“Lord and Lady Ingersol.”
“What of them?” she croaked, keeping her eyes on the floor in an effort to slow the dizziness.
He regarded her for a moment, “You remember nothing of the evening?”
She jerked her head up. “Lord Ashlund. I shall remember it for the rest of my life.”
“Afterwards,” he insisted. “Do you remember what happened after I arrived?”
Phoebe thought for a moment. “You took me to the carriage. The duchess was there. You had a pistol.”
“The one that fired when you grabbed it.”
“Yes.”
Kiernan sat down beside her. “Lord and Lady Ingersol believe you killed Branbury.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Forgive me, my dear, but it is not a far fetched notion.”
“I would never harm him.”
“Consider how it looks.”
Phoebe opened her mouth to argue, but muttered instead, “By heavens.”
He smiled. “Never fear, I will remedy the situation.”
“I don't see—oh no.” She shook her finger at him. “No you don’t.”
“Phoebe.”
She jumped to her feet only to have the room spin in a violent circle about her. In the next instant, Kiernan’s arms encircled her.
“Easy, sweetheart,” he said, holding her steady against him.
Phoebe nearly fell into his solid warmth and she didn't resist when her held he tighter. The strong thump of his heart forced the rise and fall of his chest against her cheek. Eyes closed, she breathed deep of his familiar scent. Memory rushed forward of the carriage ride last night and—
"The highwayman." She yanked her head back and looked up at him.
He stroked her hair. "What?"
"You told the duchess that you were following someone who you feared might be a highwayman intent upon waylaying us. What did you find? Oh, my lord, this man could be the killer."
"He very well could be. Unfortunately, I didn't find him."
"What?" she cried. "We must find him. We must try."
"I agree, which is why I have someone searching for him."
"You do?"
"I do."
She buried her face in his chest. "Lord Ashlund, thank you."
He gave a laugh. "Lord Ashlund? Why so formal, Phoebe. In a few hours we'll be married."
"What?" Then she recalled the reason for his visit. Phoebe shoved at his chest. "Let me go!"
He grasped her shoulders. “Stop it. Don't you understand? Once you're my wife, they can't touch you.”
Her mind whirled. “Wh-what?”
“As my wife, they cannot touch you. I won't chance a constable knocking on my door. Not just yet, anyway. So you see why we must leave for Brahan Seer immediately. The arrangements have been made for a small service when we arrive.”
“My lord!”
Afterwards, it will be my word against theirs," he cut in. "They saw nothing.”
“Neither did you.”
“Technically, not quite true.”
"Technically, you did not," she nearly shouted.
“I reached you before anyone else, and I searched the area. I found no weapon. You couldn't have thrown the gun far had you shot him.”
“Good of you to clear my name.”
“I would have been a fool not to investigate.”
Phoebe pushed away from him. “Indeed.”
His brow wrinkled.
She couldn't believe it. Her cynicism had wounded him.
“Had you told me you shot him, Phoebe, it would have made no difference.”
“Yet you looked for a weapon.”
“I did," he replied. "It will be much easier to swear that I didn't find a weapon when I truly didn’t. Not to mention, I had no intention of leaving any evidence behind to be found later. Have you considered the possibility it wasn't Branbury the killer meant to shoot?”
“By heavens.” She sat down on the bed again and looked up at him. “Who would want to kill me? Adam said if he were to meet a highwayman, he wanted to be the one to surprise him. Perhaps there really was a highwayman—”
“A common highwayman who hid in the trees and killed a man he didn't know? To what end?”
Someone who had meant to kill her, not Adam? Phoebe felt the room begin to spiral again and she lay back on the bed.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Brahan Seer lay half a day’s ride ahead of them. That was half a day too long, as far as Kiernan was concerned.
“She hasn't uttered more than a word in response to my efforts at conversation,” Elise told him as they walked the grounds of the Glaistig Uain.
“Not surprising,” he replied. She'd said even less to him. “You sent word to Father?”
“Yes, though it’s likely he is already on his way to us and won't receive the message.” She lapsed into silence for a moment, then said, “He will be deeply upset if he misses your wedding, Kiernan.”
“I won't wait. God only knows what trouble Lord Ingersol and his wife have already set into motion. Who was this Branbury, Elise?”
She sighed. “I only met him once. But in answer to the question I know you're thinking, she gave no indication of having any tenderness for him.”