And they were finally on their way to someone with more experience in catching killers for assistance.