part0014

E vie glanced over at the door, her nerves on edge. The ladies had withdrawn over half an hour ago leaving the gentlemen to their port and cigars and male related subjects.

She imagined them all huddled around the dinner table grumbling and beating their club sticks while muttering pompous exclamations about their lot in life.

Glancing around the drawing room, she met Penelope’s gaze. When they shared a small smile, Evie considered joining her for a chat. Then she remembered Penelope had never been big on chatting. Not unless she had something to complain about; her maid being too slow-witted, her cook being too predictable, her butler flirting with the maids…

Regardless, she decided to make an effort. Evie shifted but before she could get up, Bicky’s sister, Lady Elizabeth, settled beside Evie.

Elizabeth lifted her glass of cognac in a salute. Clearly, she had needed something strong to get her through the shock of nearly losing her brother.

“You are far braver than I would be in your place,” Elizabeth said.

Evie smiled. “Whatever do you mean?”

Elizabeth leaned in. “Before dinner, I called in on Bicky to see how he was getting on and he confided in me.”

This did not bode well. If the circle of secrecy continued to expand, then everyone would know about Tom…

Evie didn’t need to prompt Elizabeth for more details.

“He said someone tried to run you off the road. That leads me to believe you are, in fact, the target.” Elizabeth lowered her voice. “That bullet had your name written on it.”

Relieved to hear they could continue with their charade without having to offer further explanations, Evie said, “Really Elizabeth, we can’t jump to conclusions.”

“How can you be so untroubled by it? In your place, I’d be hiding under the bed. Actually, I’d be on my way to the nearest port, hoping to jump on the first ship I could find to take me back home. First the rumors about you sniffing around for husband number two and now this.”

Had someone tried to scare her off? Evie lifted her chin in defiance. “I try to ignore the rumors and assume they are started by people who do not know me.”

Elizabeth held her gaze. “Like it or not, your presence here will make many people unhappy.”

Elizabeth had never spoken of it before. So, Evie felt compelled to ask, “What have you heard?”

“Nothing new. In fact, it’s been the same morose complaints about you having all the advantages of wealth and position and taking away any worthwhile opportunity from more deserving well-bred girls.”

Evie pursed her lips. “I should take offense, but I won’t. Perhaps I should inscribe a message on my forehead stating I have no intention of ever marrying again.”

“Would it fit? You do have a wide forehead but I fear it wouldn’t be wide enough.” Elizabeth shook her head. “No, you’ll need something more succinct than that. Let me think. Is there a single word that would denote your intention, clearly stating you are no longer interested in marriage?” Elizabeth stared at her for a moment. “I do not believe such a word exists. Therefore, it is an impossibility. No one will ever believe you have withdrawn from the idea of marriage. It’s almost unnatural. And if you say time will only tell, I will have to contradict you because time may not be on your side.”

Evie chortled. “Elizabeth, I never knew you could be so dramatic and such a pessimist and…” Evie drew in a long breath. “Surely, the person behind all this won’t push it that far? It all seems so petty.”

“Look around you, Evie. We are in the gold drawing room, not the blue drawing room. That’s the one with a bullet hole in one of its windows.”

Evie looked toward the door again and wished the gentlemen would hurry up and guzzle their port. She needed to speak with Tom. The sooner they could put their heads together and identify the real target, the better.

Evie returned her attention to Elizabeth who laughed and said, “Oh, please. Don’t give me that pitying look. I’m not being ridiculous.”

Evie smiled. “Not ridiculous, but perhaps you are overreacting, just a teeny-weeny bit. Think about it. There is only one person who has shown great interest in my return. Can you really picture Lady Wainscot wielding a rifle?”

Elizabeth tilted her head in thought. “She is desperate to see her daughters wedded, preferably to titled gentlemen.”

The door to the drawing room opened and the exclusively male sewing circle strode in. Evie studied their expressions for signs they might have been struck by some sort of epiphany, revealing a fully formed explanation for the day’s events.

Seeing Tom heading toward the window, Evie rolled her eyes. She supposed if the weather had not been so mild, the fireplace might have been lit, providing an equally if not more engaging spot in which to gather one’s thoughts.

“Did you find the after-dinner conversation illuminating?” she asked Tom.

He gave a pensive nod.

“We talked at great length about motor car cooling systems.”

Evie didn’t bother hiding her disappointment. “I thought you wanted to make discreet inquiries.”

“In my own roundabout way, I did. Bicky remains the only one who knew you were arriving early and he didn’t mention it to anyone in his household.”

“Before you ask, I am absolutely certain Bicky didn’t try to kill me. Nor did he stage a scenario where he might have been wounded.”

“I didn’t mean to imply… Anyhow, there is something I didn’t tell you. It has to do with the incident out on the road.” He slipped his hand inside his pocket and drew a small object out.

Evie looked down at his hand. “What is it? ”

“It’s a bullet. Or, at least, what’s left of it.”

“I’m not sure if you noticed a sudden jolt during our drive.”

“Yes, I did. Right after I saw the birds taking flight.”

“I lost temporary control of the motor. Anyhow, after our arrival, I drove out there again and found this bullet on the road.”

Proof they’d been shot at…

“At first, I thought it might have penetrated the grille and caused some damage to the cooling pump. When I returned and had to wait for Caro to deliver your message, I had a look under the motor…”

Evie tried to keep up with his otherwise precise description of what he’d found, but she couldn’t get past the idea of someone actually trying to shoot her twice.

“Out on the road,” he continued, “I caught a glint of light. It appeared to come from a high place, perhaps a tree. But, even with the best gun, the trajectory of this bullet could not have been possible from high up on a tree.”

Evie bit the edge of her lip. “You’re saying there were two people.”

“Yes. One up on a tree keeping a lookout and another on the ground with a rifle.”

Her eyebrows drew downward. “You think that’s because otherwise the bullet would not have penetrated between the gaps… ”

He nodded. “Remember, we were taking a slight curve, so the wheel turned enough to expose a gap.”

Her lips parted. “He must be an excellent shot.”

He agreed. “Probably military trained.”

Evie shook her head. “Not necessarily. In fact, you’ll find many excellent shots in the area.” Heavens, if it came down to expertise with a rifle, there would be an abundance of suspects.