Page 72 of The Secret of Flirting
“True. But I just can’t believe... I can’t imagine that she would—”
“I know, it’s hard to accept.” He squeezed her hand. “But we must consider the possibility, given that she was absent for both shootings, yet near enough that she could have been the one pulling the trigger.”
“But... but does she even know how to fire a gun?” Monique said. “Besides, everyone who saw the shooter said it was a man!”
“A woman can dress as a man and fool people. Not to mention that she might have hired an assassin. This morning she could easily have gone off to tell her henchman what time we left. Whoever shot at you already knew that we’d be riding to the waterfall this morning. And there’s only one path to get there, so it would have been easy for the man to lie in wait.”
“Yes, butwhy? Why would she do it?”
“I have an idea. But first, has she saidanythingto you about her feelings concerning the union of Prince Leopold and Aurore?”
She thought back to her brief conversation with Lady Ursula that day. “All I remember is her saying that Aurore didn’t want to marry. That’s why she turned down Prince Leopold’s offer.”
“Did she say why?”
Monique was trying to recall the details of the conversation when Lady Ursula herself burst into the drawing room.
“The servants told me someone fired a gun at you again!” she said, hurrying over to Monique. “Are you all right?”
It was hard not to notice the leaves clinging to her skirts, or her disheveled appearance. Monique wanted to cry. Could Gregory be right about her?
Gregory rose to put himself between Lady Ursula and Monique. “Where have you been?”
She gaped at him. “I was walking through your gardens. Why?”
Aware that his staff could be listening, he walked over to shut the door, then leaned against it to glare at her. “Because you’ve been absent both times the princess has been fired upon. You seem inordinately interested in a possible union between Princess Aurore and Prince Leopold. And you are theonlyone who keeps asking about when he will arrive. Tell me—is that mere coincidence?”
Lady Ursula blinked. “What are you insinuating?”
“That you’re jealous of Princess Aurore’s hold over the prince because you want him for yourself.”
Such a motive hadn’t occurred to Monique.
Apparently, it hadn’t occurred to Lady Ursula either. “What?! I can assure you I have no designs on my cousin. We’re like sister and brother!”
Pushing away from the door, Gregory advanced upon her. “Then you should explain why you were so intent upon having him here at my estate.”
His words reminded Monique of something the lady-in-waiting had said a few days ago. “You told me that the one you loved couldn’t marry you.” Monique rose to stand beside Gregory. “Was that Leopold?”
Lady Ursula stared at the two of them united, and her face crumpled. “No, it wasn’t Leopold.”
Monique glared at her. “I don’t believe you.”
“It wasn’t him!” Lady Ursula wrung her hands. “I can’t tell you who it was.”
“You’d better,” Gregory snapped. “Because I won’t stand by and let you hurt Monique.”
“Monique?” Lady Ursula looked shocked. “You know who she is?”
Keeping the secret hardly seemed to matter anymore, now that Monique’s life was in danger. “He knows.” She drew in a ragged breath. “He’s always known. As it happens, he met me three years ago in Dieppe when he saw me play Suzanne inThe Marriage of Figaro. So the first day he ‘met’ me as Princess Aurore, he recognized me.”
Lady Ursula blanched, then dropped into the nearest chair. “Mein Gott.”
It was the only time Monique had heard her speak in her native tongue. “That’s why I’ve been trying to avoid him all this time. That’s why I wanted you to keep him at bay.”
“And I failed you,” Lady Ursula whispered.
“In more ways than one, if you’re behind these shootings,” Gregory bit out.
