Part 30 (1/2)

”Answer the question. Will you testify to what you just heard? That this man shot my wife?”

Lucinda looked at her coachman, whose gaze was locked upon her face, his expression intent.

She swallowed.

”Well?” Jack asked, moving to stand between the two of them. ”Will you?”

Her lips thinned. She tossed her hair, anger blazing out. ”Yes, d.a.m.n you. You know I will.”

”Argh!”The coachman lunged forward, straining against the rope around his neck, his face twisted with fury. ”You tol' me to shoot her! You tol' me to kill her!” Hamish restrained the man with difficulty, grabbing him by the shoulders. ”Easy, muttonhead! Ye about cut yer own throat!”

Jack asked, ”Perhaps you have more to say now?”

”Aye! 'Twas Lady Featherington as gived me the orders,” the man spat. ”She even came to watch. She said if we were caught, we were t' blame it all on Campbell. 'Tis the only reason she brought him with her!”

Every eye turned to Lucinda.

”You b.i.t.c.h,” Jack said with quiet fury. ”I suppose you also planted the thistle under Fiona's saddle. Why did you do this?”

She paled but said nothing.

”A woman scorned,” Alexander said, his fingers flexed around his sword.

Lucinda flicked a look of utter disdain toward the lot of them. ”I am not such a fool.”

Campbell said, ”I don't understand any of this. We had an agreement. We were just going to break up

the marriage, cause problems to refuel the feud. She would get her revenge for being humiliated. I would gain the land that rightfully belongs to my family.”