Page 19 of A Raven Returns

“You have some explaining to do, James.”

He swallowed, but he didn’t speak.

“Unless you’d rather I just let you go without a reference. Warwick certainly won’t be able to help you, though, as he’s currently locked up, so I don’t kill the vile bastard.”

Fogg swung around to face him. Ash shrugged. “I told you I mucked it up.”

“Well, it’s good I didn’t waste any time, then.”

“Did you get some answers?”

Fogg rolled his eyes and gestured to the footman.

“Oh, right,” Ash said. He’d been so anxious to hear what Fogg had uncovered, he’d almost forgotten about the footman. “So what’s it going to be, James? Are you going to talk or take your chances out in the cold tonight?”

“I’m sorry, my lord. I’ll tell you anything. Please don’t throw me out.”

“Good choice, lad. So what are you doing in my chambers?”

He swallowed and his voice shook as he spoke. “Mr. Warwick wanted me to see if I could find anything that might indicate you have some kind of reason for being here other than just visiting your estate. He said it’s too much of a coincidence, you showing up after all this time, right after the robbery.”

“And which robbery is that?”

James shrugged timidly. “I don’t know. That’s just what he said.”

“And why did you think you owe your loyalty to him, James, rather than to me? I am, after all, the master of this estate.”

He lowered his gaze and picked at the fabric of his trouser leg. “I’m sorry, my lord. I didn’t mean to be disloyal.”

Ash tapped his cane against the man’s knee. “Look at me when you’re speaking to me,” he barked.

James shrank back in the chair but raised his frightened eyes to Ash’s face. “I’m sorry, my lord.”

“So if you didn’t mean to be disloyal, then explain to me how one is accidentally perfidious.”

He started to lower his gaze again but caught himself and quickly corrected. “Mr. Warwick said he’d tell you I stole a bottle of brandy if I didn’t do as he asked.”

“That doesn’t explain why you sent word to him when I arrived.”

“Well, the truth is, I did steal a bottle of brandy, six months ago. He’s been holding it over my head ever since then, and I thought perhaps that might finally put me in his good graces.”

Ash sighed irritably. “Does this job really mean so little to you that you would throw it away for a bottle of brandy?”

“No. It was stupid and I swear it will never happen again, my lord.”

“Do you know anything about a blackmail scheme Warwick is running?”

“Actually,” Fogg interjected, “it turns out it isn’t really a blackmail scheme.”

Ash waited for Fogg to explain, but he didn’t. “What is it then?” he finally asked.

“I thought you must have figured that out, since you said you have him locked up.”

Ash shook his head. Why was Fogg stalling? “Fogg?”

“You have to promise me you won’t kill him, Ash.”

“What has he done, Fogg? Does this have something to do with Gwen?”

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