Guardian Angel - Garwood Julie (читать книги полностью без сокращений TXT) 📗
"No? Then you should be ashamed of yourself for lying to that old woman."
"If you'll let me explain…"
She folded her arms across her chest. "This had better be good, sir, or I just might blister you."
He thought she sounded like her Uncle Harry now. She was certainly blustering enough to make him draw that conclusion. He laughed and took his disgruntled looking wife into his arms.
"Well?" she muttered against his jacket. "Explain, if you please, why you lied to a dear family friend."
"She isn't a dear family friend," Caine told her, his exasperation apparent in his tone of voice.
"Of course she is," Jade protested. "You heard her, husband. She has kept all the little presents my
father gave her. She loved him!"
"She killed him."
Jade didn't react to that statement for a long, silent minute. Then she slowly lifted her gaze to stare into his eyes. She shook her head.
He nodded.
Her knees went weak on her. Caine had to hold her up when she slumped against him. "Are you trying
to tell me," she began, her voice a mere thread. "Do you mean to say that Lady Briars is…"
"She's Ice."
"Ice?" She shook her head again. "She can't be Ice," she cried out. "For God's sake, Caine. She's a woman."
"And women can't be killers?"
"No," she returned. "I mean to say yes, I do suppose…"
He took mercy on her confused state. "All the clues fit, Jade. Now sit down and let me explain it to
you," he suggested.
She was simply too stunned to move. Caine led her over to the settee, gently pushed her down on the cushions, and then settled himself next to her. "It's really very logical," he began as he put his arm
around her shoulders.
A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She was recovering from her initial surprise. "I knew
it would be logical."
"I was suspicious when I reread the letters, of course. And I never make the same mistake twice, love, remember?"
"I remember that you like to make that boast whenever possible, husband, dear. Now explain to me
what this mistake is that you didn't repeat."
"I thought Pagan was a man. I never once considered that he could be a she. I didn't make that same error when I was hunting Ice."
"You are really convinced Lady Briars is Ice? How did you come to that conclusion?" she asked.
He wasn't about to let the topic completely turn just yet. "Jade? Did you ever consider that Ice could
be a woman? Tell me the truth," he commanded in that arrogant tone she liked so much.
She let out a sigh. "You're going to gloat."
"Yes, I'm sure I will."
They shared a smile. "No, I never once considered that possibility. There, are you happy?"
"Immensely," he drawled out.
"Caine, you still have to convince me," she reminded him. "Lord, I'm still having difficulty believing this. Ice killed people and threatened to kill Nathan and me. Remember that one letter, where he told my
father that if the letters weren't returned, he would kill us?"
"Not he, love," Caine replied. "She." He let out a long sigh, then added, "Jade, some women do kill."
"Oh, I know," she countered. "Still, it isn't at all ladylike."
"Do you remember in one of the earlier letters, when they were given their operative names, that Ice admitted to being furious over that name? That comment made me curious. Not too many men would care one way or the other. A woman would mind, though, wouldn't she?"
"Some might."
"There are more substantial clues, of course. Briars hired the full staff for Nathan's country home. They were her men, loyal to her. The fact that the house was pillaged told me they were searching. And guess where Hudson, Nathan's butler, turned up?"
"He's staying at Nathan's town house, isn't he? He's guarding it until we close it up."
"No, he's currently in Lady Briars' residence. I imagine we'll find that your brother's town house has
been turned upside down by now."
She ignored his smile. "I never trusted Hudson," she announced. "The man kept trying to force tea
down me. I'll wager it was poisoned."
"Now, Jade, don't let your imagination get the better of you. By the way, all those confusing incidents were Hudson's doing. They did dig up your father's grave on the off chance that the letters had been hidden there. They cleaned up the mess, too."
"Did Hudson shoot Nathan's fine horse?"
"No, Willburn did," Caine explained.
"I'm telling Nathan."
Caine nodded. "Hudson had the cleanup detail. You were right, by the way, a cart was used to carry
the horse away. It must have taken seven strong men to lift the steed."
"How did you learn all this?"
"You're impressed with me, aren't you?"
He nudged her into answering. "Yes, Caine, I'm impressed. Now tell me the rest."
"My men have been ferreting out the facts for me so I can't take all the credit. The horse was found in
a ravine almost two miles away from the main road."
"Just wait until I tell Nathan," Jade muttered again.
Caine patted her shoulder. "You can explain it all to him after this is finished, all right?"
She nodded. "Is there more to tell me, Caine?"
"Well, once I decided that Briars was certainly the most logical candidate, I looked into her background. On the surface, everything appeared to be above board, but the deeper I looked, the more the little oddities showed up."
"For instance?"
"She did a hell of a lot of traveling for a woman," he remarked. "For instance," he added before Jade could interrupt, "she went back and forth to France at least seven times that I know of, and…"
"And you thought that odd? Perhaps she has relatives…"
"No," he countered. "Besides, Jade, she did most of her traveling during war time. There were other telling clues."
"I do believe I'm married to the most intelligent man in all the world," she praised. "Caine, it's only just beginning to make sense to me. What do Sir Richards and Lyon have to say about your discovery?"
