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‘Murdered my husband and is having an affaire with me? No, neither of those things are true. If they were I would not need a bodyguard,’ she added, watching to see what the reaction to that would be.
‘But I thought my father-in-law said the problems you had been having were not serious, that they are more like practical jokes than attacks.’
‘The kind of practical jokes that could go seriously wrong very easily, jokes involving firearms and explosives,’ Guin said drily. ‘And then when we were coming back from Whitby, that day when you and Jared met, there was a serious attempt to kill all of us.’
‘Surely not?’ Bella stopped short of the balustrade and took Guin by the forearm. ‘Surely not.’
‘I do not know how else you would categorise weakening the axle and damaging the brakes on a carriage about to travel fully loaded over that road.’
‘But that is…’
‘Not a practical joke, no. Difficult to know who would have reason to dislike me so much. Although I suppose this latest attack may have been aimed at Lord Ravenlaw.’
‘Why would anyone want to attack Jared?’ Bella released her arm and went lean on the balustrade and look out over the moorland beyond the walls.
‘Hard to say. Of course, sometimes when people do something despicable to another person then they grow to hate the victim as a way of managing their own guilt.’
‘That is directed at me, is it not?’ Bella still did not turn. She gave a twist of her shoulders, a kind of shrug. ‘You are quite right of course. I was young and selfish and so very angry that I could not have what I thought I wanted because the Earl looked down on my family.’
‘Were you happy when you had it?’
‘Not very.’ Bella did turn then.
Perhaps she is talking to me because I am showing no hostility, simply a cool curiosity, Guin thought. And perhaps she really is lonely. If her only friend is a bitter and grieving woman obsessed with her dead brother, then who will help Bella?
‘William was just as young and just as selfish as I was. And then I could not give him sons, so both he and his father despised me. And Jack, Jared, hates me, doesn’t he?’
‘You would have to ask him. He was very badly hurt by both his father and his brother, I can tell that. But I do not know if you were important enough to him for what you did to hurt enough for hate.’
‘You do not need to carry a rapier, do you?’ The lovely curve of Bella’s mouth twisted into an ugly line. ‘That was as good a stab wound as Jared could inflict.’
‘I am not sure whether Jared is capable of hate. I think he has had long enough to come to terms with what happened, but you could apologise and see what happens,’ Guin suggested.
Bella raised her eyebrows. ‘Apologise? For something as bad as that?’
‘Why not? You have the nerve, I imagine, and you aren’t happy now, it might help.’
&nbs
p; ‘Why are you being so kind to me?’ Bella’s mouth trembled, became beautiful again, vulnerable. She bit down on it and the familiar expression of bored disdain returned.
‘Because I know what it is to be young and foolish and alone. To be full of regrets. To be lonely.’
‘Will you be my friend when you are mistress here? When you marry Jared?’
‘When I – I am not going to marry him. I am quite unsuitable for the heir to an earldom.’ And that was tactless, Guin.
‘After me? The Earl will accept you and be thankful. Besides, I doubt anyone says no to Jared these days. The way he looks at you makes what he wants quite clear.’
‘He looks at me because he is guarding me.’
‘He is in love with you. If I am right, will you be my friend or will you take his side?’
‘If – I am your friend now if you make your peace with him.’ Could she trust the other woman or was this sudden display of trust a way of putting Guin off her guard, allowing Elizabeth’s ally close access?
‘I will try. Lady Northam – ’
‘Guin.’
