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“Or how they set Haorth up,” Amelia replied

“What do you mean?” Sebastian stared at her

“Ihe had ? Why had he been taken to gaol under the naton, if he knew he didn’t do it? He didn’t just turn up at the gaol and confess How did he get to gaol under an assumed name?”

Sebastian frowned as he considered Once again, her logic was faultless

“One of them, or probably both of them, set hiht he had done it The shock of finding hi position would explain why he allowed hih to persuade him to accept an assumed name”

“Only once he got to gaol, and sobered up, he realised he would be going to the condemned cell The reality of his likely fate would become evident, even to him”

Sebastian shuddered at the horror “This evidence would be enough to take Ballantyne to the gallows”

“Ballantyne must have learnt of the letter somehow It proved the Ballantynes were culpable in the allows It’s enough to kill again for” Amelia shuddered with revulsion at the sheer inhumanity of the Ballantynes

“To gain access to Edenvale Manor would give Ballantyne ti else that could implicate him or his brother in thethe house was eradicated” Peter’s voice faded

“They decided to kill Sebastian to get hiain, they could access the property and search it, knowing nobody would bein for a while There would be no staff to interrupt theust and stared in horror at Sebastian

“Unfortunately, it h added fro Aether, but knew that Sebastian was too protective to allow her to be reht

“I thought the elder Ballantyne died in a carriage accident a few months back? Didn’t his wife die with him?” Edward frowned at Sebastian, who shook his head and wondered how he ossip so frequently

Eastleigh nodded “Yes, I can reer brother took over the estates, and lost a lot of business because of his dubious connections and dissolute lifestyle”

Mindful of Amelia’s presence, he chose his words carefully “The reputation of the younger Ballantyne for regularly attending orgies and gae of being cast out by the family for his wastrel ways, when the older brother died suddenly on his way hoies”

“So in order to prevent his ghosts fro back to haunt hi that could ihtfully into the fire