'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?'
'I haven't told them yet,' he answered. 'I wanted to be absolutely certain. After listening to Briars' questions, I don't have any doubts left. I'll tell them tonight when I meet them at White's.'
'What question did she ask that made you suspicious?'
'She asked you right away if you could read, remember? Considering the fact that most well-bred ladies in England have acquired that skill, I thought it was a telling question.'
'But she knew I'd been raised on an island,' Jade argued. 'That's why she asked, Caine. She was trying to find out if I'd been raised properly without coming right out and…'
'She was also a little too interested in finding out what your father had left you,' he interrupted.
Jade's shoulders slumped. 'I thought she was sincere,'
'We'll have to tighten the net around Nathan's town house,' Caine remarked. 'I only have two men guarding it now.' He paused to smile at Jade. 'Your poor brother will probably have his town house burned to the ground before this is over.'
'You needn't look so cheerful over that possibility,' she said. 'Besides, Hudson has had ample time to find out there isn't any trunk.' She let out a small gasp. 'I have another disappointment for you, Caine. Lady Briars
