Page 77 of Married to the Earl

“Very well,” he said quietly. “I’ll tell you what I know.”

Astrid’s heart pounded. Was this really going to work? She didn’t dare look at her father. She knew he had had his doubts about the plan, even more than she had.

O’Flannagan sat back in his seat. “I don’t know who was responsible for Lord Hayward’s death,” he said. “It wasn’t me. And it wasn’t any of my people, either.”

“Why should I believe you?” Astrid asked, feeling a lead weight settle into her stomach. She had thought he meant to cooperate…

“Believe what you want,” O’Flannagan said. “But it’s the truth. At this point, I would happily turn someone over if I knew they were guilty. I’ve poured my whole life into this business. I don’t want to lose it. I don’t suppose you can imagine what it’s like to dedicate your life to something.”

“I can,” Tobias said quietly, glancing at his daughter. “I believe him, Astrid.”

So quickly?How could her father be sure? “Say I believe you,” Astrid said, although she was far from accepting O’Flannagan at his word. “You were saying just a few minutes ago how confident you were of Lord Middleborough’s guilt, how you felt he’d gotten what he deserved.”

O’Flannagan shook his head. “What you said of him was true,” he admitted. “Lord Middleborough is standoffish and unpleasant at times, but I’ve never known him to be unkind. I’ve certainly never known him to be violent. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who would be likely to commit murder.”

“Then why are you putting that story about?” Astrid demanded. “Why are you saying such things aloud, if you don’t believe them? You must be trying to protect your own people because you know they’re guilty!”

“No,” O’Flannagan said. “I’m trying to advance my business. Nothing more. Lord Middleborough’s arrest is a good thing for the Angry Boar, and so is the fact that the dead man was found in The Arc. No one wants to drink there anymore. They’re all coming here.”

Astrid stared at him. “You are a really despicable person,” she said quietly. “A man is dead. A man has been falsely accused. And all you care about is the success of your business.”

“I didn’t kill him,” O’Flannagan said sourly. “There’s no need for you to take this out on me.”

“No need to take it out on you? You’re taking advantage of a horrible situation!” Astrid cried. “You’re using these terrible things that have happened to help advance your own ends! How can you live with yourself?”

“It’s none of your business how I live with myself,” O’Flannagan said. “Are you going to the police with the information you gathered illegally about my books?”

“Ishould,” Astrid said.

“Even though you would be implicating your own father?”

“I’ll go to the police myself,” Tobias said. “It would be worth it, to shut a man like you down.”

O’Flannagan raised his eyebrows. “I thought you said you believed me.”

“I believe you didn’t kill Lord Hayward,” Tobias said. “That doesn’t mean I believe you ought to walk free, given the kind of man that you are. My daughter is right. It’s appalling to see someone take advantage of a tragedy and try to turn it in his favor.” He turned to Astrid. “Do you want to turn him in?”

“Wait,” O’Flannagan said.

“For what?” Astrid asked.

“I can help you,” O’Flannagan said.

“How?” Astrid demanded. “You just claimed not to know who killed Lord Hayward. Are you changing your story now?”

“No,” O’Flannagan said. “But I have contacts you don’t have, Lady Middleborough. I know people, and I belong to this part of the town. And you don’t. I can ask around. I can find things out.”

“You mean you’d help us try to discover who committed the crime?”

“Someone out there knows something about it,” O’Flannagan said. “Instead of you and I trying to tear each other apart over this, maybe we should try to get our hands on the real murderer. Yes, I committed fraud and started rumors, and I may be a selfish man. But there are worse criminals than me to contend with.”

Astrid hesitated. “Do you really think you could help find the guilty party?” she asked.If we could find whoever it was, that would mean that Conor could be exonerated. Then everything would be all right again.

“I want to know who it was as much as you do,” O’Flannagan said. “Lord Hayward was a friend. He was one of the principal patrons of the Angry Boar. He helped us to get our start, and he’s kept us running through the hard times. He was one of the biggest supporters this business had.”

In everything that had happened, Astrid hadn’t had time to think about the murder from that perspective. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve been insensitive.”

“I wouldn’t have expected you to think about things that way while your husband is in jail,” O’Flannagan assured her.

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