The Confessions of a Duchess -Brides of Fortune 1 by Nicola Cornick

Author:Nicola Cornick [Cornick, Nicola]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Historical, Fiction, Man-Woman Relationships, General, Love Stories, Regency, Nobility - England, Regency Fiction, Widows, Marriage, Taxation
ISBN: 9780373773770
Google: euY7LpgP_WkC
Amazon: 0373773773
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2009-06-01T05:00:00+00:00

“I will, of course, let you know at once,” Laura said, quickly and completely untruthfully.

Dexter hesitated. “Had you considered,” he said, “that what happened last night may not have been an accident?”

Laura stared at him. The headache behind her eyes hammered so intensely that she felt sick. “No, I had not,” she said. “Surely it was just a masonry fall? I thought it was simply ill luck—”

Dexter shook his head. “It could have been deliberate. You were lucky.” Laura winced, remembering the agonizing pain of her shoulder. “Surely that depends on how you define lucky.”

“Lucky as in fortunate not to be dead.” There was an edge to Dexter’s voice. “Have you forgotten that we were deliberately locked in?”

“No, but—” Laura’s head whirled. “I thought…I assumed it was just a prank—that whoever had locked us in had come back later to release us. And I am sure that the fall of stone was not deliberately manufactured. I saw no one there and it is well known that the priory ruins are dangerous.” She shook her head fretfully. “I cannot believe it anything other than an accident!”

For a moment she saw again the hard, calculating look she had witnessed in Dexter’s eyes the previous night but then it faded and he sighed. “To my mind it could have been a trap, Laura, cleverly conceived and neatly sprung. They locked you in and then released you, and you were so pleased to be free that you did what nine people out of ten would do and ran directly into a trap.”

Laura tried to think about it. She remembered the day on the water the week before when she had been so sure that someone had pushed the boat out into the middle of the river. Was someone trying to hurt her? And if so, why? Might someone try to hurt Hattie?

It was an intolerable thought. She bit her lip.

“What is it?” Dexter said instantly. He had been watching her face and now Laura realized how close she had come to giving herself away. He was too quick.

“Nothing,” she said. She did not want to express her doubts to Dexter, not now, when her head ached intolerably and she could not think straight. She closed her eyes and lay back against the pillows with a sigh.

“Laura,” Dexter said, “when you fell in the river last week—” Laura’s eyes shot open. How had he guessed that? She looked at him. He looked implacably back.

“I did wonder,” she admitted, capitulating to his unspoken demand for the truth,

“whether someone had pushed the boat. I thought I felt something, but the sun was in my eyes and I saw no one. It is little enough.” She sighed. “I am sure I am imagining things. As I have said before, you have a suspicious mind, Mr. Anstruther, and now it is firing my imagination, too. There is absolutely no reason why anyone would shut me in my own wine cellar, unless as a practical joke. As for the rock fall, that was definitely an accident—” She stopped as Dexter gave a derisive snort.

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