Cast in Shadows by Laura Landon

Author:Laura Landon [Landon, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Prairie Muse Publishing
Published: 2015-06-21T04:00:00+00:00

. . .

The sky was filled with angry dark clouds that raced through the nighttime sky, and settled over the full moon to hide all but a glimpse of light that peeked through very briefly. The woman quickened her pace. She hated being out on nights like this but tonight she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t chance that anyone from the manor house might see her.

She kept in the shadows as long as she could, then made her way along the hedge line and into the copse of trees at the edge of an open meadow. Crossing the corner of the meadow would expose her to the most risk, but for a brief moment she’d have to chance being seen.

She pulled her shawl tighter around her head and shoulders then put her head down and walked as fast as she could. She didn’t stop until she was once again concealed in the shadows of the trees.

“Finally,” a masculine voice said from deeper in the trees. “I didn’t think you would ever get here.”

“I had to wait until everyone had gone to bed. You don’t want anyone to know you stepped onto Townsend land, do you?”

He ignored the reprimand in her voice, but that didn’t surprise her. He never did like to be chastised.

“So what’s so important that you needed to meet at this hour? We weren’t scheduled to meet for another week.”

“Sheffield didn’t die.”

She ignored the vile curse that came from him.

“Are you sure?” he demanded.

“Of course I’m sure. His Grace was sick with worry that Lord Sheffield wouldn’t survive, but he did. Lord Benjamin was to see him yesterday and took his sisters with him. They came back happy as larks ’cause Sheffield was well enough to sit up and have a piece of cake that old nurse made as a celebration.”

“I told you to make sure you finished the job, but you wouldn’t listen to me.”

“We couldn’t rush it,” she answered. “We had it all planned so no one would suspect anything. Instead, that young female butted her nose in and ruined everything.”

“Well, it’s not my fault he didn’t die. He should’ve. The bullet went right where it was supposed to go.”

“But it didn’t kill him. Next time you’re supposed to make sure he dies.”

“What next time? There ain’t gonna be no next time.”

“You were paid to make sure his lordship died,” she reminded him.

“It ain’t my fault he didn’t die.”

“Not everyone thinks that.”

“I don’t care what they think. Besides, it’s too dangerous. Have you seen the army of guards that protect the cottage night and day?”

“Yes, but there’s extra pay to cover any risk you have to take.”

Cook’s son shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t what?” she said in an angry tone. “You don’t have a choice. You either do what you’re told, or you’ll be facing a hangman’s rope for that murder you committed. This is your way out. Kill Sheffield and you’ll have enough money to leave and start fresh.”

“I don’t like it,” he argued.

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