Chapter Nineteen #2
“Oh, my head!” Aunt Eliza suddenly cried out. “With all this excitement, it is aching so. Must you two argue?”
Eoin ignored her outburst. If his interrogation of her brother was bothering her so much, Aunt Eliza could simply depart from the room. Instead, Eoin continued staring down his uncle.
“You’re lying,” Eoin proclaimed with calm assurance.
Hugh was anything but sanguine, though. His body began to quaver—but whether in outrage or fear or both, Eoin could not tell.
“How dare you impugn my honor with—”
“Your rapid breathing combined with your reddened cheeks and unwavering stare all indicate that you’re not telling the truth.” Eoin held up a finger as he listed each sign. “Oh yes, and there’s also that bead of sweat forming on your brow.”
“You’re an uncanny nuisance.”
“Then you admit that you’ve been to the Horse and Hen?” Eoin ignored the worn-out insult and stepped forward again. Hugh tried to scuttle backward, but his brother’s body blocked his retreat.
“What if I said yes? What is wrong with me drinking a cheap spirit at some ramshackle venue? I had no funds to spend on brandy and sherry, and then I acquired a taste for the floral stuff. And yes, I like a bit of bloodsport from time to time. So does Francis. We’re men.
” Hugh stood as straight as possible, but his head still was no higher than Eoin’s upper chest.
“Do you know the Purveyor?” Eoin watched for Hugh’s reaction. Unfortunately, before he could witness it, a scratch sounded at the door before it opened to reveal Smythe, Dr. Matthew Talbot, and Lady Charlotte.
“I am sorry for the abrupt intrusion, Your Grace, but you told me to bring Dr. Talbot to you as soon as he arrived,” Smythe intoned.
Eoin battled down his frustration. The distraction had given Hugh enough time to school his expression. Yet despite his uncle’s omissions that he’d frequented the Horse and Hen, Eoin still remained unshaken in his belief that Hugh wasn’t the Purveyor.
“I hear there is a bear in your garden?” Matthew’s words were more a disbelieving question than a definitive statement, despite Eoin having been very clear in his missive to the physician.
At the mention of the bruin, Lady Eliza let out a murmur of displeasure. She turned to the side and rubbed her temples.
“Yes.” Eoin pointed his finger in the direction of the set of windows overlooking the garden. “The creature is from the Horse and Hen’s cellar. I believe it was used in bearbaiting.”
“Oh, the poor thing!” Lady Charlotte said.
Aunt Joan snorted. “I would hardly deem that beast ‘poor.’”
Lady Charlotte regarded Aunt Joan serenely. “It must have suffered in the ring as men cheered on the dogs forced to attack it.” Then she turned back to Eoin and Hannah. “However did you come to rescue him?”
“We didn’t,” Eoin said shortly. “He was deposited in my garden.”
Lady Charlotte and her husband exchanged a glance, but they didn’t ask any more questions with Eoin’s relatives present. Instead, they both crossed the room quickly,
“Hmm,” Matthew said, sounding more like a scholar surprised by a new fact that he’d read than shocked by the presence of a beast in Mayfair.
“What is it?” Hannah asked.
“It is a black bear,” Matthew explained. “They’re from the Colonies. I was expecting a European brown bear, but it is not too surprising that one could be shipped from the New World. I’ve brought animals home from there myself.”
“Do you think you can safely remove him from the garden?” Eoin asked the physician.
Aunt Eliza suddenly sprang forward. With surprising speed, she gripped Matthew’s sleeve. “Please save us!”
He gave her a kind smile and patted her hand.
“There is no reason for fear. You’re safe inside this building, my lady, although I would not recommend a garden stroll at the moment.
As soon as my friend arrives with proper equipment and one of the wagons that we’ve specially designed for transporting large predators, we will safely remove the animal. ”
“Why not just shoot the blasted thing?” Uncle Francis demanded. “If you’re all too lily-livered to do so, I’ll volunteer.”
“I assure you that it takes much more bravery to capture the animal alive.” Matthew’s polite scholarly demeanor had hardened.
“I still say that we should—” Uncle Francis began anew.
Eoin rubbed the bridge of his nose, wishing that his relatives weren’t so difficult to corral. “As the duke, I have decided that we’re not harming the bear unless it poses an immediate danger to someone. Ursus is contentedly eating in a walled space. We can and shall wait until more help arrives.”
“We are doomed!” Aunt Eliza cried.
For once, Eoin had to agree with her. Although Ursus hadn’t harmed anyone, it was clear that the bear had been released to kill him.
The Purveyor—or whoever was behind the murder attempts—wasn’t going to stop.
And worse, the killer seemed intent on choosing exceedingly dangerous methods that could easily result in others being injured too.
