Page 76 of Married to the Earl

Was it a crime?Tobias Dawson had already demonstrated that he didn’t mind breaking the law when it suited him to do so. Astrid glanced anxiously at her father.

“All right, it’s a crime,” Tobias said evenly. Astrid was awed by his sudden bravery. “Turn me in if you must. But your own crimes are far greater than any I’ve committed, Mr. O’Flannagan. You’ve committed fraud against your suppliers, your business partners, and your clientele.”

“You can’t prove it,” O’Flannagan hissed.

“You must know that I can,” Tobias said. “If I didn’t have the information I needed to go to the police with this, I wouldn’t be troubling you.”

“Whyareyou troubling me?” O’Flannagan asked. “If you were going to go to the police, you would have done so already. There’s something you’re not telling me. What is it?”

“We’re here about Lord Middleborough,” Astrid said.

“What about him?” O’Flannagan asked. “He got what he deserved if you ask me. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before that man committed some heinous act. You’re just lucky to have escaped being the victim of it, My Lady.” He shook his head. “Poor Lord Hayward. He was a good man, and a good friend. He did not deserve to die like that.”

“You’re lying,” Astrid said. “I know you are. You know something about Lord Hayward’s death.”

O’Flannagan raised his eyebrows. “What exactly are you accusing me of?”

“You know precisely what I’m saying,” Astrid said. “I don’t know if it was you personally or if it was a friend of yours, but I know that someone associated with the Angry Boar murdered Lord Hayward and planted the evidence in Lord Middleborough’s club to make my husband appear to be guilty.”

O’Flannagan’s jaw dropped.

Astrid was not to be deterred. “I’m here tonight because I want your help in figuring out who was involved,” she said. “I want you to either confess your crime to me or help me discover who the guilty party is. And if you refuse to help, I’ll go to the police with what I know about the fraud you’ve committed. The Angry Boar will be permanently shut down, and you will go to jail.”

Chapter 30

“How dare you speak to me so?” O’Flannagan breathed. “How dare you come to my place of business and make wild accusations against me when you have no evidence to speak of and no idea what you’re talking about?”

“Because I know I’m right,” Astrid said, determined to stick to her plan.Of course, he will argue. Of course, he will try to volley the accusation right back at you, to make it seem as though you’re the one who’s guilty of something here. But you’re not. You’ve done nothing wrong. Don’t let him make you forget.

“You’re just a little girl,” O’Flannagan spat. “You’ve no place here. Get out of my establishment at once.”

Astrid drew herself up. “I am not just a little girl,” she said. “I am the Lady of Middleborough Manor.Youare nothing but a commoner. So mind your tone when you speak to me.”

“You come here and accuse me of having a hand in amurder?”

“I say to you that I know beyond doubt that my husband is innocent of the crime of which he’s been accused,” Astrid said. “I know because I was with him all night the night Lord Hayward was killed. But beyond that, I know because I know him as a man.”

“Meaning what?”

“I think you understand what I mean,” Astrid said. “I think perhaps you understand better than anyone else in this town what kind of man Lord Middleborough really is. Because you’re the one who makes up all the heinous lies about him, aren’t you?”

O’Flannagan opened his mouth, but for once no words came out.

“You’ve spent a lot of time and energy on painting him as a villain,” Astrid said quietly. “I can only think of one reason any man would work so hard to ensure that his rival looked bad. You must have known that you wouldhaveto make him look bad, because he would never do it on his own.”

O’Flannagan shook his head, but he still didn’t speak.

“He’s a good man,” Astrid said. “I think you’ve known that about him from the start.”

“I don’t know how you can come in here and make such wild accusations,” O’Flannagan said again.

“Nothing I’ve said is wild,” Astrid said. “I’ve spoken nothing but the truth. And now, Mr. O’Flannagan, you have a decision to make. Will you cooperate with me willingly? Will you tell me who was involved in Lord Hayward’s death so that my husband can go free? Or will you compel me to involve the authorities?”

O’Flannagan clenched his hands into fists and looked down at the table.

If things turn violent,Astrid thought, anxiety stirring in her gut,it’s going to be now.She readied herself to scream for her footmen.

O’Flannagan looked up. Anger—rage, really—was etched across his face. But when he spoke, his voice was even.

---