Chapter 30 #3
“And were ambushed,” Sidney continued while I glared at Willoughby. “A friend of ours was shot by Ardmore, shielding Verity.”
“Ardmore shot him?” This seemed to surprise Willoughby the most. He muttered a curse, and turned a small circle on the lawn, pressing his hand to the back of the flat cap on his head.
“No!” he exclaimed as he pivoted to face us.
“I did not send you into an ambush. I was merely passing along what I’d been told.
” He grew angry. “I was earnest when I told you I wanted revenge on Ardmore. I’m certainly not working with him!
I’d have to be an utter sap and a moron. ”
“He could be blackmailing you,” I pointed out.
“About what?” he retorted. “He could hardly ruin my life more than he already has.” He tilted his head. “Unless he succeeds in killing me.”
I wanted to believe him, but I was also leery of being duped again. There was too much at stake.
Willoughby sensed our continued mistrust, but he said no more in his defense. “I came to tell you that I revisited the contact who told me Ardmore’s target was in Dublin. Believe me or don’t,” he grumbled. “But the fellow said Ardmore is aware you tried to speak to a former member of his staff.”
My gaze snapped to Sidney. He must have been referring to the nursemaid.
“That Ardmore paid the woman’s granddaughter to keep you away from her,” Willoughby added.
I had to think he would only do so if the former nursemaid knew something he didn’t want us to find out.
“And you believed him?” Sidney asked him.
His expression was grave. “Well, the chap committed suicide in front of me immediately after.”
I gasped.
“So, yeah. I tend to believe him if he was that afraid of Ardmore finding out he’d spoken to me about what he knew.”
Or he didn’t wish to live with the consequences of telling such a lie, especially if it was meant to send us into another ambush. The question was, which interpretation was correct?
“Take it or leave it, but if you want my opinion, I’d find a way to speak to that woman and discover what she knows.” Willoughby eyed us in disgruntlement. “Or if you don’t wish to risk it, tell me who she is and I’ll go.”
As tempting as that would be, I had a feeling the nursemaid would tell us more than she would tell Willoughby. And if he was telling us the truth, after our accusations, I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t take whatever information she gave him and try to foil Ardmore on his own.
“We’ll go,” I said. “But …” I hesitated to make this request, as he’d refused the last time we’d asked. “It would be helpful to know how we can contact you instead of waiting for these pre-arranged meetings.”
He shifted his stance so that he could look out at the park. It was obvious now that no ambush was pending. At least, not here. So I lowered my guard, watching him struggle with himself. He was reticent to trust us as well.
“The blind asylum,” he replied gruffly. “I’ve been doing odd jobs there.”
When he turned to look at me, I nodded. It was evident when his shoulders lowered that he’d read as much into that gesture as I’d intended.
He’d chosen to trust us, so I would trust him.
Or else either of our chances of defeating Ardmore and avenging ourselves and our friends were slim.
Sidney stepped forward to shake his hand and then we went our separate ways.
A sense of inevitably seemed to drag at my heels, and a sudden buoyant hope filled me. Surely, this must be almost over, whatever the end would be. We’d been circling each other now for so long. Something had to give. I just wished I knew what.
When we arrived home, a gift was waiting for me.
Our outer garments had nearly been soaked through from the mist, and Sidney and I stood unwrapping ourselves as Nimble entered, carrying a thin package about the size of my forearm from my elbow to the tip of my fingers.
It was tied with a red ribbon. “This was delivered by a man with a mustache on a bicycle,” he explained.
I accepted it gingerly, uncertain who it could be from.
Such a method of delivery would normally have indicated it had come from Alec or Finnegan, but I would not have put it past Ardmore to have imitated it.
I pulled at the ribbon slowly and then lifted the lid.
Inside rested a white card with a note scrawled in a swift hand, the words carefully separated.
Considering your aversion to guns, MacAlister
thought you might have need of this. So I am glad to
give it to you this Christmas Eve. May your hunt be
swift and successful. Nollaig Shona Duit!
Underneath, enfolded by tissue paper, lay a dagger wrapped in a leather sheath.
Considering it was a gift to a woman, one might have expected it to be ornamental, but this was a knife that was meant to be used.
The hilt was crafted of smooth wood and the long blade wickedly sharp and finely balanced.
The fact that Collins and Alec had believed I would have need of it sent a chill sweeping down my spine and a prayer trembling to my lips. “Lord, help us.”