It was past time to discover exactly what was happening at the Horse and Hen.
“Ursus seems content,” Hannah said later that afternoon as Eoin stood next to her outside the bruin’s new home.
The summer sun burned overhead, drenching the grassy field in light.
Matthew and his friend had created ingenious enclosures with sunken walls that made it appear that the animals were contained only by low-lying hedges.
Ursus ignored their presence as he industriously lumbered around the perimeter of his sizable quarters.
The black tip of his wiggling nose did not appear to miss a single, solitary scent.
Although Eoin knew little about animals, he swore that the bear radiated joy.
Perhaps it was because Ursus still managed to eject a little sprightliness into his otherwise stiff amble despite his obvious age.
He certainly was no longer growling and roaring.
“I am glad Ursus can finally receive proper care.” Eoin gazed at the bear, surprised by how gentle the creature appeared. Ursus exuded an almost cuddly cuteness until one noticed the fearsome claws and teeth.
“I do feel better after seeing him under more cheerful conditions.” Hannah leaned against Eoin and gave his midsection a squeeze. “Thank you for stopping by here.”
“It was no great detour. We would have practically passed this place on the way to the ducal seat regardless,” Eoin said.
“I hope we do find a clue at your estate, and we’re not haring off on a wild-goose chase when there are better leads in London.” Hannah sighed as she let go of Eoin to pick a small leaf from the shrubbery hiding the recessed ha-ha.
“If my uncles and aunts are involved in the Purveyor’s business, they would have removed or destroyed any evidence in the London townhouse when I first visited the Horse and Hen.
They wouldn’t have a chance, though, to sort through their belongings at the Kent property,” Eoin said, although that was only part of his rationale.
He also wanted to protect Hannah. Each time he’d been attacked, she’d been by his side.
He had to consider that perhaps the Purveyor wanted her dead too.
It seemed best to remove both of them from danger until they had a chance to discover more about the threat that they faced.
Eoin, however, doubted that Hannah would be keen on avoiding peril. She was more apt to hurtle toward it.
“Do you believe now that one of your relatives could be the Purveyor?” Hannah asked as she plucked another leaf and flicked it into the air.
“Not particularly, but my uncles may at least have a connection to him,” Eoin admitted as a heavy sadness weighed down on him.
He had never been close to the foursome, but it still hurt to think one of his father’s siblings might be helping to engineer his demise.
“After I napped this morning, certain conclusions became clearer to me.”
Hannah turned from pruning the boxwood to wrap her arms around him once more. “I cannot imagine they were easy inferences to make.”
“Not particularly,” Eoin agreed as he fixed his gaze on Ursus. The bear had stopped to paw rather aggressively at a clump of lavender. Chunks of the plant flew into the air, and Eoin wished that he could root out his own problems so easily.
Hannah did not press for more details, and Eoin realized that she was giving him time to prepare himself. He reached his arm around her and squeezed, glad for this moment of privacy.
“I…” he began and then swallowed. “I realized that someone who knows my routine must have helped plan the recent incident.” It made him feel a little better, calling what had happened an incident rather than attempted murder.
Still, speaking about last night caused a flurry of angst and rage to swirl in Eoin’s gullet.
“Sending a bear into a garden isn’t a very effective way to kill someone. ”
“Although it would send a gruesome message to those who are under the Purveyor’s thrall,” Hannah pointed out.
“Even though we lived, it is still a terrifying tale that will be repeated throughout London. For some people, such an experience would be enough to persuade them to halt their pursuit of the truth.”
“I had not considered those factors,” Eoin confessed, a bit ashamed that his normal logic had failed him.
“I was primarily focused on the method than the potential results. Most noblemen don’t frequent their gardens at night, nor have I revealed this practice to anyone but you.
And even you were not aware until last night. ”
“Which means that either your relatives or your staff informed the Purveyor about your penchant. Given that Ursus was released into the garden after we’d been lingering there for a while, it is likely someone told the Purveyor about our exact whereabouts,” Hannah finished, and Eoin was thankful that he didn’t have to explain his uncles’ potential perfidy further.
“I share your conclusions.” Eoin held Hannah tightly.
“I am sorry.” Hannah stood on her tiptoes and bussed his cheek.
The simple warmth of her gesture pooled through Eoin, soothing the raw edges of hurt.
Gratitude slipped through him that he had this wonderful, bold woman by his side.
Neither of them spoke as they silently watched Ursus utterly destroy the stand of lavender.
The bear’s claws swiped furiously, scattering dirt in all directions.
It was oddly cathartic to watch Ursus take out his rage upon the flowers—almost as if Eoin could find some release as well.