Bittersweet Summer (Haunting Hearts Series, Book 3) by Rachel Wilson

Author:Rachel Wilson [Wilson, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ePublishing Works!

Eleven

During the hours remaining of his open house, Tobias decided to set out for Watertown the very next morning. No sense in dawdling, since it now seemed clear that someone truly was trying to do away with him. If he discovered arsenic in the powders, he’d have proof positive that whoever had been staging all the incidents intended his death. He supposed that made more sense than someone wanting to kill Genevieve, although he couldn’t imagine why anybody would want him dead, either. None of it made any sense to him.

He’d considered assigning Armitage the duty of having the powders analyzed, but when he pondered the matter further, he decided he’d be better off taking no one into his confidence. He didn’t think the day would ever end or that his guests would ever leave, but he gritted his teeth and bore it, and succeeded in not shouting at anyone.

The doctor paid a final visit to Genevieve at about eight-thirty that evening. Then the gruff old man left, and Tobias hoped his departure would signal for an exodus of his other guests to start. It didn’t. Instead, folks hung around for what seemed like forever.

He nearly had to hog-tie Delilah Crowfoot and throw her through the castle gate to get her to leave, even though she refused to go inside the castle itself. She begged him to have Genevieve transported to the castle cottage so she could look after her. Tobias refused, trying his best to be tactful about it. Fortunately, Dr. Johnson, exiting the castle at that very moment, came to his aid.

“The girl isn’t fit to be moved, Delilah Crowfoot. For heaven’s sake, she’s had a terrible bout of food poisoning.” The doctor cast a significant look at Tobias, who nodded his approval. No sense in worrying Delilah any more than she was already worried, and the mention of poison would assuredly frighten her. Tobias had no very great faith in Delilah’s strength of character. She wasn’t like her niece at all in that regard.

Tobias nobly hung around until the last remaining clump of people, including Wesley Armitage and the mayor of Bittersweet, finally trundled off. The very last of his guests left no earlier than fifteen minutes before midnight. It had been a damned long day. From all appearances, the open house had been a huge success, although Tobias was so frustrated toward the end of the evening that he nearly yelled at everyone to go away.

As soon as the gates closed behind Armitage and the mayor, Tobias tore into the castle, climbed the stairs as fast as his injured leg would allow, and charged down the hall to Genevieve’s bedroom. It was midnight by that time, and Tobias was glad to see her looking much stronger when he peeked into her room—just to check on her welfare because she was in his employ, of course.

She saw him standing in the door and smiled. “Oh, good evening, Mr. Rakes.”

Tobias swallowed and wondered why his heart had taken to hammering so blasted hard.

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