Page 70 of Married to the Earl

“It’s all right. I know I have. You don’t have to say otherwise to protect me. Now I just want to do everything I possibly can to help you and Lord Middleborough out of this terrible predicament.”

Astrid’s eyes filled with tears again. She had believed that she was in this on her own. It was wonderful to realize that she had her father on her side. “Thank you,” she whispered, unable to give her gratitude full voice.

Tobias nodded. “You should be aware that I’ve also had conversations with the solicitor who works on the books at the Angry Boar.”

“You have?”

“I got him to show me the Angry Boar’s financial records and, Astrid, that pub has been party to enough financial fraud that we could close them down permanently if we wanted to do so.”

Astrid gasped. Here, at last, was a card she might be able to play. “But why would the other solicitor allow you to see the books?” she asked. “He would have been betraying his own employer.”

“Because I got him half the jobs he has in the first place,” Tobias said. “Lord Farnsworth knew what he was doing when he threatened my reputation and my livelihood—it truly is most of what I have. Many of the solicitors in this town got their start thanks to my offering their name around. They know I could ruin their careers if I wanted to.”

“You threatened him?” Astrid gasped.

“Yes, I did,” Tobias said. “I wouldn’t have acted on my threat. But I needed to see those books, and I’m glad I did, because they confirmed what I believed about the Angry Boar. Are you sorry I chose to act? Do you wish I hadn’t done what I did?”

Astrid thought of how it would feel to march into the Angry Boar, the place where she had been taunted by the patrons and told she would never be enough for her coworkers, and tell them she was shutting the place down.

She thought of how it would feel to face Killian O’Flannagan and tell him thathewas the criminal, that she knew it, and that she was going to make sure everyone else knew it too.

She thought of how it would feel to tell them all that they had to leave Conor alone forever, that if they didn’t,shewould never leavethemalone.

“No,” she admitted. “I’m glad you did it.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said.

“But, Father, what are we actually going todowith what you’ve learned?” she asked. “We could go to the police, I suppose, but it only gets O’Flannagan into trouble. It doesn’t exonerate Conor, and that’s the only thing I really care about.”

“I know,” her father agreed. “But if we let O’Flannagan know that we know what he’s been up to, he may be willing to tell us who the real murderer was.”

“You don’t think it was him?”

“No, I don’t think a man like O’Flannagan would kill with his own hands,” Tobias said. “I’m sure he had someone do the dirty work for him. And if he feels he’s at risk of losing his business, he might be willing to turn on that person. This whole affair has been about advancing his business, hasn’t it?”

“You’re right,” Astrid agreed. “It seems like a bit of a long shot to me, but it’s far better than no shot at all.”

“The only question that remains is how we confront him with the knowledge,” Tobias said. “How do we get ourselves in front of someone like Killian O’Flannagan long enough to convince him that we know what we know?”

Chapter 28

Astrid fluttered about in the foyer of Middleborough Manor, feeling excited and anxious. It felt wonderful to be doing something that stood a real chance at contributing to her husband’s freedom. But it was also frightening.

The plan she had come up with for confronting Killian O’Flannagan was a daring one, and she didn’t think her father was going to think much of it. He had never been a brave man.But,she reminded herself,he was brave enough to go to the Angry Boar in the first place when he thought we needed information. And he was able to get the information we needed.

She decided not to write off his willingness to be involved in her plans before she had even spoken to him. She would give him a chance. He had surprised her once. Maybe he would do so again.

“DuBois,” she said, “I’m going to wait in the parlor. When my father arrives, I’d like you to show him in directly.”

“Yes, My Lady,” DuBois agreed. “And might I say that I and the rest of the staff are very happy to see you out of your room?”

“Thank you, DuBois.” Astrid turned and went to the parlor, thinking to take her favorite seat by the fire and try to relax as she awaited her father’s arrival.

But the idea of sitting and waiting was too overwhelming. Instead she found herself pacing, practicing in her mind what she would say to her father when he arrived, practicing the argument she would make if he fought back against her plan.

There’s nothing he can say, she reminded herself.There’s nothing he can say that will convince me that this isn’t the best possible idea for us.

She heard the sound of the front door opening and footsteps crossing the foyer. A moment later, DuBois appeared in the parlor doorway.

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