“Please call me Darcy.” His expression was tight again. “All of my friends and family do.”
“Why?” Jane asked.”
“When my little sister was young, she had trouble saying Darcellion and called me Darcy. Then it just sort of stuck.”
I took that in, trying not to think of how adorable it was to imagine Darcy with his younger sister.
“Fine.” I blew out a breath and fiddled with the blanket next to me. “Why did you come to Austen Heights, Darcy?”
“Like I said, we’re following a lead, but as far as we’re aware, it has nothing to do with Easton’s death.” He pressed his lips together, the move sharpening the line of his jaw.
So he had no intention of opening up about it.
“Let’s focus on what wecandiscuss,” Jane said, ever the peacemaker.
Charles’s auburn hair glinted in the kitchen light as he nodded. “We found evidence of a love potion among Easton’s belongings, and that’s what fueled the investigationat first, but I’m not sure why someone would want him to fall in love with them and then kill him.”
“I thought you said Easton was killed by poison.” Jane held her mug with one hand while her free hand rested close to Charles’s on the table so their pinkies almost touched. It was a shame that the fortune-teller’s spell hadn’t backfired on them. Jane and Charles would’ve loved any excuse to spend all their time together and hold hands.
But Charles would never lie and get them caught in that sort of mess in the first place.
“The police considered that at first since Easton’s body reacted as if it had been poisoned, but they haven’t been able to find any traces in his system,” he said.
“What about an old girlfriend?” Jane said.
“He didn’t have one, but Lizzy thinks she might have a suspect,” Darcy said. “She saw a man at the fair…”
Their conversation flowed over me while the earlier revelation hit me again and again. Darcy was the crown prince. I pulled out my notebook and skimmed over the pages with a fresh perspective, filtering through the information once more. My gaze landed on the notes aboutthe sunglasses man from the club, the one who’d also appeared at the festival. Both times I’d seen him, I’d been with Darcy.
My stomach dropped. That was it.
“What if we’ve been looking at this all wrong?” I said. “What if Easton wasn’t the target?”
“What do you mean?” Darcy asked sharply.
“I mean, what if he was a casualty of someone trying to killyou?” I said. “He was your bodyguard, wasn’t he? Maybe the potion was for you.”
Darcy and Charles exchanged grim looks.
“Outside of my group, I didn’t think anyone here knew who I was,” Darcy said. “And none of them would try to hurt me.”
“Maybe someone followed you here,” I said.
“Could the lightning have been targeting Darcy too?” Jane asked. “Maybe Lizzy was just caught in the crossfire.”
Charles’s frown deepened. “Didn’t you say the lightning was meant for Lizzy?”
Darcy let out a slow breath. “It seemed to be heading straight for her, but I suppose it could have been meant for me if someone’s aim was off. Although you’d think ifthey were trying to hurt me, they’d know I’d be able to protect myself.”
“But why would that man want to kill you?” I asked. “I thought he was one of your bodyguards.”
Darcy let out a mirthless laugh. “You’d be surprised by the number of people who have grievances with the crown—even if I’m not the one wearing it.”
“If I get photos of everyone on duty, do you think you’d recognize him, Lizzy?” Charles asked.
“Yes.” I adjusted my wet hair so it wasn’t dripping down my back. Considering the man’s cropped hair, a straight nose, and cleft chin, I’d recognize him easily.
Charles grabbed a laptop from the counter and logged into a browser before spinning the screen around. “This is every employee that’s part of the security detail. Do you see him?”
