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There it was The truth, laid down in black ink on white paper, in Levi Harris’s neat penus Macleod had been apprehended theLeo’s death, not atheof a cookshop, with the intent to rob the place According to Harris’s inquiries of the prison guards, the two matched Cora’s basic description
These men were Leo’s killers Julian knew it in his bones He read through the letter again, though by now he could have recited it froly "I’ll be dautter and lane in the county of Middlesex and beyond, and here they’d been floating on a decaying ship in the middle of the Thames, less than ten miles downstream Virtually under his nose the whole ti roos and squawked "Jericho!" he trilled merrily "Jericho!"
Ridiculous bird "What is it with you and na "Mr Jauilty Thank you, that will be all" Julian shook hi with a bloody bird For once, the blasted creature’s nattering shouldn’t even disturb hi the matter after he’d promised Lily he wouldn’t But she’d been concerned for his safety, and he hadn’t done any of the investigating himself He’d merely written to Harris and let him do the work
And now, less than a week later, Julian held deliverance in his hands True liberation fro Leo and Faraday, this Horace Stone and Angus Macleod had gone on to coht Impulsive ones, by Levi Harris’s account Acts like those didn’t suggest the behavior of two paid assassins Wouldn’t hired assailants have fled the area and reported back to their ehborhood, indiscri panes? The pattern of events pointed to two drunken louts on a petty cri more
Lily and Morland--and he had to face it, pretty , it would seem Leo’s murder had been a randoic, but the implications for Julian were ret not being there that night Leo was a good friend, and his death cast a long, sorrowful shadow But if Julian could see the killers punished--if he could feel certain, once and for all, that Peter Faraday rong and those men actually hadn’t intended to hter, instantly
Julian folded the letter from Harris, jammed it in his breast pocket, and crossed to the escritoire, withdrawing two sheets of paper and taking up a penknife to sharpen a quill
He needed to send an express to Ashworth at once If the brutes were sentenced to six months’ hard labor, they were due to be released within weeks Both witnesses to the killing were in points far West, out Ashworth’s way--Cora Dunn, the prostitute, had stayed on in Devonshire, and Peter Faraday re in Cornwall If Ashworth could deliver one or both of them to London before Stone and Macleod were released, they could bring the es before they ever tasted freedom Leo would finally have justice
And Julian could feel some measure of peace
"Julian?" Lily’s voice, froent will be waiting"
Deuce it With the arrival of Harris’s letter, he’d forgotten all about their appointment to look at houses for lease She was excited; he could hear it in her tone And noith this news from Harris, Julian was excited, too He didn’t dare tell Lily about this latest develop her expectations or anxieties until he could be sure
He looked up Spied his wife, a vision in sage-green muslin and frothy lace Promptly dropped the penknife and quill, as if they burnt his fingertips
"What is it?" she asked, laughing at his cluned expansively, putting face and shoulders into the gesture "Beautiful" Because sometimes, spoken words just wouldn’t do
She looked to the clock and finger-spelled, "Late"
"The property agent ait" He readied his hands and waited for her attention Feeling mischievous, he decided to test how her co, he described in explicit detail what he planned to do with that sage-green dress when they returned, and then what he planned to do with the body beneath it
Her cheeks burned crith he concluded his indecent proposition with the words, "five tihed and put a hand to his cheek
She said aloud, "Finally There’s the infamous scoundrel I know and love I wondered where he’d been hiding these past feeeks I was beginning to wonder if I’d truly , stuffy clerk"
He dropped a playful kiss on her brow before offering his ars she must never know
"Oh, I like this one" Lily’s face lit up as they stepped over the threshold of the third house that afternoon She gripped his ar about this house, Julian"
"We’ve only seen the entrance hall"
"Yes, I know But it’s a very fine entrance hall"
Julian thought it looked rather shabby The paper on the walls was faded and peeling, and cobwebs shrouded the far corners of the ceiling
"It’s been vacant for soent said "The owners have only just decided to let it out"
"The proportions are lovely," she said, turning into what he supposed to be the dining room With no furniture, it was difficult to tell "And there’s so ht"