Chapter Three
“W hat the devil?” James surveyed the damage in his stables. All of the stall doors had been slung open, and the frightened horses and other livestock were harming themselves and anyone or thing that happened to get in their way as they bucked and whinnied and rammed against the barred stable door.
In addition, feed sacks had been slashed, their contents strewn across the dirt floor before rancid milk had been dumped over the soggy feed.
In the tackle room, most of the leather reins had been cut into several pieces.
Everywhere they looked, all they saw was destruction.
“Who would do this?” a visibly shaken James asked. “A human hand has been at wicked work here.”
Hamilton nodded. “Someone came in the night.” He guided a bay back into its stall and carefully slid the door’s lock into place.
“Who would do this to me? I have no enemies.”
“Well, someone’s definitely got an axe to grind,” Hamilton said.
“I cannot imagine who could possibly want to harm Mr. Beresford. He’s such a... great man.” The pretty little thing directed the most pleasant look at him.
Good lord! Had his kiss been that good? The memory of its pleasantness was almost enough to get his mind off this unpleasantness that surrounded them. Almost.
“Think, sir,” Hamilton said. “Have you exchanged harsh words with anyone hereabouts?”
James scowled. “Of course not.”
“Oh, I’m sure Mr. Beresford would not do that,” Miss Jones said. “He is possessed of the most pleasant countenance. I cannot ever imagine him bickering with anyone. Can you, Mr. Hamilton?”
“No, Miss Jones. What you say is true about Mr. Beresford. No one is kinder to his servants and employees than this man, but this meanness has to be directed at him. He’s the only one who’s been living here.”
“And there is the fact, everyone who knows him knows how obsessive Mr. Beresford is over his lands and livestock. It has to be someone who knows him, someone who wants to hurt him where it hurts most.” Venus offered him a feeble smile to offset the harshness of her assertion. “I must add that your lands, my dear Mr. Beresford, are not as important as your sisters are, whom I am sure you value more than anything.”
“I believe the lady’s right, sir.”
James nodded gravely. “But I have never had harsh words with anyone.”
“Perhaps,” Miss Jones offered, “one of your horses bested a competitor’s, and he’s out to exact revenge.”
James shook his head. “None of my horses have raced in more than three years.”
“Then what about your crops? Have you been underselling your neighbors?”
James’s glance flicked to Hamilton.
That man shook his head. “At your instruction, sir, we never undercut what we perceive as a fair rate. Everyone hereabouts gets the same for our crops.”
“Then that doesn’t explain this.” James’s gaze went to the chaotic scene.
“I know!” a smiling Miss Jones offered.
Two sets of eyes darted to her.
“This must have been done by someone who lives in our county. Agreed?” her gaze circled them.
They nodded. “I suppose so,” James murmured, his thoughts racing over all the neighboring farms. “But what possible motive could the Evil One have?” He, too, led a horse back into its stall.
“I think it’s perfectly clear,” she said.
“It is?” James had a dubious expression on his face.
“Of course. Someone is vastly jealous of you. You must own, everything you do has been wildly successful.”
James shrugged. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“You see, your modesty is just another of your attributes. You are disgustingly blessed with a great many superior accomplishments.”
How peculiar that amidst all this wretched chaos, the first accomplishment that popped into his mind was kissing. That was likely because he could not push away the memory of that spectacular kiss. He chided himself for dwelling on The Kiss when all this destruction lay before him.
Hamilton burst into laughter.
James looked askance at his steward. “You think it’s funny that someone thinks I have attributes?”
“Oh, no, no, sir! I’m laughing because of what Miss Jones said.”
She whirled at the steward. “I shall be offended, Mr. Hamilton.”
“Please don’t be. I only laugh because you have projected upon our destructive offender feminine notions. I strongly believe this destruction was orchestrated by a man.”
She and James both nodded.
“I do think a man did this,” Venus said.
“Men are not motivated in the same ways women are,” Hamilton said.
Miss Jones put hands to her hips. “Let me see if I understand what you’re trying to say. You think my assertion that the perpetrator of this wickedness might be motivated by jealousy as silly because men don’t get jealous?”
Hamilton shrugged. “I’m not actually saying men don’t get jealous. I’m saying it is not likely that a man would wreak such havoc on another man just because that other man had more attributes ?”
The lady stomped her foot. James had noticed she had a propensity to do that.
“I will have you know Mr. Beresford’s abundance of attributes is practically legendary.” Miss Jones held up her hand and began to count on her fingers. “He’s a brilliant landowner who is up on all the latest agricultural improvements.” She raised a second finger. “He’s a caring brother to all his younger siblings.” A third finger came up. “He is said to be one of the wealthiest men in all of England.” The fourth extended finger brought the pronouncement: “And he’s so very handsome, I cannot help but think of him as an Adonis.”
He had feared that a fifth finger, or thumb, would recognize his kissing prowess. Not that he was arrogant enough to think of himself as in possession of kissing prowess, but the lady did seem to think highly of him. And his abilities. Surely that kiss they both had seemed to enjoy so much was one of them.
When she finally stopped listing his perceived attributes, he was quite certain his chest had significantly swelled. He could not look the lady in the eye. “You are far too complimentary, Miss Jones. I assure you, I’m not worthy of such praise.”
“Oh, but I assure you, you are!”
“She may be right, sir, though I am hardly qualified to pass judgment about the Adonis comment,” Hamilton said, his mossy eyes flashing with mirth. “I won’t say the lady’s daft, though some of her opinions may be.”
“You’re too modest,” Miss Jones countered. “Humor me. Let’s enumerate the neighbors. One of them must be responsible. Of course, you can eliminate me as well as my father.”
“Definitely,” James agreed. “Though don’t suspect any neighbors north of here.”
Hamilton chuckled. “Because you own all the land north of here for more than twenty miles?”
James nodded.
“There’s Lord Wycomb,” she offered, holding up her index finger.
“He was my father’s closest friend!” James defended.
“He could resent all your modern improvements,” she countered.
Frowning, James shook his head.
She continued. “There’s Reginald Goodson.”
James’s lips pursed as he contemplated her latest potential culprit. “I will own, we’re not close.”
“The man could most definitely resent you and how you’ve continued to add acreage to your considerable holdings.”
He could not deny that there was merit in what she was suggesting.
“And, lastly, there’s Donald Shuttlebotham,” she said.
“While I’m far from being close to him, we were at Eton together. Known the fellow my whole life. We have no bad feelings.”
“You might want to consider Misters Goodson and Shuttlebotham,” Hamilton said. “Miss Jones’s suspicions are all we have to go on at this time. In the meantime, I’ll have the groom clean up this mess. I was waiting until you saw it.”
James noted that the groom, who slept above the stables, had come down the stairs and had begun to sweep. “Let’s consider this a one-time occurrence. I’m not about to accuse my neighbors of such mischief.”
Miss Jones smiled at him. “That is so like you. See, benevolence is another of your attributes.”
This pretty little gal was certainly growing on him. She not only was a superior kisser, the woman also vastly admired him. “Please, Miss Jones, enough praise.” He walked to her and offered his arm. “Shall we apprise my sister and the duke of what’s happened here during the night?”
She hooked her arm into his. Miss Jones, or Venus as she had asked him to call her when it was just the two of them, was a very good size. Neither skinny nor fat and just the proper height for a woman, not too tall, not too short.
Though he was shaken by the vile occurrence in his stable, his thoughts returned to The Kiss. He would like to kiss Venus again.